Everything about Clerkenwell totally explained
Clerkenwell is an area of central
London in the
London Borough of Islington. Clerkenwell was once known as London's "
Little Italy" due to its extensive Italian population from the 1850s to the 1960s.
History
The Clerks' Well
Clerkenwell took its name from the Clerks' Well in Farringdon Lane. In the Middle Ages, the London Parish clerks performed annual
mystery plays there, based on biblical themes. Part of the well remains visible, incorporated into a later (19th or perhaps early 20th century) building called Well Court. It is visible through a window of that building on Farringdon Lane.
Monastic traditions
The
nuns of
St Mary's, Clerkenwell, lived on the site of the present
St James' Parish Church. The Monastic Order of the
Knights Hospitallers of
St John of Jerusalem had its
English headquarters in Clerkenwell. (
The Blessed Gerard founded the Order in order to give medical assistance during
the crusades.)
St John's Gate (built by Sir
Thomas Docwra in
1504) survives in the rebuilt form of the Priory Gate. Its gateway, erected in 1504, and remaining in St John's Square, served various purposes after the suppression of the monasteries, being, for example, the birthplace of the
Gentleman's Magazine in
1731, and the scene of
Dr Johnson's work in connexion with that journal. In modern times the gatehouse again became associated with the Order, and was in the early
20th century the headquarters of the
St John Ambulance Association. An
Early English crypt remains beneath the neighbouring parish church of St John, where the notorious deception of the "
Cock Lane Ghost," in which Johnson took great interest, was exposed. Adjoining the priory was St Mary's
Benedictine nunnery, St James's church (
1792) marking the site, and preserving in its vaults some of the ancient monuments. The
Charterhouse, near the boundary with the
City of London, once served as a
Carthusian monastery. The Charterhouse later became a school and
almshouse, which latter still remains.
Fashionable residential area
In the
17th century Clerkenwell became a fashionable place of residence.
Oliver Cromwell owned a house on Clerkenwell Close, just off the Green. Before Clerkenwell became a built-up area, it had a reputation as a
resort where Londoners could disport themselves at its
spas, tea gardens and
theatres.
Sadler's Wells has survived, after rebuilding, as heir to this tradition.
Clerkenwell was also the location of three prisons: the
Clerkenwell Bridewell,
Coldbath Fields Prison (later Clerkenwell Gaol) and the
New Prison, later the House of Detention, notorious as the scene of a
Fenian attempted prison break in
1867, when it was sought to release prisoners by blowing up part of the building.
Industrial revolution
The
Industrial Revolution changed the area greatly. It became a centre for
breweries,
distilleries and the
printing industry. It gained an especial reputation for the
making of clocks and
watches, which activity once employed many people from around the area. Flourishing craft workshops still carry on some of the traditional trades, such as jewellery-making. Clerkenwell is home to Witherbys, England's oldest printing company. The company, which was established in 1740 and whose shareholding is mainly family-held, produces a wide variety of commercial work from business cards through to Report & Accounts.
Clerkenwell Green
Clerkenwell Green lies at the centre of the old village, by the church, and has a mix of housing, offices and pubs, dominated by an imposing former courthouse (built in 1782, extended by the Victorians, and now used as a
Masonic Hall).
The name is something of a historical relic - Clerkenwell Green has had no grass for over 300 years. However, in conveying some impression of its history, it gives the appearance of one of the better-preserved village centres in what is now central London. In
Charles Dickens'
Oliver Twist, Clerkenwell Green is where Fagin and the Artful Dodger induct Oliver into pickpocketing amongst shoppers in the busy market once held there. Indeed Dickens knew the area well and was a customer of the
Finsbury Savings Bank on
Sekforde Street, a street linking Clerkenwell Green to
St John Street. In 1900 the
London Government Act 1899 incorporated the
civil parish of Clerkenwell, which also included the
Pentonville area, into the
Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. Clerkenwell Town Hall built in 1895 on Rosebury Avenue became Finsbury Town Hall.
Radicalism
Clerkenwell Green has historically been associated with radicalism, from the
Lollards in the 16th century, the
Chartists in the 19th century and
communists in the early 20th century. In 1902,
Vladimir Lenin moved the publication of the
Iskra (Spark) to the British
Social Democratic Federation at 37a Clerkenwell Green, and issues 22 to 38 were indeed edited there. At that time Lenin resided on Percy Circus, less than half a mile north of Clerkenwell Green. In 1903 the newspaper was moved to Geneva. It is said that Lenin and a young
Stalin met in the
Crown and Anchor pub (now known as
The Crown Tavern) on the Green when the latter was visiting London in 1903. In the 1920s and 1930s, 37a Clerkenwell Green was a venue for
Communist Party meetings, and the
Marx Memorial Library was founded on the same site in 1933. Clerkenwell's tradition of left-leaning publication continues today, with
The Guardian and
The Observer having their headquarters a short walk away - although both papers will move to
Kings Cross in 2008.
Post-war decline and revival
After the
Second World War Clerkenwell suffered from industrial decline, though several acclaimed social housing projects were commissioned by
Finsbury Borough Council. Modernist architect and Russian émigré
Berthold Lubetkin's listed
Spa Green Estate, constructed 1943-1950, has recently been restored. The
Finsbury Estate, constructed in 1968, includes flats in a typical
Brutalist style.
A general revival and gentrification process began in the 1990s, and the area is now known for loft-living
young professionals, nightclubs, restaurants and art galleries. It also houses many professional and business offices as an overspill area for the nearby
City of London and
West End, alongside social housing.
Entertainment
Pubs
London's first
gastropub,
The Eagle, opened in Clerkenwell in
1991.
The Eagle has been joined by, among others,
The Well,
The Peasant,
The Coach and Horses and
The Green, Clerkenwell pubs which have since been converted to gastropubs.
One of London's finest pubs, The Jerusalem Tavern, is in Clerkenwell and is the only pub owned by the
St Peter's brewery.
Restaurants
Clerkenwell is said to be home to some of London's best restaurants. Examples are
St John, a traditional English restaurant often listed as one of the
best and most influential restaurants in the world and the Spanish/Moroccan restaurant
Moro.
Nightclubs and bars
Clerkenwell is the home of two of London's largest nightclubs,
Turnmills and
Fabric. The nightlife is centred on the north side of
Smithfield Market, revellers gathering alongside delivery teams from across Europe at the meat market on nights throughout the week. Several pre-club bars such as
Smith's of Smithfield have flourished in the area.
A number of traditional pubs also line the market and the surrounding warren of streets. Those which serve the Smithfield meat workers are allowed to open at 5.30am. These are
Nicholson's former
gin palace The Fox & Anchor,
The Hope and
The Cock (which is situated within the market itself).
In the streets north of Smithfield Market, the only pub owned and tied to the Suffolk brewer
St. Peter's,
The Jerusalem Tavern can be found on the site of a medieval tavern of the same name.
Famous residents (past and present)
Nearby areas
St Pancras to the west
Bloomsbury to the west
Holborn to the south-west
Smithfield to the south
Barbican Estate and Barbican Arts Centre to the south-east
St Luke's to the east
Finsbury Estate to the north
Islington to the north
King's Cross to the north-west
Farringdon station, which provides both mainline rail and tube services, is the only station in Clerkenwell itself. However Angel, King's Cross St Pancras, Chancery Lane and Barbican stations all lie near the fringes of Clerkenwell.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Clerkenwell'.
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