| Clerkenwell | |
  Clerkenwell shown within Greater London |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Islington |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | EC1 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| European Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Islington South and Finsbury |
| London Assembly | North East |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The London Borough of Islington ( is a London borough in North and Inner London. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system The London postal district is the area in England, currently of 241 square miles to which mail addressed to the LONDON Post town is delivered UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The London Fire Brigade ( LFB) is the statutory The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS is the largest "free at the point of contact" ambulance service in the world that does not directly charge its patients London is a Constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 9 MEPs using the D'Hondt method of Party-list proportional This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Islington South and Finsbury is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Greater London is divided into fourteen territorial constituencies for London Assembly elections each returning one member North East is a Constituency of the London Assembly. It is represented by Jennette Arnold who was directly elected at the 2004 London Assembly A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a partial list of places in London, England See List of places in England for lists of settlements in other counties A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The London Borough of Islington ( is a London borough in North and Inner London. Clerkenwell was once known as London's "Little Italy" due to its extensive Italian population from the 1850s to the 1960s.
Contents |
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. Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. 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 Monastic Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem had its English headquarters at the Priory of Clerkenwell. The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St Saint John the Apostle ( Greek Ιωάννης, see Names of John) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Clerkenwell Priory was a Priory of the Monastic Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem located in Clerkenwell, London (The Blessed Gerard founded the Order in order to give medical assistance during the crusades. Gerard (c 1040 &ndash September 3, 1120) variously surnamed Tum, Tune, Tenque or Thom, was the founder of the Order The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents ) St John's Gate (built by Sir Thomas Docwra in 1504) survives in the rebuilt form of the Priory Gate. St John's Gate is one of the few tangible remains from Clerkenwell 's Monastic past it was built in 1504 by Prior Thomas Docwra as the south entrance to Thomas Docwra (1458? &ndash 1527 was Grand Prior of the English Knights Hospitaller. 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. Year 1731 ( MDCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September 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. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories is a common name used by a number of affiliated organizations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and 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. English Gothic is the name of the Architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520 In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or St John Clerkenwell is a parish church in Clerkenwell, London. The story of the Cock Lane ghost attracted mass public attention in eighteenth-century England before being exposed as a hoax
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. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or Year 1792 ( MDCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Charterhouse, near the boundary with the City of London, once served as a Carthusian monastery. The London Charterhouse is a former Carthusian monastery in London, England, to the north of what is now Charterhouse Square. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. The Charterhouse later became a school and almshouse, which latter still remains. Almshouses are charitable Housing provided to enable people (typically elderly people who can no longer work to earn enough to pay
Fashionable residential area
In the 17th century Clerkenwell became a fashionable place of residence. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Oliver Cromwell owned a house on Clerkenwell Close, just off the Green. Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 Old Style &ndash 3 September 1658 Old Style) was an English military and political leader best known 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. A resort is a place used for Relaxation or Recreation, attracting visitors for Holidays or Vacations Resorts are places towns or sometimes A day spa is a business establishment which people visit for professionally administered personal care treatments such as Massages and Facials It is similar This article is about venues for live Theatre performances for information about venues for Film projection see Movie theater. Sadler's Wells has survived, after rebuilding, as heir to this tradition. Sadler's Wells Theatre is the name of six theatres that have been built since 1683 at a site on Rosebery Avenue Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington
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. Clerkenwell Bridewell was a Prison located in the Clerkenwell area immediately north of the City of London (in the modern London Borough of Islington Coldbath Fields Prison (later also known as Clerkenwell Gaol) was a Prison in the Clerkenwell areas of the City of London, originally built during The New Prison was a Prison located in the Clerkenwell area of central London between c Fianna Éireann The Fenians, both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood, were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting
Industrial revolution
The Industrial Revolution changed the area greatly. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the It became a centre for breweries, distilleries and the printing industry. A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of Beer, though beer can be made in the home and has been for much of beer's history Printing is a process for reproducing text and image typically with ink on Paper using a printing press It gained an especial reputation for the making of clocks and watches, which activity once employed many people from around the area. A clockmaker is an Artisan who makes and repairs Clocks Since almost all clocks are now factory-made most clockmakers today just repair clocks A watchmaker is an Artisan who makes and repairs Watches A modern watchmaker is more likely to repair a wristwatch or a pocketwatch than to actually create a watch 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. Oliver Twist (1838 is Charles Dickens' second Novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a serial 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. Thomas Seckford (1515 - January 1587 was an official at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England. 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. The London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict c14 divided the County of London into 28 Metropolitan Boroughs, replacing the 41 parish vestries and District Boards A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Pentonville is an area of north-central London in the London Borough of Islington, centred on the Pentonville Road. The Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury was a Metropolitan borough within the County of London from 1900 to 1965 when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough 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. Lollardy was the political and religious movement of the Lollards from the mid- 14th century to the English Reformation. For chartism in financial markets see Technical analysis, and for the British socialist journal see Chartist (magazine Chartism was Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based [1] 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. Iskra (Russian Искра means Spark, was a political Newspaper of Russian Socialist emigrants established as the official The Social Democratic Federation (SDF was established as Britain's first organised socialist Political party by H 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. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party 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. A Political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of Communism through a communist form of The Marx Memorial Library is a library in London holding books pamphlets and newspapers on Marxism, Scientific Socialism and Working class history 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. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Kings Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington.
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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury was a Metropolitan borough within the County of London from 1900 to 1965 when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough Modernist architect and Russian émigré Berthold Lubetkin's listed Spa Green Estate, constructed 1943-1950, has recently been restored. Berthold Romanovich Lubetkin ( December 14 1901 — October 23 1990) was a Russian émigré architect who pioneered modernist The Finsbury Estate, constructed in 1968, includes flats in a typical Brutalist style. Finsbury Estate is a Housing estate in the Finsbury area of London, England. The term Brutalist Architecture originates from the French Béton brut, or "raw concrete" a term used by Le Corbusier to describe
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. The term yuppie (short for " young urban professional It also houses many professional and business offices as an overspill area for the nearby City of London and West End, alongside social housing. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial
Entertainment
Pubs
London's first gastropub, The Eagle, opened in Clerkenwell in 1991. A gastropub (or "gastro pub" is a British term for a Public house which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic " pub grub Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. 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. [2] 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. St John is a Restaurant on St John Street in Smithfield London, England. Restaurant magazine produces an annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the world based on a poll of international chefs and critics
Nightclubs and bars
Clerkenwell is the home of one of London's largest nightclubs, Fabric, and several pre-club bars such as Smith's of Smithfield have also flourished in the area. Fabric is a Nightclub in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest and most popular night clubs in the UK and widely regarded as one of the best The nightlife is centred on the north side of Smithfield Market, with revellers gathering alongside delivery teams from across Europe at the meat market on nights throughout the week. Smithfield (also known as West Smithfield) is an area in the north-west part of the City of London, mostly known for its centuries-old meat market and its bloody history
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). Nicholson's was a small British Brewery operating from 1840 to 1960 in Maidenhead, England. A gin palace is an English name originally for a lavish bar selling Gin, later transferred by association to late Victorian Pubs designed in a
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. St Peter's is an independent brewery founded in 1996 by John Murphy in former agricultural buildings adjacent to St
Famous residents (past and present)
- John Bell (Bishop of Worcester)
- William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
- Earl of Clanricarde
- Oliver Cromwell
- Daniel Defoe
- Vladimir Lenin
- John Weever
- Thomas Britton
- John Wilkes
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
Nearest railway and London Underground stations
Farringdon station, which provides both mainline rail and tube services, is the only station in Clerkenwell itself. St Pancras is an area of London. Historically the name has been used for various officially designated areas but today it is only an informal term and is rarely used Bloomsbury is an area of central London in the south of the London Borough of Camden, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into Holborn (ˈhoʊbɚn or /ˈhoʊbɝːn/ "ho bun" is an area of Central London, England Smithfield (also known as West Smithfield) is an area in the north-west part of the City of London, mostly known for its centuries-old meat market and its bloody history The Barbican Estate is a residential estate in the City of London, in an area densely packed with Commerce and Finance. Barbican Centre is the largest Performing arts centre in Europe St Luke's is an area in the London Borough of Islington in Greater London, close to the borders with the London Borough of Hackney and the City of Finsbury Estate is a Housing estate in the Finsbury area of London, England. Islington is the central district of the London Borough of Islington. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Farringdon station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Clerkenwell, just north of the City of London in the London Borough However Angel, King's Cross St Pancras, Chancery Lane and Barbican stations all lie near the fringes of Clerkenwell. Angel tube station is a London Underground station in The Angel, Islington. King's Cross St Pancras is a tube station in the London Borough of Camden, on the London Underground network serving both King's Cross and St Chancery Lane is a London Underground station in central London. Barbican is a London Underground and mainline rail station serving the Barbican Centre in the City of London, England.
References
- ^ Andrew Rothstein, A House on Clerkenwell Green, 1966. A history of 37a Clerkenwell Green and activism in the area.
- ^ New York Times article on Clerkenwell's history and restaurant scene
External links
- Map of Clerkenwell, showing location of the Clerks' Well
- Description and history of Clerkenwell from an 1868 Gazetteer
- Information about Lenin's stay in Clerkenwell
- Clerkenwell Green Association
- St James Church Clerkenwell
- St Mark's Church, Myddelton Square, Clerkenwell
- Woodbridge Chapel, for many years known as Clerkenwell Medical Mission
- St John restaurant
- Fabric nightclub
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