Editing Clerkenwell

{{short description |Area of central London}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name             = Clerkenwell
| coordinates               = {{coord|51.52604|-0.103475|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_reference         = TQ315825
| population                = 11,490
| population_ref            = (2011 Census. Ward)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13688877&c=Clerkenwell&d=14&e=62&g=6330492&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1477317668012&enc=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024230556/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13688877&c=Clerkenwell&d=14&e=62&g=6330492&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1477317668012&enc=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2016|title=Islington Ward population 2011|access-date=24 October 2016|publisher=Office for National Statistics|work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref>
| post_town                 = LONDON
| dial_code                 = 020
| region                    = London
| country                   = England
| postcode_area             = EC
| postcode_area1            = WC
| postcode_district         = EC1
| postcode_district1        = WC1
| london_borough            = Islington
| london_borough1           = Camden
| constituency_westminster  = [[Islington South and Finsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Islington South and Finsbury]]
| constituency_westminster1 = [[Holborn and St Pancras (UK Parliament constituency)|Holborn and St Pancras]]
| static_image_name         = ClerkenwellGreenC-composite.jpg
| static_image_caption      = Clerkenwell Green and [[St James's Church, Clerkenwell|St James's Church]]
| london_distance           = 
}}

'''Clerkenwell''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|ɑr|k|ən|w|ɛ|l}} {{respell|KLAHRK-ən-well}}) is an area of [[central London]], England.

Clerkenwell was an [[Civil Parish#Ancient parishes|ancient parish]] from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the [[London Borough of Islington]]. The [[St James's Church, Clerkenwell|church of St James]] in Clerkenwell Close and nearby Clerkenwell Green sit at the centre of Clerkenwell. 
Located on the edge of the [[City of London]], it was the home of the [[Clerkenwell Priory|Priory of St John]] and the site of a number of wells and spas, including Sadlers Wells and Spa Green. The well after which the area was named was rediscovered in 1924. 

The [[Marquess of Northampton]] owned much of the land in Clerkenwell, reflected in placenames such as [[Northampton Square]], Spencer Street and Compton Street.

The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance, particularly in the area around Northampton Square.<ref>Moore, W. G. (1971) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; p. 178</ref> In the 20th century, Clerkenwell became known as a centre for architecture and design.

Clerkenwell is home to [[City, University of London|City University]] and the Royal Mail's [[Mount Pleasant Mail Centre|Mount Pleasant sorting office]]. It includes the neighbourhoods of [[Farringdon, London|Farringdon]] and [[Exmouth Market]].

==Geography==
[[Goswell Street]] formed the eastern boundary of the Clerkenwell parishes, with the [[River Fleet]], now buried beneath [[Farringdon Road]] and other streets, forming the western boundary with [[Holborn]] and, in part, [[St Pancras, London|St Pancras]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol47/pp22-51|title=West of Farringdon Road &#124; British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk|accessdate=8 February 2023}}</ref> This western boundary with both neighbouring areas is now used as part of the [[London Borough of Islington]]'s western boundary with the [[London Borough of Camden]].

Pentonville is a part of northern Clerkenwell, while the southern part is sometimes referred to as Farringdon, after the railway station of that name – which was named after [[Farringdon Road]] (an extension of Farringdon Street) and originally named Farringdon Street Station.<ref name=rose>
{{cite book
  | last = Rose
  | first = Douglas
  | title = The London Underground: A diagrammatic history
  | publisher = Capital Transport Publishing
  | year = 1999
  | isbn = 1-85414-219-4}}
</ref>

[[Finsbury Town Hall]] and the [[Finsbury Estate]] lie in Clerkenwell, rather than Finsbury. They are named after the former [[Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury]] which included Clerkenwell, Finsbury and other areas.

==History==

''For a list of street name etymologies in the Clerkenwell area see [[Street names of Clerkenwell and Finsbury]].''

===Clerks' Well===
Clerkenwell took its name from the Clerks' Well in Farringdon Lane (''clerken'' was the [[Middle English#Nouns|Middle English]] genitive plural of ''clerk'', a variant of  ''[[wikt:clerc#Middle English|clerc]]'', meaning literate person or clergyman). The first surviving reference to the name is from 1100.<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford Dictionary of Place names –|first=Eilert |last=Ekwall (Fourth edition reprinted 1990) |year=1960 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0-19-869103-3}}</ref> In the [[Middle Ages]], the [[Parish Clerks Company|London Parish clerks]] performed annual [[mystery play]]s there, based on biblical themes. Part of the well remains visible, incorporated into a 1980s building called Well Court. It is visible through a window of that building on Farringdon Lane. Access to the well is managed by [[Islington Local History Centre]] and visits can be arranged by appointment.

===Monastic traditions===
The Monastic Order of the [[Knights Hospitaller]]s of [[John the Apostle|St John]] of [[Jerusalem]] had its English headquarters at the [[Priory of Clerkenwell]]. ([[The Blessed Gerard]] founded the Order to provide medical assistance during [[the crusades]].) [[St John's Gate, Clerkenwell|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 in St John's Square, served various purposes after the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. For example, it was the birthplace of the ''[[Gentleman's Magazine]]'' in 1731, and the scene of [[Dr Johnson]]'s work in connection 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 Period|Early English]] crypt remains beneath the chapel of the order, which was otherwise mostly rebuilt in the 1950s after wartime bombing. The notorious deception of the "[[Cock Lane Ghost]]", in which Johnson took great interest, was perpetrated nearby.

Adjoining the priory was [[St James Church, Clerkenwell#Nunnery of St Mary: c. 1100 - 1539|St Mary's nunnery]] of the Benedictine order, now entirely disappeared, and [[St James Church, Clerkenwell|St James's Church]], rebuilt in 1792 on the site of the original church which was partly of [[Norman architecture|Norman]] provenance. The [[London Charterhouse|Charterhouse]], near the boundary with the [[City of London]], was originally a [[Carthusian]] monastery. Following the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] the Charterhouse became a private mansion and one owner, Thomas Sutton, subsequently left it with an endowment as a school and [[almshouse]]. The almshouse remains but the school relocated to Surrey and its part of the site is now a campus of [[Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry]].

===Black Mary's Hole===
Black Mary’s Hole was a locality and small rural settlement in a low-lying area on the eastern, Clerkenwell side of the valley of the [[River Fleet]]. The area included fields called ''Black Mary’s Hole'', and ''Robin Hood’s Field'', which together with the name of the former local pub, ''The Fox at Bay'', seem to reflect the lawlessness of the area. The locality was also known as a meeting place for gay men.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2022/06/23/on-the-hunt-for-black-marys-hole/|title=On the hunt for Black Marys Hole|first=Stephen|last=Liddell|date=23 June 2022|accessdate=8 February 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Roque 1746 London c1.jpg|thumb|Black Mary's Hole in 1746, located on the eastern side of the [[River Fleet]].]]
[[File:Clerkenwell 1805 Cartographer; Tyrer, James.jpg|thumb|The parishes of Clerkenwell, 1805]]

===New River Head===
The construction of the [[New River (London)|New River]] between 1604 and 1613 resulted in the creation of the [[New River Head]] in Clerkenwell, on what is now [[Rosebery Avenue]]. The New River was constructed to supply London with fresh drinking water from [[Hertfordshire]], and the New River Head originally consisted of a circular reservoir, the ''Round Pond'' and an associated building, the ''Water House''. From here water was fed into a network of wooden mains which conveyed water to the cisterns of London.<ref name=bho>{{cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol47/pp165-184 |title=New River Head |work=British History Online |publisher=Institute of Historical Research/University of London |year=2008 |access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref>

Over the years the New River Head complex expanded with the addition of further reservoirs and pumping stations, driven by [[windmill]], [[horse gin]] and, eventually, [[steam engine]]. In 1820, the [[New River Company]], owners of the river, moved its offices into an enlarged Water House, beginning an association of the site with the administration of London's water supply that was to last some 170 years. In 1920, the [[Metropolitan Water Board]] opened a new office building at New River Head, and this remained the headquarters for London's water supply up to the privatisation of the [[Thames Water Authority]] in 1989. The site is now largely in residential use, including both converted buildings and newly built apartment blocks.<ref name=bho/>

===New River Estate===
From 1810 to 1850, the New River Company developed housing on the land surrounding New River Head. At the centre is Myddelton Square, named after [[Sir Hugh Myddelton]], developer of the New River, with the Grade II listed [[St Mark's Church, Myddelton Square|St Mark's Church]] in the centre. The church was built in 1827 in Victorian Gothic style by [[William Chadwell Mylne]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Church of St Mark |url=https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101298025-church-of-st-mark-clerkenwell-ward |website=British Listed Buildings |access-date=24 December 2022}}</ref> after whom the nearby Mylne Street and Chadwell Street are named. The estate is a series of streets and terraces in neo-Classical, Greek revival style. The place names reference the New River company, including Amwell Street (after the New River's source in Hertfordshire) and River Street.

===Lloyd Baker Estate===
The Lloyd Baker estate was laid out immediately to the west of the New River estate from 1820 to 1840. It takes its name from the family of [[William Lloyd (bishop of Worcester)|Bishop William Lloyd]] who inherited the land from his godmother [[Flower Backhouse, Countess of Clarendon]], a shareholder in the New River company.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol47/pp264-297 'Lloyd Baker Estate', in Survey of London: Volume 47, Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville, ed. Philip Temple (London, 2008), pp. 264-297. British History Online accessed 23 September 2022].</ref> The estate is characterised by neo-classical pedimented villas and garden squares.

===Notoriety===
As it was a suburb beyond the confines of the [[London Wall]], Clerkenwell was outside the jurisdiction of the somewhat puritanical City fathers. Consequently, "base tenements and houses of unlawful and disorderly resort" sprang up, with a "great number of dissolute, loose, and insolent people harboured in such and the like noisome and disorderly houses, as namely poor cottages, and habitations of beggars and people without trade, stables, inns, alehouses, taverns, garden-houses converted to dwellings, ordinaries, dicing houses, bowling alleys, and brothel houses".<ref>Middlesex Justices in 1596; cited in Schoenbaum 1987, p. 126.</ref>

During the Elizabethan era Clerkenwell contained a notorious brothel quarter. In Shakespeare's ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'', Falstaff complains about Justice Shallow boasting of "the wildness of his youth, and the feats he has done about Turnbull Street".<ref>William Shakespeare, ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]''. Act 3, Scene 2.</ref> Known now as Turnmill Street and adjoining [[Farringdon station]], it had an infamous reputation for brothel-keeping and was described in Sugden's ''Topographical Dictionary'' as "the most disreputable street in London, a haunt of thieves and loose women".<ref>Nicholl C. (2007) ''The Lodger'', p.204.</ref> The [[Clerkenwell Bridewell]], a prison and correctional institute for prostitutes and vagrants, was known for savage punishment and endemic sexual corruption.

===Prisons===

Clerkenwell was also the location of three prisons: the [[Clerkenwell Bridewell]], [[Coldbath Fields Prison]] (later Clerkenwell Gaol) and the [[New Prison]], later the [[Clerkenwell House of Detention]], notorious as the scene of the [[Clerkenwell Outrage]] in 1867, an attempted prison break by [[Fenian]]s who killed many in the tenement houses on Corporation Row in trying to blow a hole in the prison wall. The House of Detention was demolished in 1890 but the extensive vaults and cells beneath, now known as the Clerkenwell Catacombs, remained. They were reopened as air raid shelters during the Blitz, and for a few years were open as a minor tourist attraction. Various film scenes have been shot in the catacombs.

===Industrial Revolution===
The [[Industrial Revolution]] changed the area greatly. It became a centre for [[brewery|breweries]], [[distillation|distilleries]] and the printing industry. It gained an especial reputation for the [[clockmaker|making of clocks]], [[marine chronometer]]s and [[watchmaker|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 was home to Witherbys, a printing company who have now split ownership, with the printers having relocated to north London and the publishers to [[Scotland]] (see also the [[Witherby Publishing Group]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://witherbypublishinggroup.com/Witherby-History|title=Witherby Company History|accessdate=1 July 2016|archive-date=14 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314145247/http://witherbypublishinggroup.com/Witherby-History|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was during the Industrial Revolution that Clerkenwell became known as London's Italian district, although the total number of Italian residents probably numbered no more than 2,000 at any one time.{{Citation needed|date=August 2016}}

[[File:Article-1204508-05F33865000005DC-837 964x691.jpg|thumb|Kodak Building at 41–43 Clerkenwell Rd, London in 1902]]
The Kodak United Company opened a factory and storefront at 41–43 Clerkenwell and took advantage of the surplus of unemployed Jewelers and Watch makers to build their Stereoscopic and Folding Pocket Cameras that they produced and repaired.  The location also allowed them easy access to the chemicals required for their Bromide based papers and negatives.  During World War II, they were relocated for security reasons because of the fear that Axis bombs would destroy the photographic equipment used for the war effort.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/companies2.html#kodak|title=Information on Camera Makers and Companies – Antique and Vintage Cameras|website=www.earlyphotography.co.uk}}</ref>

===Clerkenwell Green===
[[File:Clerkenwell Green, Londra.jpg|thumb|Clerkenwell Green]]
Clerkenwell Green lies at the centre of the old village, by the church, and has a mixture of housing, offices and pubs, dominated by the imposing former [[Middlesex Sessions House]]. It was built in 1782, extended during the [[Victorian era]], and by the early 21st century 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]]'s ''[[Oliver Twist]]'', Clerkenwell Green is where [[Fagin]] and the [[Artful Dodger]] induct Oliver into [[pickpocket]]ing amongst shoppers in the busy market once held there. In his words it is "an open square in Clerkenwell, which is yet called, by some perversion of terms the Green", despite lacking any "greenery". Indeed, Dickens knew the area well and was a customer of the Finsbury Savings Bank on [[Thomas Seckford|Sekforde Street]], which links Clerkenwell Green to St John Street. 

[[Hockley-in-the-Hole]] was an area of Clerkenwell Green where [[bull-baiting]], [[bear-baiting]] and similar activities occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref name="BHO">{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol2/pp306-309|title=Hockley-in-the-Hole &#124; British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>Boulton, W. 1901. ''[https://books.google.com/books/download/The_Amusements_of_Old_London.pdf?id=Yp9CAAAAYAAJ&output=pdf The Amusements of Old London: CHAPTER I - THE DIVERSIONS OF HOCKLEY IN THE HOLE, AND AT FIGG'S].'' {{ISBN|9781139094375}}</ref>

===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.<ref>Andrew Rothstein, ''A House on Clerkenwell Green'', London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1966. A history of 37a Clerkenwell Green and activism in the area.</ref> 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 [[Vladimir 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 [[Joseph Stalin]] met in the Crown and Anchor pub (now The Crown Tavern)<ref name=crowntavernloc>{{NHLE|num=1195546 |desc=The Crown Tavern Public House |access-date= 12 November 2016}} Has address 43 and 44, Clerkenwell Green</ref> 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. In 1942 the [[Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury|local borough council]] erected a controversial bust of [[Vladimir Lenin]] at the site of a [[Bevin Court|new block of flats]] in Holford Square (the bust was removed in the 1950s).

Clerkenwell's tradition of left-leaning publication continued until late 2008 with ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[The Observer]]'' having their headquarters on Farringdon Road, a short walk from the Green. Their new offices are a short distance away in [[King's Cross, London|King's Cross]]. In 2011, an [[2011 anti-cuts protest in London|anti-cuts protest]] march departed from Clerkenwell and ended with a rally at [[Trafalgar Square]] demanding trade union rights, human rights and international solidarity.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13254761 | work=BBC News | title=May Day: Thousands participate in rally | date=1 May 2011}}</ref>

===Local government===
[[File:Finsbury Met. B Ward Map 1952.svg|thumb|The wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury, 1952. Clerkenwell forms the western part of this area]]
Clerkenwell St James was an ancient parish in the [[Finsbury division]] of the [[Ossulstone]] hundred of [[Middlesex]].<ref name=vision>{{cite vob | url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10129837&c_id=10001043 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224201201/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10129837&c_id=10001043 | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 December 2012 | name=Clerknwell parish | map=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10129837&c_id=10001043 | access-date=5 November 2009 }} </ref> Part of the parish of St James was split off as the parish of St John in 1723. However, for civil matters they remained a single parish. The [[Clerkenwell Vestry]] became a nominating authority to the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] in 1855.

Under the [[Metropolis Management Act 1855]] any parish that exceeded 2,000 [[Rates in the United Kingdom|ratepayers]] was to be divided into wards; as such the parish of St James & St John Clerkenwell was divided into five wards (electing [[vestrymen]]): No. 1 (12), No. 2 (15), No. 3 (12), No. 4 (18) and No. 5 (15).<ref>{{cite book|title=The London Gazette Issue: 21802|date=20 October 1855|pages=3887–3888|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/21802/page/3887|access-date=8 April 2015}}</ref>

The area of the metropolitan board became the [[County of London]] in 1889. A reform of local government in 1900 abolished the Clerkenwell Vestry and the parish became part of the [[Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury]]. [[Alexandra Park, London|Alexandra Park]], an exclave of the parish, was transferred to [[Hornsey]], Middlesex at the same time.<ref name=vision/> Clerkenwell Town Hall, which had been built on [[Rosebery Avenue]] in 1895, became [[Finsbury Town Hall]]. [[Finsbury]] became part of the [[London Borough of Islington]] in 1965 and the old town hall lay empty and deteriorating for many years. It has since been sold to the Urdang Dance Academy.

===Post-war de-industrialisation and revival===
After the [[Second World War]] Clerkenwell suffered from [[deindustrialization|industrial decline]] and many of the premises occupied by the engineering, printing publishing and meat and food trades (the last mostly around Smithfield) fell empty. Several acclaimed council housing estates were commissioned by [[Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury|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 to the designs of Joseph Emberton includes flats, since altered and re-clad.

A general revival and gentrification process began in the 1980s, and the area is now known for loft-living in some of the former industrial buildings. It also has [[Yuppie|young professionals]], nightclubs and restaurants and is home to many professional offices as an overspill for the nearby [[City of London]] and [[West End of London|West End]]. Amongst other sectors, there is a notable concentration of design professions around Clerkenwell, and supporting industries such as high-end designer furniture showrooms. It is claimed that the area has the highest concentration of architects and building professionals in the world.{{Citation needed|date=June 2017}} Many of London's leading architectural practices have offices in the area.

==Entertainment==

===Historic public houses===
[[File:Hope, Farringdon, EC1 (2486425799).jpg|thumb|[[The Hope, Smithfield|The Hope]]]]It is said that [[Vladimir Lenin]] and a young [[Joseph Stalin]] first met in the Crown and Anchor pub (now known as the Crown Tavern) on Clerkenwell Green, when the latter was visiting London in 1903.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.shadyoldlady.com/location.php?loc=2007 |publisher=The Shady Old Lady |title=Lenin met Stalin here |access-date=31 January 2017}}</ref>

''The Betsey Trotwood'' (named after [[Betsey Trotwood]] in ''[[David Copperfield]]'' by Charles Dickens) adopted the name in 1983, having previously been the ''Butcher's Arms''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebetsey.com/home |title=Website of ''The Betsey Trotwood'' |publisher=Thebetsey.com |access-date=29 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728170257/http://www.thebetsey.com/home |archive-date=28 July 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

===Restaurants===
In 2005 [[Mark Bittman]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that Clerkenwell has "some of the best restaurants in London".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bittman|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Bittman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/travel/clerkenwells-revival-is-bliss-for-foodies.html|title=Clerkenwell's Revival Is Bliss for Foodies|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=2005-05-08|accessdate=31 July 2023}}</ref> Restaurants in Clerkenwell include [[St John (restaurant)|St John]] and the Michelin-starred [[Club Gascon]].{{Further|Central Bar jazz club}}

==London's Little Italy==
{{Main|Little Italy, London}}
In the 1850s the south-western part of Clerkenwell and [[Saffron Hill]] in the nearby borough of Holborn became known as London's "[[Little Italy]]" because around 2,000 Italians had settled in the area.  The community had mostly dispersed by the 1960s, but the area remains the 'spiritual home' of London's Italians, and is a focal point for more recent Italian immigrants, largely because of [[St Peter's Italian Church]] in nearby [[Saffron Hill]]. There are officially, {{As of|2014|lc=yes}}, over 200,000 Italians in London, and possibly many more.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11149047/Young-Italians-abandon-la-dolce-vita-to-move-to-Britain.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11149047/Young-Italians-abandon-la-dolce-vita-to-move-to-Britain.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Young Italians abandon la dolce vita to move to Britain|first=Nick|last=Squires|date=8 October 2014|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Italian Procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Sagra takes place each July in the streets surrounding the church.

A small number of Italian businesses remain from the nineteenth century including organ builders Chiappa Ltd, and food outlets such as the [[Delicatessen|deli]] Terroni of Clerkenwell and Gazzano's.  Many other Italian firms survive from the period but have relocated elsewhere.

==Nearby areas==
[[File:Mount Pleasant postal sorting office 2.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office]], London's largest sorting office]]
* [[St Pancras, London|St Pancras]] to the west
* [[Bloomsbury]] to the west
* [[Hatton Garden]] to the west
* [[Holborn]] to the southwest
* [[Smithfield, London|Smithfield]] to the south
* [[Barbican Estate]] and [[Barbican Arts Centre]] to the southeast
* [[Golden Lane Estate]] to the east
* [[St Luke's, Islington|St Luke's]] to the east
* [[Finsbury Estate]] to the north
* [[Islington]] to the north
* [[Kings Cross, London|King's Cross]] to the northwest

==Transport==

=== Rail ===
[[Farringdon station]] is the only station in Clerkenwell itself. 12.618&nbsp;million journeys began or ended at Farringdon in 2017–18.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates|title=Estimates of station usage {{!}} Office of Rail and Road|website=orr.gov.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218075447/https://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates|archive-date=18 December 2018|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref> The station first opened in 1863 as ''Farringdon Street''.

==== London Underground ====
Farringdon is served by the London Underground [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle]], [[Hammersmith & City line|Hammersmith and City]] and [[Metropolitan line|Metropolitan]] lines and the [[Elizabeth line]]. The next station west of Farringdon is [[King's Cross St Pancras tube station|King's Cross St Pancras]], and all westbound trains call at [[Baker Street tube station]]. To the east, the next stations are [[Barbican tube station|Barbican]], [[Moorgate station|Moorgate]] and [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] in the [[City of London|City]].

The Hammersmith and City and Circle lines both terminate in West London at [[Hammersmith tube station (Hammersmith & City and Circle lines)|Hammersmith]] (via [[Paddington tube station (Circle and Hammersmith & City lines)|Paddington]]). Eastbound, the Hammersmith and City line continues towards [[Barking station|Barking]] in [[East London]], whilst the Circle line loops around the City of London with trains heading westwards towards [[Tower Hill]], [[Embankment tube station|Embankment]] and [[London Victoria station|Victoria]]. The Metropolitan line terminates at [[Aldgate tube station|Aldgate]] to the east, and to the west, trains carry passengers to [[Wembley Park tube station|Wembley Park]], [[Uxbridge]], and stations in [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Buckinghamshire]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube|title=Tube|website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref>

There are several tube stations near the fringes of Clerkenwell:

*[[Angel tube station|Angel]] (''[[Northern line]]'')
*[[Barbican tube station|Barbican]] (''Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines'')
*[[Chancery Lane tube station|Chancery Lane]] (''[[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]]'')
*[[Moorgate station|Moorgate]] (''Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern lines'')

==== National Rail ====
Farringdon is a [[National Rail]] station served on the [[Thameslink]] route, served by [[Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise|Thameslink]] trains run by [[Govia Thameslink Railway]] (GTR). This links Clerkenwell directly to [[Luton Airport|Luton]] and [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]] airports, and destinations including [[Bedford railway station|Bedford]], [[Brighton railway station|Brighton]], [[Cambridge railway station|Cambridge]], [[Luton railway station|Luton]], [[Peterborough railway station|Peterborough]], and destinations in [[South London]] and [[Kent]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/-/media/goahead/gtr-all-shared-pdfs-and-documents/gtr-all-brands-route-map.pdf?la=en|title=Thameslink Route Map|website=Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR)|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track|title=Tube and Rail |website=Transport for London |access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref> Moorgate is also nearby, with [[Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise|Great Northern]] services linking the area directly to North London and Hertfordshire destinations.

=== Road ===
Clerkenwell is in the London [[Congestion Charge]] Zone, as well as the [[London low emission zone|London Low Emission]] and Ultra Low Emission Zones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge|title=Congestion Charge (Official)|website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone|title=Low Emission Zone|website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone|title=Ultra Low Emission Zone|website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref> Most roads in Clerkenwell are residential, but several key routes cross Clerkenwell.

[[Goswell Road]] carries the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] between the City of London ([[Barbican, London|Barbican]]) and [[Angel, London|Angel]], with the road continuing northbound towards [[Highbury]], [[Archway, London|Archway]] and [[M1 motorway|the M1]]. Beyond London, the A1 passes through the [[East of England|East]] and [[Northern England|North]] of England before terminating in [[Edinburgh]], Scotland.

[[Farringdon Street]] is numbered the [[A201 road|A201]], which links Clerkenwell to [[Kings Cross, London|King's Cross]], [[Blackfriars, London|Blackfriars]], and [[Elephant and Castle|Elephant & Castle]]. The [[A5201 road|A5201]] ([[Clerkenwell Road]]/[[Old Street]]) also runs through Clerkenwell, linking [[Soho]] and [[Holborn]] in Central London with [[Shoreditch]] and [[A10 road (England)|the A10]] to Clerkenwell's east.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/|title=OpenStreetMap|website=OpenStreetMap|language=en|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref>

=== Cycling ===
[[Transport for London]] (TfL) and the [[London Borough of Islington]] both provide [[cycling infrastructure]] in Clerkenwell, and the area is well connected to [[List of cycle routes in London|London's cycle network]].

[[List of cycle routes in London|Cycle Superhighway 6]] (CS6) runs north–south through Clerkenwell, which provides the area with direct links to [[Kings Cross, London|King's Cross]], [[Bloomsbury]], [[Blackfriars, London|Blackfriars]] and [[Elephant and Castle]] on a signed cycle route. To the south of Farringdon station, CS6 uses a segregated [[Cycle-track|cycle track]] which runs parallel to [[Farringdon Road]]. South of [[Exmouth Market]], signal-controlled junctions on Farringdon Road often give priority to cyclists, particularly where there is a [[cycle lane]] or track to separate cycles from other road traffic. In the north of Clerkenwell, CS6 runs on quieter "side-streets" towards Bloomsbury and King's Cross.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/cs6-ns-map-september-2018.pdf|title=CS6: King's Cross to Elephant and Castle|website=Transport for London (TfL)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407113629/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/cs6-ns-map-september-2018.pdf|archive-date=7 April 2019}}</ref>

[[List of cycle routes in London|Quietways]] 2 and 10 are also nearby, both passing through [[Finsbury]]. Quietway 2 links [[Russell Square]] to [[Angel, London|Angel]], [[Dalston]] and [[Walthamstow]] via Finsbury, whilst Quietway 10 runs from Finsbury to [[Finsbury Park]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://content.tfl.gov.uk/q2-bloomsbury-walthamstow-east.pdf|title=Quietway 2 (East): Bloomsbury to Walthamstow|website=Transport for London (TfL)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001031328/http://content.tfl.gov.uk/q2-bloomsbury-walthamstow-east.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cycleislington.uk/campaigns/qw10/|title=Quietway 10|date=1 February 2018|website=Cycle Islington|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407113143/https://cycleislington.uk/campaigns/qw10/|archive-date=7 April 2019|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref> Quietways use cycle paths and "side-streets" allowing cyclists to avoid busy roads. Quietways 2 and 10 are signed cycle routes.

Bus and cycle lanes are also provided on [[Rosebery Avenue]], [[Clerkenwell Road]] and Percival Street.

[[Santander Cycles]], a cycle hire scheme across Central London, has docking stations with bicycles for hire across Clerkenwell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/santander-cycles/find-a-docking-station|title=Find a docking station|website=Transport for London|language=en|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{more citations needed|section|date=July 2018}}
*[[John Bell (Bishop of Worcester)|John Bell]] (d. 1556), [[Church of England]] bishop
*[[Thomas Birch]] (1705–1766), English historian
*[[Thomas Britton]] (1644–1714), English charcoal merchant best known as a concert promoter
*[[James Duff Brown]] (1862–1914), English librarian, information theorist, music biographer and educationalist
* Rev. [[Moses Browne]] (1704–1787), [[Church of England]] priest and poet
*[[Robert Burnside (minister)|Robert Burnside]] (1759–1826), English Baptist minister
*[[Phil Cameron]] (b. 1972), English entrepreneur, the founder of [[No.1 Traveller]], and a former Tony and Olivier Award-winning theatre producer
*[[Edward Cave]] (1691–1754), English printer and journalist
*[[William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle]] (1592–1676), English polymath and aristocrat, having been a poet, equestrian, playwright, swordsman, politician, architect, diplomat and soldier
*[[Oliver Cromwell]] (1599–1658), English [[Military history of the United Kingdom|military]] and [[Politics of England|political]] leader and later [[Lord Protector#Cromwellian Commonwealth|Lord Protector]] of the [[The Protectorate|Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland]]
*[[Helkiah Crooke]] (1576–1648), Court physician to King [[James I of England]], best remembered for his textbook on [[anatomy]], ''Mikrokosmographia, a Description of the Body of Man''
*[[Hubert de Burgh-Canning, 2nd Marquess of Clanricarde|Earl of Clanricarde]] (1832–1916), Anglo-Irish ascendancy nobleman and politician
*[[Daniel Defoe]] (c. 1660–1731), English trader, writer, journalist, [[pamphleteer]] and spy, now most famous for his novel ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]''
*[[Charles Dickens]] (1812–1870), English writer and social critic
*[[Michael Fagan incident|Michael Fagan]] (b. 1948), [[Buckingham Palace]] intruder
*[[Zaha Hadid]] (b. 1950–2016), Iraqi-British architect
*[[John Holwell]] (1649–1686?), English [[astrologer]] and mathematician
*[[Anthony Horowitz]] (b. 1955), English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense
*[[Bedford Jezzard|Bedford Alfred George Jezzard]] (1927–2005), English footballer and manager<ref>{{cite book|title=The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|last=Jones|first=Trefor|year=1996|isbn= 0-9527458-0-1|page=132|publisher=T.G. Jones }}</ref>
*[[Vladimir Lenin]] (1870–1924), Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist
*Hannah Rosetta Dinah Parks (1860–1931), stage name [[Cora Cardigan]], a virtuoso flautist known as the 'Queen of Flute Players'.
*Umberto [[Bert Rossi]], criminal
*[[Charles Sabini]] (1889–1950), English criminal, leader of the ''Sabini gang''
*[[Tom Smith (confectioner)|Tom Smith]] (1823–1869), confectioner and creator of the [[Christmas cracker]]
*[[Jessie Vokes]] (1848–1884), actress and dancer 
*[[Louis Wain]] (1860–1939), English artist
*[[John Weever]] (1576–1632), English antiquary and poet
*[[John Wilkes]] (1725–1797), English radical, journalist and politician
*[[Elizabeth Wilkinson]] (1700s), English [[bare-knuckle boxing]] champion, known to be the first female boxer
*[[George Ebenezer Williams]] (1783−1819), English organist and composer

==See also==
*[[Clerkenwell Priory]]
*[[Coldbath Fields Prison]]
*[[Coldbath Fields Riot 1833]]
*[[The Nether World]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation |author = Richard Tames |title = Clerkenwell and Finsbury Past |publisher = Historical Publications |publication-place = London |publication-date = 1999 |isbn = 978-0-94866-756-5 }}
* {{Citation |publisher = J.C. Hotten |publication-place = London |title = Curiosities of London |edition=2nd |author = John Timbs |author-link=John Timbs |publication-date = 1867 |oclc = 12878129 |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/curiositiesoflon00timbrich#page/236/mode/1up |chapter= Clerkenwell |year = 1867 }}

==External links==
*{{Wikivoyage-inline|London/Holborn-Clerkenwell}}
*{{Commons category inline|Clerkenwell}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050312172718/http://streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=531457&y=182148&z=1&sv=531250%2C182250&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf Map of Clerkenwell, showing location of the Clerks' Well]
*[https://archive.today/20040628124139/http://homepages.goldsmiths.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/Clerkenwell/ClerkenwellHistory.html Description and history of Clerkenwell] from an 1868 Gazetteer
*[http://islington.gov.uk/heritage Islington Museum and Local History Centre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604105229/http://www.islington.gov.uk/heritage/ |date=4 June 2011 }}
*[http://www.marxist.com/History/lenin_death.html Information about Lenin's stay in Clerkenwell]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070917050644/http://www.craftcentral.org.uk/ Craft Central]}}
*[http://www.jc-church.org St James Church Clerkenwell] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527221005/http://www.jc-church.org/ |date=27 May 2013 }}
*[http://www.stmarks-clerkenwell.co.uk stmarks-clerkenwell.co.uk]
*[http://www.gracelifelondon.org/ GraceLife London at Woodbridge Chapel], for many years known as Clerkenwell Medical Mission

{{LB Islington}}
{{London Districts}}
{{History of the formation of Islington}}
{{University of the Arts London}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Clerkenwell| ]]
[[Category:Parishes governed by vestries (Metropolis)]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Islington]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Places formerly in Middlesex]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Islington]]