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Human settlement in England
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Holborn-Clerkenwell is a district in central London that is in many ways a buffer zone between London's West End and the City of London financial district.
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First used to bury bones to make space at St Paul's, it was designated as a burial ground during the Great Plague of 1665. Notable interments include Daniel Dafoe, John Bunyan and William Blake. This small graveyard is a rarity in central London, and seems oddly tranquil in comparison to the nearby bustling streets of the City. Some 120,000 bodies are believed to be buried here: as the inscription reads, it is a burial ground for 'nonconformists'. Notably, Bunhill Fields contains the graves of William Blake, Daniel Defoe and John Bunyan. The watchful eye will notice that the paved way across the field is actually made up of tombstones.
Gray's Inn
One of the four Inns of Court in London who hold the exclusive right to call qualified legal professionals to the bar, i.e. to become barristers at law. The grand buildings housing the inns are arranged around lovely green gardens. There are records of Gray's Inns operating from this location since the 14th century.
Lincoln's Inn
Like Gray's Inn, one of the four societies of the bar. The wonderful old buildings here are arranged around the open spaces of Lincoln's Inn Fields and a walk around this area will give any visitor a real sense of the history and grand traditions of the legal profession in London.
Nice shady park next to St Marks Church. Small children's playground.
The building holds the High Court and the Court of Appeal, two of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, though only civil cases are heard here. Trials are open to the public, but tourists would probably be more interested in seeing the impressive entrance hall, and admiring the stunning Victorian Gothic exterior.
See the rare range of Tudor half-timbered buildings. Staple Inn was built in 1585 and served as an inn Inn of Chancery (law school). Most of it escaped both the Great Fire and the German air raids, unlike other buildings in the area. The western end is actually from a different, adjoining building—which was incorporated into the Inn with a unified facade during restoration work in 1936, although the difference can still be seen in the roofing and slightly different style. One of Charles Dickens's homes was on the site and it was featured in his Mystery of Edwin Drood.
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, laid the foundation stone, preached here and is buried behind the chapel. The site also contains the Museum of Methodism.
Baroque church in the Strand completed in 1724 to a design by James Gibbs.
Church in the Strand designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1682 that is now used by the RAF.
Astor House
A former home for William Waldorf Astor, a wealthy American moved to London at the end of 19th century. This Victorian house, built between 1892-1895 by John Loughborough Pearson. is in an eclectic Neo-Gothic style. It's richly decorated from outside, but even more rich and heavily eclectic inside. The building is owned by the Bulldog Trust and it's open to the public during exhibitions. For exact dates/time check with the exhibitions schedule. A café, a shop and a cloakroom are open for visitors during these days.
Inside the Royal College of Surgeons. Exhibitions on the history of surgery, including medicine, natural history and art. The museum was established by John Hunter (1728-1793), the founder of scientific surgery.
Local history museum.
Museum in the former English headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller, covering the history of the order from crusading knights to modern first aid organisation. There are paid guided tours available to see the crypt.
The former home of architect Sir John Soane, the building has been converted into a museum, displaying some of the objects he collected during his lifetime, including the alabaster sarcophagus of Seti I, and paintings by artists including William Hogarth. There is a display of some of Soane's architectural plans on the upper floor. Be sure to wait in the picture room until the guides open the walls up to reveal further paintings behind. The museum is a little-known tourist attraction, but well worth a visit. Admission free (but you're encouraged to leave a donation), you can walk in on the day.
Somerset House is home to three art galleries: The exceptional Courtauld Institute displays a collection of 19th- and 20th-century art, including well-known works by Degas, Matisse and Kandinsky; The Gilbert Collection presents a collection of decorative art; and the Hermitage Rooms, the most recent addition to Somerset House, hosts temporary exhibitions of works on loan from the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The central courtyard is filled with fountains in the Summer, but in the Winter, an ice rink is installed, it is very popular, so visitors should book in advance, or expect to wait a long time to skate.
A home for automated arcade machines.
Mail Rail
Besides exhibits about the history of the postal service, the museum also has Mail Rail, an operating segment of a former underground railway that used to carry mail to various post offices within London. Visitors can ride a miniature train through the original tunnels. The ride is not for visitors who are large or have mobility problems. The Postal Museum and Mail Rail are in two separate buildings across the street from each other.
Contemporary art gallery tucked away in a quiet cobbled mews. Hosts a couple of exhibitions a year, entry needs to be booked in advance.
Theatre and concert hall. Home of the National Secular Society and the South Place Ethical Society: often hosts lively debates on religion, politics and secularism.
Attend free public lectures, in Barnard's Inn Hall (mostly, but other venues are used as well), renowned historic Inn of Court featured in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
LSE hosts a prestigious public lectures programme, which is nearly always free to attend, but may require a ticket in advance for a lecture by a Head of State or Nobel Prize winner.
Owned by LSE, and part of their campus, this theatre is leased to Sadler's Wells as "Sadler's Wells in the West End".
Leading dance production theatre with an amazing history back to the 1690s. Everything from classical ballet to hip hop. For ballet fans, you have often got a much better chance of securing a ticket here than in the Covent Garden venues. Also attached is the Lilian Baylis Theatre, primarily performances by students.
In the courtyard of Somerset House, this has become a Londoner's favorite, although how it will compete with the newcomers remains to be seen. It is preferable to visit at night, when the Christmas tree is lit up.
Shows up on the edge of Houghton St regularly on weekdays offering free vegan food, if you don't mind the sogginess and queue.
Eclectic street-food market.
Japanese cafe bar with home-made sushi and a range of bento-box combinations. Friendly staff.
They sell tasty lunchtime meals
Excellent value little cafe with friendly Italian family serving, tasty sandwiches and coffee. Gets crowded with LSE students come lunch.
Bowls and salads with ingredients like quinoa, kale, and edamame, striking an impressive balance of healthy, tasty, and reasonably priced.
Cheery cafe serving breakfast and lunch.
Pancake house. Offers £5 for any pancakes, but only on Monday. Nice selection of Dutch and European beers.
Easygoing gastro-pub with good quality, reasonably priced lunch menu, and tapas in the evening.
Italian restaurant.
Offering North African/Spanish cuisine and serving the best tapas in the city. While there are endless options for meat eaters, there are also some tasty delights for vegetarians.
Grade II listed four-floor restaurant in Smithfield Market. Opening hours listed are for top-floor restaurant and terrace. Ground floor cafe and bar open longer hours: M-F 7AM-5PM; Sa Su 9:30AM-5PM.
Mexican restaurant with a simple menu of mix-and-match burritos.
Two locations, one at 159 Whitecross St and one at 5 Moor Lane, EC2Y 9AP.
Established in 1723, not much of the decor has changed in this traditional English pub, where you can order happily inexpensive, tasty food.
Traditional French cooking, done extremely well but with prices to match.
Famous English restaurant and pioneer of the 'nose-to-tail eating' concept.
Live music in the cellar every Friday. Venue is like a very small dungeon, but they know what is good music.
One of RateBeer's Top 50 bars in the world, and only one of two in the UK (see CASK Pub & Kitchen in Pimlico for the other). Famous for its vast selection beers: cask, keg and bottle.
A large, traditional pub, rebuilt in 1815 but claiming a history on this site back to 1641. In good weather, outdoor tables in the square can be pleasant. London legend claims that Stalin and Lenin first met in this pub, in a back room (under the "Conspirators' Clock") in 1903.
Small Belgian bar serving Belgian beer and Belgian food.
Independent traditional pub quite close to the Barbican. Beers are often served in pewter tankards for the extra traditional touch. Six rooms are available for those who want to sleep where they drink (or just near the Barbican). Great atmosphere but it can be a little more expensive than average, especially the food and lodging.
Irish pub where they play live Irish music every Thursday at 8PM (check it on the net!). But, be there in due time, else you risk house full!
A converted Georgian coffee shop, which sells the Norfolk beer, St. Peters. The building is from the 1700s, remodelled in 1810, and it was converted in the 1990s, making this both a new and an old pub. The interior is a little small so, while well worth a visit, after 5PM on weekdays it gets quickly flooded with City workers.
Hidden down a backstreet away from the busier parts of Clerkenwell, lies a cosy little bar crammed with several table football machines, and a good selection of cocktails. In the summer people spread out onto the pedestrianised street and chat in the sun. Happy hour 4-7PM daily.
Has regular live bands.
The interior gives the impression of being a historic relic but it was only built in 1924 (although there have been other pubs on the site since 1430). Lack of authenticity aside, it really is an impressive and atmospheric pub, a grade II listed building and on CAMRA's national inventory of historic pub interiors. Food is served Monday to Saturday.
Part of the JD Wetherspoon chain. The building is the former Union Bank and it has nice high-vaulted ceilings with black pillars. The drinks range includes a range of often changing guests beers.
Part of the JD Wetherspoon chain. The open-plan, L-shaped ground floor bar is known for a varied selection of guest beers (but poor Wi-Fi). The basement bar is actually part of the Lloyds No. 1 chain, with background music and a different atmosphere.
Part of the JD Wetherspoon chain.
Can be pricey and crowded too, but that's because it's used for large language-exchange and online meet-ups.
Called the hardest to find pub in London. A small but historic and award-winning pub; it dates to 1586 and marked the boundary between the gardens of Christopher Hatton and the Bishop of Ely. Parts of the Tudor pub remain, although it was rebuilt in 1757 and partially altered in 1781 and 1930; now a Grade II listed building. It's tied to Fuller's brewery, so it has their usual range plus a few unusual guests. Only open one weekend in the year, to coincide with CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival in August.
The Horse
Great little Victorian pub adjacent to the LSE campus. The Horse is one of the last remaining little boozers of its kind; a true throwback. Warm, welcoming, well-preserved interior, well-kept real ales, and a low-priced selection of sandwiches and pub meals make this place worth a visit while passing through Holborn.
If you are into pubs and pub food, and especially the J.D. Wetherspoon concept, this is a very good spot. It is priced a notch under its more central sister pubs. The extensive menu consists of a good selection of general healthier pub food (pastas, salads, vegetarian burger, etc.), but also traditional food like potato & mash, fish & chips. For a good deal, go for the 2-for-1 at £6.99.
Local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011. This traditional pub is best known for its large and varied beer selection, often from local and micro-breweries, both cask and bottled.
A massive club (think cathedral scale) that provides a more underground version of Ministry of Sound and hosts some of the biggest names in dance music, from Goldie to David Holmes to the Scratch Perverts. There are always big queues, so get down early if you can.
Speakeasy-style cocktail bar. Regular live music fitting the prohibition era theme.
Sosho is a former photographic studio and warehouse space converted into a two floor restaurant, bar, lounge and club with a 24 hour licence, midway between the city and central Shoreditch. Sosho is light and airy during the day time, candle lit and loungey in the evening. Serve carefully sourced and proper food, with world class cocktails and great music on one of East London's best sound system. With a 24 hour licence it is a late night drinking and DJ bar during the week and a cutting edge clubbing venue at the weekend.
London School of Economics
LSE offers residences to the general public during spring, summer, and winter student vacation periods. There are seven sites in central London.
Good value bed and breakfast in the north west of the district.
Smart pub with Thai cuisine and rooms.
Excellently-located on south side of the Aldywch, straddling Westminster and the City. While it could be noisy at night and it appears small and grimy from the outside, there is a superb Indian restaurant on the 2nd floor.
Studio, one and two bedroom service apartments. Very modern and nicely appointed.
Lively modern hotel, some rooms are very small. They have another branch in Shoreditch.
Try this hotel for a very upscale experience. It is in an older building that has been beautifully renovated (formerly HQ of Pearl Assurance). There is high-speed internet, but the charge is £15 per day. The hotel is air-conditioned. The staff is very helpful. A great experience, if you can pay the rates.
Spa hotel with spectacular rooftop bar-restaurant offering view over the skyline. Comfy rooms with all mod cons. Professional, unobtrusive staff.
Groaning with antiques, an atmosphere that more recalls a private gentleman's club than a hotel. No dogs.
Business hotel in a Victorian warehouse, good restaurant. Stylish but sensible (for something wacky, try their townhouses adjacent and in Marylebone). Assistance dogs only.
Offbeat hotel, the concept is that it's the home of dingbat "Great Aunt Wilhelmina". Gets good reviews for comfort and service, and it looks like the old lady could knock a few back - the splendid cocktail bar is open W-Sa 12:00-23:00, reckon £12 a snort. (Their similar townhouse in Marylebone is styled for "Great Uncle Seymour"). Assistance dogs only.
Area with lifestyle, fashion, health, book and interior shops. Trendy independent shops on a pedestrianised street.
This street is the centre of London's jewellery trade and especially famous for diamonds. A lot of dealers and designers to choose from, both contemporary and traditional.
Not much leather sold here these days but worth a visit for some great cheap finds. Clothing, electrical goods, toiletries and food. Combines well with a visit to Hatton Garden which is in the next street east.
The original shop immortalised in the Charles Dickens' novel by the same name. Nestled amongst the campus of LSE, it is worth a visit just for the old Tudor design itself. The shop is closed but the building still stands, there is some talk of a restoration project but information is limited.
Smithfield Market is London's largest wholesale meat market and hence a great source of fresh meat from Britain and around the world. Additionally, there are many good restaurants in the vicinity.
Small, local branch of the supermarket. Starbucks and Eat next door.
Slightly more upmarket supermarket.
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