Farringdon Road
Encyclopedia
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. Its construction, which took almost 20 years between the 1840s and the 1860s, is considered one of the greatest urban engineering achievements of the nineteenth century. Not only was it one of the first engineered multi-lane roads, but it also buried the River Fleet
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers. Its two headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath; each is now dammed into a series of ponds made in the 18th century, the Hampstead Ponds and the Highgate Ponds. At the south edge of Hampstead Heath these two streams flow...
in a system of underground tunnels, solving one of London's most daunting sanitary problems. Its construction also included the building of the world's first stretch of underground railway, a branch of the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
that later became part of the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
running beneath Farringdon Road from into the City at station.
Today, Farringdon Road is part of the A201 road
A201 road
The A201 is an A road in London running from Kings Cross to the Elephant and Castle.The route passes along Kings Cross Road, Farringdon Road, Farringdon Street, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars Bridge, Blackfriars Road, London Road to the Elephant and Castle, and finally New Kent Road where it merges...
connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle
Elephant and Castle
The Elephant and Castle is a major road intersection in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is also used as a name for the surrounding area....
. It goes south-east from King's Cross, crossing Roseberry Avenue, then turns south crossing Clerkenwell Road before going past Farringdon station
Farringdon station
Farringdon station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Clerkenwell, just north of the City of London in the London Borough of Islington...
. It finishes on the border between the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
and the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
, at a junction with Charterhouse Street
Charterhouse Street
Charterhouse Street is a street in Smithfield, on the northern boundary of the City of London, forming the boundary with both the London Borough of Camden and the London Borough of Islington...
and Farringdon Street.
The construction of Farringdon Road necessitated the removal of the Fleet Market
Fleet Market
The Fleet Market was a market erected in 1736 on the newly culverted River Fleet. The market was located approximately where the modern Farringdon Street stands today, to the west of the Smithfield livestock market....
that had been built in 1736 above the course of the River Fleet
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers. Its two headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath; each is now dammed into a series of ponds made in the 18th century, the Hampstead Ponds and the Highgate Ponds. At the south edge of Hampstead Heath these two streams flow...
, now London's largest subterranean river
Subterranean rivers of London
The subterranean or underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea that were built over during the growth of the metropolis of London...
. North of the market was Hockley-in-the-Hole
Hockley-in-the-Hole
Hockley-in-the-Hole was an area of Clerkenwell in central London where bull-baiting and bear-baiting and similar activities took place in the 17th century and 18th century. It was roughly where the Ray Street Bridge stands today, north of the junction of Clerkenwell Road and Farringdon Road....
(around Ray Street Bridge), an area notorious for bear-baiting and similar activities.
Amongst the notable buildings on Farringdon Road are the former headquarters of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper at no. 119, the Zeppelin Building (built in 1917 after a Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
raid) at no. 61, and the western side of Smithfield Market
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
.
Exmouth Market
Exmouth Market is a semi pedestrianised street in Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington.-History:Exmouth Market draws its name from the Exmouth Arms Pub that is centrally situated in the street...
and the Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office
Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office
The Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office is the largest sorting office operated by Royal Mail in London, England....
, were pulled down in the mid-1970s, to be replaced by a multi-storey car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
. A contemporary description of the buildings is given in George Gissing
George Gissing
George Robert Gissing was an English novelist who published twenty-three novels between 1880 and 1903. From his early naturalistic works, he developed into one of the most accomplished realists of the late-Victorian era.-Early life:...
's novel The Nether World.
See also
- Farringdon stationFarringdon stationFarringdon station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Clerkenwell, just north of the City of London in the London Borough of Islington...