Clerkenwell is a lively, bustling area with many restaurants, bars and cafes and a street market. The house is a five minute walk to Farringdon station which offers direct trains to Gatwick and Luton Airports along with a tube station that is one stop from Kings Cross-St Pancras. You will find a guide to local restaurants and shops in the house.

St Peter’s Italian Church in Clerkenwell, London

St John’s Gate

Clerkenwell is part of old London; you will find a crypt from the 12th century, 18th century houses and Victorian industrial buildings all within a 5 minute walk of the house. The 21st century has seen old jewellery manufacturers swept out of the area to be replaced by swish advertising agencies, architects and designers. But the jewellery retail trade maintains a firm presence; Hatton Garden is still the place in Europe to buy fabulous jewellery. Our mews runs parallel to this famous enclave of jewellers.

The medieval gatehouse of St John’s Priory is a must see for history buffs. You can stroll to the British Museum in Bloomsbury in 20 mins (Egyptian Mummies, Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles). Bloomsbury is also home to the Charles Dickens Musuem, sited in the house where he wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickelby.

Despite these local highlights, the best reason for living in Clerkenwell is its proximity to London’s West End and its financial centre, known as The City. You can walk to Covent Garden, Oxford Street or Leicester Square in 30-40 mins or take a 10 min bus or tube ride. The nearest tube station is Farringdon which is a five minute walk. Or walk to the west to reach Chancery Lane tube station in six minutes. This proximity to the centre means that you spend more of your holiday seeing the sights on your holiday hit list, rather than commuting in to central London each day on the trains or tube.

St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

Book market on South Bank of the Thames

Horseguard

Heading East, you can wander around the City of London, Europe’s financial centre with its famous buildings (St Paul’s Cathedral, the Gherkin, Tower Bridge, Wren churches) and visit the medieval Tower of London. Buckingham Palace, St James’ Park, Hyde Park and Notting Hill are a short bus or tube ride to the West.

There is so much to see and experience in the metropolis; art galleries, theatres, clubs, rock and pop concerts, classical music performances, jazz clubs, comedy clubs, cinema, sporting events – there is an ever changing variety of things to do. The house has an A-Z map book, some guide books and restaurant guides to help you get the most out of your stay in central London.

If you are planning on visiting other areas of the UK, Farringdon makes an excellent base as it is one stop on the tube from Kings Cross-St Pancras which is now Europe’s largest transport hub. You can be in Paris in 2.5 hours, Cambridge in 1 hour, York in 3 hours or Edinburgh in 5 hours.

Practicalities

There is a small supermarket (Sainsbury’s) on Clerkenwell Road (5 minutes walk) and a good Italian deli next to the Italian Church of St Peter. For a larger supermarket (Waitrose) head up St John Street (10 minutes walk).

There is a variety of restaurants are in the local area from pizza to noodles and French cuisine, all within a 5 minute walk.

You will find a folder of useful information in the top floor living room of the house. It includes details of nearest bank, supermarket, restaurants, chemist, doctor etc

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