Largely because of YOUR videos, I spent 4 months exploring England. 1 month in each place.. walking Rochester, Chatham, Coventry and Portsmouth. Feeling.. thinking about the history as I walked everyday. Cheers.. Curtis 57, retired US Navy in Las Vegas
How wonderful! You have so much more to see as well, and well done for spending time.. I always tell visitors to look up when they are walking around, and take notes of what they've seen , then research it (if they don't have a book, or can't get wifi to check)
'The Crown' pub on Clerkenwell Green is where Lenin and Stalin had a rendezvous sometime prior to the 1917 Russian Revolution. Clerkenwell Green is also the setting of the scene in Dickens' 'Oliver Twist' where the Artful Dodger picks a pocket and the young Oliver is blamed. I also see the the pub 'Jerusalem' has changed its name and exterior. You used to be able to get a fine selection of good strong ales there, imported from Constable Country in Suffolk. Interesting video for me to see the manor I once sojourned in back in the early 90s. Thank you.
A little poem I wrote from many many years ago.... Under steel grey sky I wander, Through Holburn's empty streets. Past doorways filled with life's left turns, Down Leather Lane I retreat. At Clerkenwell I once found love, We sat entwined upon a stair. Elastic wrapped around my arm, Warm rushes pulse unto my hair. In dreams I float upon the Fleet, Carried underground. Lights flash past, and chances missed, In hopelessness I'm found. Thrust forcefully into London air, By London Bridge I lie. Cast out among the detritus, I am under still grey sky.
I've only had a wander around Clerkenwell a couple of times, but once you get away from the hustle and bustle of Farringdon station, it's like a whole different world. Quiet, very few people around, little streets and alleyways . . . a very mysterious place.
There's a book by Peter Ackroyd set in Clerkenwell in the 16th Century. It's about Doctor Dee, an alchemist, mathematician and occultist who lived there and served queen Elizabeth I. There's a lot of mystery in the book. The title is 'The House of Doctor Dee'. (Not sure he ever lived there in reality, though he did live in London).
I was born in St Thomas H and grew up in the Peabody flats in Clerkenwell close...always felt like it was our own little revolutionary village, especially on a Sunday when St James bells were rung and there was nobody around, love your videos John, they bring me peace
6 years ago (before I was made redundant), I was working just 2 minutes by Farringdon Train station, I never knew the St Jonh's gardens or the entrance of the St Jonh's Museum; now I have time to visit and learn and believe me I have done this every day I can, providing the weather allows it so (I mean no rain, snow or frost on the road) as I have a walking disability and I must use a walking stick to move around but this does not stop me to visit, see, and learn about the history of London that is vast, so rich and very interesting ....... Because of your videos, I have learnt so much, visited so much and understood a lot of the wonderful past of London, its people, and its past............ awesome job you do mate, thanks.
It's hard to put into words, the feeling of certain parts of London, and Clerkenwell is a good example. There's an understated tidiness to the architecture of some of these streets, mixed often with a bit more prevalence of trees and shrubs, but more, an elusive magic that reaches way, way back.. I think this owes a lot to the presence of hidden watercourses, and these vibes really come through the screen in your excellent films John. So I think you thoroughly deserve a couple of pints after a walk like this. Really enjoyable! Nice one John. 🌟👍
Bemjamin Street is narrow but then widens out because the heavier carts going uphill could go to one side and others go past. St Johns Square is now in two halves as Clerkenwell road was driven through to the railway in the 1860's. Before, in the 18th century, this square and the surrounding streets such as Red Lion St (now Britton St.) were full of watchmakers and their associated trades. This industry was greatly diminished by the trade blockades of the Napoleonic wars and never really recovered. From 1816 onwards, the Swiss took over watchmaking in the 19th century with their much cheaper imports.
Between the church park and the house of correction are flats from the late 90s, it was a bomb site for ages. Me and my pals would play in there a lot and there were definitely old stone walls and a stone arch but obviously now covered. We used to call it "the dump"
I’ve looked for the walls too - but I think they’re buried unfortunately. I used to work in the Museum of the Order of St John, so got to explore a lot of St John’s gate. The rooms inside are amazing - I think you can book tours. On my first day I was working in one of the rooms on the ground floor and police horses clopped through the gate. The gate’s mentioned in two of Ackroyd’s novels - the Clerkenwell Tales and the Lambs of London, in very different guises
I just found your channel last week. I have been binge watching it. I'm a proud Texan from USA, but I think I would love U.K. Thank you for sharing it with us across the old pond 👍👍👍
I worked In Clerkenwell for about 10 years, and there is something strange about the area that's hard to pin down. I remember that in winter, the cold seemed to gather in that tangle of streets centred on Clerkenwell Green
This was a great one John! My work / darkroom was in Grays Inn Road for seven years from the late 90s, so for once, every street was familiar in the video. We were just round the corner from the Duke, near the Egyptian Exploration Society, which was always a fine pub with great food and welcoming dark, wooden interiors. Was always fascinated by the hills and declines all the nearby roads have, and the tales how Mount Pleasant was formed, so this was great to get a better understanding of all those tributaries of the Fleet.
My mum grew up at 15 Benjamin street - a row house that was in front of St John's Park. Torn down in the 1960s. The gardener always used to give her a bouquet of flowers from the garden to take to her teacher at St. Sepulchres
Talk about a walk down memory lane! I lived in Brewers Buildings Rawstorne Street EC1 London Borough of Finsbury near the Angel for decades. Apparently they were built by the Honourable Society of Brewers for their workers. Beautiful crest of arms over tbe entrance door. 'In God is All Our Trust'. Had to move as it got more and more expensive and gentrified. It was a wonderful place to live and walk especially at weekends when it was so quiet. Nowhere else like it for the sense of a mysterious past seeping in and out of tbe present. Thanks for resurrecting bittersweet memories😢
I read this and it summoned the same feelings. Lived in old street and my first job was in plum tree court near Farringdon. That was over 25 years ago and remember going to Italian festival held this time of year. I literally visited all those pubs , such history and atmosphere. Now live in a beachside suburb Cronulla in Sydney, you couldn’t get a more polar opposite place than EC1…in fact our suburb is only 15 years old 🤣…
Really enjoyable walk through quiet backstreets and narrow alleys which transport you back to a time when water flowed freely above ground and Snipe were locally sourced. Wonderfull. Thank you.
Fantastic video once again John. This, to me, feels like going on holiday without leaving the house,. I've been to London a few times and I love it (I live in The Netherlands).
Hi John, I worked in Clerkenwell Green for NetBenefit, years ago (opposite the pub, a few bulidings away from the Royal Philharmonic). Not sure if you know, but Nick Hornbys 'About a Boy' was part filmed there. The two telephone boxes were boarded and used as the News stand in the film, with a building to the side of the church used as entrabnce to Marcus & Fiona's abode. My former engineers said that on completion of filming, Hugh Grant was in The Crown Tavern buying drinks for everyone.
I worked in Smithfield in the 1960s. Early morning cuppa at OFS and then up Cowcross Street. passed our factory at the end of Greenhill Rents and then round the to the shop in Charterhouse Street. Our warehouse was on the corner of St Johns Street and Clerkenwell Road. Loved the place - changed quite a lot since! Thanks for the tour.
I spent many a night in Fabric by Smithfields... half a life ago now 25 years in the past, I lived in that club from Oct 99 to late 03 and I mean lived in it at least twice a week Sat and Sun for nearly 4 years.
This is great ,,about 15 years ago my daughter was in a St John’s ambulance thingy for kids and we visited a museum at St John’s square ,,we went on a coach and I had no idea where we was ,the inner m25 is abit overwhelming to me ,,but I recognised the gate to the square immediately,,,,thanks for clearing that up lol
Also in Rugby street off Lambs's Conduit street there is the medieval the White Conduit (1300s) originally part of the water supply to the Greyfriars Monastery, Newgate Street. The marble well head is underground in a shop which originally was French's Dairy. There is plaque to explain
Wonderful episode, John. It brought back many memories of lunchtime rambles through Clerkenwell, working as a freelance writer for a number of publishers and professional bodies in the area. A confession; in the days before street maps on 'phones, I once lost my bearings in Clerkenwell and couldn't workout how to get back to the office. I hailed a cab and gave the cabbie the office address, which salvaged my predicament and stupidity. Greetings from Bodmin Moor - the remote bit.
Loving looking at the rivers of London, John. As a wild colonial boy on the other side of the world, and only having known London as a Mercator Projection, it has been an eye-opener as to how hilly it can be. Thanks also, for putting us on to Ben Aaronovitch's books. I am reading them all as fast as I can get them.
Great video, John! Clerkenwell is one of my favourite areas and I spend many of my Saturdays there. Just up from Clerkenwell Green on Sekforde Street is a beautifully preserved old bank building of the Finsbury Savings Bank which was used by Charles Dickens. Go and have a look when you're next down that way! The Sekforde pub also has some great history to it!
Clerkenwell holds many memories...Turnmills for 90s raves and 00s Tuesday night salsa sessions. The watch repair industry centred around junction St John's Street and Clerkenwell Road and many afternoons walking or cycling around the area in a similar vein to your fascinating video. Thanks John! PS as an aside to the poster at the end of the video, I can recommend getting in touch with the Heritage of London Trust. You won't be disappointed!
I love a good mystery John. Clerkenwelll is such a fascinating area which I have walked many times. I’m hoping to visit The Clerk’s Well at some point (I did book to see the ‘Roman Bath’s’ off Aldwych a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed that). The area around Lambs Conduit Street is so interesting too. I have been documenting memorial plaques in this area recently so it was great to see you in here too. Great stuff!
thank you so much for this excellent video, John - I have watched this and shared several times. I've worked a stones throw from Cowcross Street for the last 12 years and LOVE history, especially London history, so I appreciate this video so much. You pronounce Clerkenwell as "Clark-en-well" and not "Clerk-en-well" ... I had always assumed the latter all this time. "Clerk" ... I never knew this all these years. My office will love this video.
Hello John, this is Martin from the East Riding of Yorkshire. Just watched your latest video of the streets of London. Again as i always say, you are a genius when it comes to the History of London, and as I always say, what David Attenborough is to wold nature, you are to British History. And again I shall say it, you should have your own TV program on national TV. You fully deserve it. Thank you once again for an amazing journey thru history. Keep safe John and ill be tuning in to your next masterpiece best wishes. 👍🇬🇧
Great walk John. I did the walk up Cowcross St many times from Farringdon to St Barts whilst having Radiotherapy after an operation in 08. Still looks very familiar 👍🏼
Nunnery walls - As you walk up Clerkenwell Close from the Green, past The Three Kings pub and on the right there’s another entrance to St James Church Garden. That’s where you’ll notice the nunnery’s cloister walls left exposed.
It’s on the right of the gate where you’ll notice there are some concrete stools right in front of the wall. Mind you, it’s the second gate at the back. I can send you a photo I took the other day when cycling from work.
Thanks John - interesting walk, I love the Clerkenwell area, so many interesting streets and buildings. When you went into St John's Gardens did you notice the 'Ancient Lights' signs on the walls of buildings that overlook the garden on one side? Also, the cells from one of the Prisons you mentioned are still in existence under the playground of a school! I have seen inside a couple of times during London Design week as they were being used by some of the designers to show their work, great to have had the opportunity to look around down there!
I used to work in the now demolished Turnmills building on the corner of Turnmill Street and Farringdon Road at the turn of the millennium. Also home to the famous nightclub Never really explored the area but regret that now. I remember an e-mail being sent to everyone about something called Thameslink 2000 that would effect the area as Farrington station would be rebuilt. I remember thinking it would make my commute easier as it would involve direct trains from where I live in Worthing. I ended up being made redundant a few months later and Thameslink didn't open until 2018 in the end Is also said that Lenin and Stalin met in the Crown and Anchor (now Crown Tavern) when he visited London in 1903 but I believe that is disputed.
We would be in Turnmills every Friday night and Sunday Morning for years from 98 to 03, in fact there was in the basement of Turnmills in the nightclub a grate down which you could hear the running of water....
I'm curious about St. John's Square. In researching my family, I found references that suggest the square was once consecrated ground. It is unclear to me whether the bodies were collected up and deposited in an ossuary or it it was just paved over--when I can't seem to discover--or maybe it wasn't a churchyard at all? The only certainty I have is that one of my ancestors was buried at a place recorded as St. John's Square. I imagiine it would be much easier to figure it all out with feet on the ground, but I'm trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together from the other side of the globe, so there's likely something I'm missing.
Great vid John. Normally a spring will serve one well, entering at some depth and draining from the top. We had two, one running through the cellar and one at the front with a pump. The source would have been on higher ground giving the well a ‘head’ of water. Ours was about 12ft above the well and was piped in the 1700’s when clay piping became commercially available. Until then it’d have just been a little flow down the hillside into boggy ground at the bottom. Could we assume that the clientele of The Three Kings support Orient? 😉😉⚽️👍
Pink's History of Clerkenwell freely available here in PDF format: books.google.com/books/download/The_History_of_Clerkenwell.pdf?id=s09NAQAAMAAJ&output=pdf 887 pages! :-)
Thanks John. I love the history of Clerkenwell. Did you know that the White Conduit ended up in the basement of a shop near Lamb's Conduit. I saw it under glass in what was an old Dairy, but was then, twenty years ago, a women's fashion shop. They closed, and went to Folkestone the last I heard. Don't know what happened to the White Conduit though. I could dig out a photo of the shop front if you wish. James Goold
Somebody said you should do a TV or Radio Programme ie... I think with Clare Balding on her rambling Programme. Anyway.... I always think you seem happier out of London so how about the start to finish of rivers? ( Yes I know .. the Fleet etc But I mean in depth) I'm a Brit living in Austria but I lived in Bexley before moving to Austria. And I have always wondered where the Medway started. ie loved your walk along the Wandle as I went to the swimming baths at Wandsworth High Street where the Wandle came out to the Thames.. back in the day. Just an idea but your talking as you walk is so fascinating. Thank you.
I had my nipples pierced in Clerkenwell in about 1990. Today that sounds commonplace but 34 years ago I think that was one of only two places in the capital that provided the service. I think I ended up in the Magistrates' court as well, though the two incidents were unconnected.
Great video John , thank you , just started reading your new book , sense this is a much deeper dive into the evolution and psychogeography of post Olympics London ,much different from your first book , I guess that's why it took you ten years to write , really drawing me in , I'm enjoying it very much , all the best 🌈💖☯️
About 30 years ago you could tour the underground vaults of the House of Correction but it seems to have been closed to the public for many years now. I remember they provided an audio commentary as you walked round the square. There wasn't much to see to be honest but it was very atmospheric.
The cells under the old prison that's now Kingsway Place? They open them up at least once a year for Clerkenwell Design Week, and have displays in there. Not much like you say, but still a lot of original cell doors etc.
Skinners well must run into the drain you showed? I’m sure there is a drain similar to what you showed in skinners street just above cleckenwell green ? Might have to have a wander around to see if you can link them together. Best of luck John
Water, water everywhere, nor any stop to think... Save you, obviously. Thanks for another lovely walk, just the thing to end a tiring day. Trivia point- Clerkenwell Close houses the headquarters of the Museums Association, wot is I am a member of. Indeed an Associate of. Incidentally, there's meant to be a tributary of the Fleet under the North-East side of the British Museum. Did that have a name? Could it be the Lamb's Conduit?
Largely because of YOUR videos, I spent 4 months exploring England. 1 month in each place.. walking Rochester, Chatham, Coventry and Portsmouth. Feeling.. thinking about the history as I walked everyday.
Cheers.. Curtis 57, retired US Navy in Las Vegas
Where did you like the most, Curtis?
How wonderful! You have so much more to see as well, and well done for spending time.. I always tell visitors to look up when they are walking around, and take notes of what they've seen , then research it (if they don't have a book, or can't get wifi to check)
'The Crown' pub on Clerkenwell Green is where Lenin and Stalin had a rendezvous sometime prior to the 1917 Russian Revolution. Clerkenwell Green is also the setting of the scene in Dickens' 'Oliver Twist' where the Artful Dodger picks a pocket and the young Oliver is blamed. I also see the the pub 'Jerusalem' has changed its name and exterior. You used to be able to get a fine selection of good strong ales there, imported from Constable Country in Suffolk. Interesting video for me to see the manor I once sojourned in back in the early 90s. Thank you.
A little poem I wrote from many many years ago....
Under steel grey sky I wander,
Through Holburn's empty streets.
Past doorways filled with life's left turns,
Down Leather Lane I retreat.
At Clerkenwell I once found love,
We sat entwined upon a stair.
Elastic wrapped around my arm,
Warm rushes pulse unto my hair.
In dreams I float upon the Fleet,
Carried underground.
Lights flash past, and chances missed,
In hopelessness I'm found.
Thrust forcefully into London air,
By London Bridge I lie.
Cast out among the detritus,
I am under still grey sky.
💜
I've only had a wander around Clerkenwell a couple of times, but once you get away from the hustle and bustle of Farringdon station, it's like a whole different world.
Quiet, very few people around, little streets and alleyways . . . a very mysterious place.
As a northerner I could live there 👍
There's a book by Peter Ackroyd set in Clerkenwell in the 16th Century. It's about Doctor Dee, an alchemist, mathematician and occultist who lived there and served queen Elizabeth I. There's a lot of mystery in the book. The title is 'The House of Doctor Dee'. (Not sure he ever lived there in reality, though he did live in London).
I was born in St Thomas H and grew up in the Peabody flats in Clerkenwell close...always felt like it was our own little revolutionary village, especially on a Sunday when St James bells were rung and there was nobody around, love your videos John, they bring me peace
Many thanks for sharing that
6 years ago (before I was made redundant), I was working just 2 minutes by Farringdon Train station, I never knew the St Jonh's gardens or the entrance of the St Jonh's Museum; now I have time to visit and learn and believe me I have done this every day I can, providing the weather allows it so (I mean no rain, snow or frost on the road) as I have a walking disability and I must use a walking stick to move around but this does not stop me to visit, see, and learn about the history of London that is vast, so rich and very interesting ....... Because of your videos, I have learnt so much, visited so much and understood a lot of the wonderful past of London, its people, and its past............ awesome job you do mate, thanks.
It's hard to put into words, the feeling of certain parts of London, and Clerkenwell is a good example. There's an understated tidiness to the architecture of some of these streets, mixed often with a bit more prevalence of trees and shrubs, but more, an elusive magic that reaches way, way back.. I think this owes a lot to the presence of hidden watercourses, and these vibes really come through the screen in your excellent films John. So I think you thoroughly deserve a couple of pints after a walk like this. Really enjoyable!
Nice one John. 🌟👍
Bemjamin Street is narrow but then widens out because the heavier carts going uphill could go to one side and others go past.
St Johns Square is now in two halves as Clerkenwell road was driven through to the railway in the 1860's. Before, in the 18th century, this square and the surrounding streets such as Red Lion St (now Britton St.) were full of watchmakers and their associated trades. This industry was greatly diminished by the trade blockades of the Napoleonic wars and never really recovered. From 1816 onwards, the Swiss took over watchmaking in the 19th century with their much cheaper imports.
Between the church park and the house of correction are flats from the late 90s, it was a bomb site for ages. Me and my pals would play in there a lot and there were definitely old stone walls and a stone arch but obviously now covered. We used to call it "the dump"
London just keeps on giving. it’s endless. can’t wait to return.
“a feral whiff”!! love it
Another great walk, brings up memories of me "temping" at various offices around the area in the 90s and early 2000s. Thanks John 😊
Really interesting my husband was a silversmith there in the 80s
I’ve looked for the walls too - but I think they’re buried unfortunately.
I used to work in the Museum of the Order of St John, so got to explore a lot of St John’s gate. The rooms inside are amazing - I think you can book tours. On my first day I was working in one of the rooms on the ground floor and police horses clopped through the gate.
The gate’s mentioned in two of Ackroyd’s novels - the Clerkenwell Tales and the Lambs of London, in very different guises
I just found your channel last week. I have been binge watching it. I'm a proud Texan from USA, but I think I would love U.K. Thank you for sharing it with us across the old pond 👍👍👍
Welcome to the channel Vicki - so glad you're enjoying the videos and hope you get to visit some day
I worked In Clerkenwell for about 10 years, and there is something strange about the area that's hard to pin down. I remember that in winter, the cold seemed to gather in that tangle of streets centred on Clerkenwell Green
So did I; it timeless
This was a great one John! My work / darkroom was in Grays Inn Road for seven years from the late 90s, so for once, every street was familiar in the video. We were just round the corner from the Duke, near the Egyptian Exploration Society, which was always a fine pub with great food and welcoming dark, wooden interiors. Was always fascinated by the hills and declines all the nearby roads have, and the tales how Mount Pleasant was formed, so this was great to get a better understanding of all those tributaries of the Fleet.
My mum grew up at 15 Benjamin street - a row house that was in front of St John's Park. Torn down in the 1960s. The gardener always used to give her a bouquet of flowers from the garden to take to her teacher at St. Sepulchres
That was a fantastic walk John, brought so many memories back for me of my years living in the area and Gt.Ormond St hosp plus Coram fields. 💕🇦🇺
Talk about a walk down memory lane! I lived in Brewers Buildings Rawstorne Street EC1 London Borough of Finsbury near the Angel for decades. Apparently they were built by the Honourable Society of Brewers for their workers. Beautiful crest of arms over tbe entrance door. 'In God is All Our Trust'. Had to move as it got more and more expensive and gentrified. It was a wonderful place to live and walk especially at weekends when it was so quiet. Nowhere else like it for the sense of a mysterious past seeping in and out of tbe present. Thanks for resurrecting bittersweet memories😢
I read this and it summoned the same feelings. Lived in old street and my first job was in plum tree court near Farringdon. That was over 25 years ago and remember going to Italian festival held this time of year. I literally visited all those pubs , such history and atmosphere. Now live in a beachside suburb Cronulla in Sydney, you couldn’t get a more polar opposite place than EC1…in fact our suburb is only 15 years old 🤣…
Always love a walk around the City and environs
I studied in that area a couple of years ago and now wish I'd had the chance to explore more than I did! Happy memories!
Without question my favourite part of London and it has the best three pubs.❤
Really enjoyable walk through quiet backstreets and narrow alleys which transport you back to a time when water flowed freely above ground and Snipe were locally sourced. Wonderfull. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this video as I studied at City University in the 1960s, regularly walking through Clerkenwell Green.
Fantastic video once again John. This, to me, feels like going on holiday without leaving the house,. I've been to London a few times and I love it (I live in The Netherlands).
Hi John, I worked in Clerkenwell Green for NetBenefit, years ago (opposite the pub, a few bulidings away from the Royal Philharmonic). Not sure if you know, but Nick Hornbys 'About a Boy' was part filmed there. The two telephone boxes were boarded and used as the News stand in the film, with a building to the side of the church used as entrabnce to Marcus & Fiona's abode. My former engineers said that on completion of filming, Hugh Grant was in The Crown Tavern buying drinks for everyone.
I went to primary school across the road from the Duke. So many happy memories
Fascinating. The entire walk was watery. Loved the history of Clerkenwell, very interesting part of the city.
I worked in Smithfield in the 1960s. Early morning cuppa at OFS and then up Cowcross Street. passed our factory at the end of Greenhill Rents and then round the to the shop in Charterhouse Street. Our warehouse was on the corner of St Johns Street and Clerkenwell Road. Loved the place - changed quite a lot since!
Thanks for the tour.
I love these walks!!!😊😊
Thanks again John. One of my favourite parts of London and hunting hidden rivers one of my favourite things to watch.
London never disappoints, another lovely stroll with wells, mews & alleyways.
Love your videos, thank you. I miss London so much but this is all new to me. If I had my time again I would live in Clerkenwell if I could.
I spent many a night in Fabric by Smithfields... half a life ago now 25 years in the past, I lived in that club from Oct 99 to late 03 and I mean lived in it at least twice a week Sat and Sun for nearly 4 years.
Lovely. I don’t know why but your walks are enthralling. Thanks John
This is great ,,about 15 years ago my daughter was in a St John’s ambulance thingy for kids and we visited a museum at St John’s square ,,we went on a coach and I had no idea where we was ,the inner m25 is abit overwhelming to me ,,but I recognised the gate to the square immediately,,,,thanks for clearing that up lol
Your walks are fascinating but I really love your ending, listening to your father singing his delightful ditty! Thanks to the both of us!
As always John, great walk. Really really interesting. 👍🏻
Such lovely neighbourhoods in this wonderful quest for wells! What a great idea for a walk. Really enjoyed this one - thanks so much!
Your enthusiasm is infectious. It comes through in your videos. I enjoy your spirit of adventure.
Wonderful video, especially for all your enthusiasm. Reminds, me I haven't been to London since 2019...
keep bringing top videos like this, great like success always
Thanks! Beautiful and interesting walk!
Many thanks- massively appreciated
Thank you John from Istanbul, I watched almost all your videos and really enjoyed. I hope to join your walks one time in the near future.
superb work ! my name is John i’ve lived here for 25yrs and I still love the area.
Wonderful film John, always the most timeless and magical part of town
London never disappoints, some incredible Georgian architecture
Also in Rugby street off Lambs's Conduit street there is the medieval the White Conduit (1300s) originally part of the water supply to the Greyfriars Monastery, Newgate Street. The marble well head is underground in a shop which originally was French's Dairy. There is plaque to explain
Wonderful episode, John. It brought back many memories of lunchtime rambles through Clerkenwell, working as a freelance writer for a number of publishers and professional bodies in the area. A confession; in the days before street maps on 'phones, I once lost my bearings in Clerkenwell and couldn't workout how to get back to the office. I hailed a cab and gave the cabbie the office address, which salvaged my predicament and stupidity. Greetings from Bodmin Moor - the remote bit.
Another scenic walk around another part of the city bursting with stories.
Nice one John, wonderful walk...
Thanks Ralph
Loving looking at the rivers of London, John. As a wild colonial boy on the other side of the world, and only having known London as a Mercator Projection, it has been an eye-opener as to how hilly it can be. Thanks also, for putting us on to Ben Aaronovitch's books. I am reading them all as fast as I can get them.
Great video, John! Clerkenwell is one of my favourite areas and I spend many of my Saturdays there. Just up from Clerkenwell Green on Sekforde Street is a beautifully preserved old bank building of the Finsbury Savings Bank which was used by Charles Dickens. Go and have a look when you're next down that way! The Sekforde pub also has some great history to it!
I love those street and place names that describe their purpose, like Cowcross Street. Thanks for the wonderful videos.
Great video thank you so much - I love learning all these interesting facts 👌
Great video, love that area and the walks ❤
Cool, memories of working and drinking around there many years ago!
Thank you. Great video
Thanks John, a lovely walk ,great history, looks to be a very nice part of London .....Best Martin.
Great watch & listen, thanks for your workings John - excellence.
Regards
Many thanks!
Great video John. Always appreciated!
TYFS! what a treat to see a John Rogers film in my area (grays inn road). I was surprised to see you missed the Rugby Tavern.
Amazing video John! Such interesting part of town
Thanks Sally - hope all is well with you
A very interesting Sunday video.
Ahh my part of London, eons ago 😊
Your voice is ASMR for me😊 it make me happy 😊
Clerkenwell holds many memories...Turnmills for 90s raves and 00s Tuesday night salsa sessions. The watch repair industry centred around junction St John's Street and Clerkenwell Road and many afternoons walking or cycling around the area in a similar vein to your fascinating video. Thanks John!
PS as an aside to the poster at the end of the video, I can recommend getting in touch with the Heritage of London Trust. You won't be disappointed!
Thanks for that great video, John
I love a good mystery John. Clerkenwelll is such a fascinating area which I have walked many times. I’m hoping to visit The Clerk’s Well at some point (I did book to see the ‘Roman Bath’s’ off Aldwych a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed that). The area around Lambs Conduit Street is so interesting too. I have been documenting memorial plaques in this area recently so it was great to see you in here too. Great stuff!
I really enjoy watching your videos. I love your evident enthusiasm, keep up the good work.
thanks Trevor
thank you so much for this excellent video, John - I have watched this and shared several times. I've worked a stones throw from Cowcross Street for the last 12 years and LOVE history, especially London history, so I appreciate this video so much. You pronounce Clerkenwell as "Clark-en-well" and not "Clerk-en-well" ... I had always assumed the latter all this time. "Clerk" ... I never knew this all these years. My office will love this video.
Just what I needed 👍🏼 Thanks 🍻
Superb John, thank you
brilliant stuff JR.
Great video John 👍👍📗📗📗👍👍
Thanks Alan
Absolutely fantastic 👌🏼
That was a fun walk, thanks.
Thanks Mark
A pleasent walk around what may be the very best enclave in London
Hello John, this is Martin from the East Riding of Yorkshire. Just watched your latest video of the streets of London. Again as i always say, you are a genius when it comes to the History of London, and as I always say, what David Attenborough is to wold nature, you are to British History. And again I shall say it, you should have your own TV program on national TV. You fully deserve it. Thank you once again for an amazing journey thru history. Keep safe John and ill be tuning in to your next masterpiece best wishes. 👍🇬🇧
Great walk John. I did the walk up Cowcross St many times from Farringdon to St Barts whilst having Radiotherapy after an operation in 08. Still looks very familiar 👍🏼
Wonderful.
Another informative and interesting vid.thank you john.stay safe.
Thanks Keith
Nunnery walls - As you walk up Clerkenwell Close from the Green, past The Three Kings pub and on the right there’s another entrance to St James Church Garden. That’s where you’ll notice the nunnery’s cloister walls left exposed.
Many thanks- is that on the left of the gate? Appreciate your help
It’s on the right of the gate where you’ll notice there are some concrete stools right in front of the wall. Mind you, it’s the second gate at the back. I can send you a photo I took the other day when cycling from work.
Thanks John - interesting walk, I love the Clerkenwell area, so many interesting streets and buildings.
When you went into St John's Gardens did you notice the 'Ancient Lights' signs on the walls of buildings that overlook the garden on one side?
Also, the cells from one of the Prisons you mentioned are still in existence under the playground of a school! I have seen inside a couple of times during London Design week as they were being used by some of the designers to show their work, great to have had the opportunity to look around down there!
I used to work in the now demolished Turnmills building on the corner of Turnmill Street and Farringdon Road at the turn of the millennium. Also home to the famous nightclub Never really explored the area but regret that now. I remember an e-mail being sent to everyone about something called Thameslink 2000 that would effect the area as Farrington station would be rebuilt. I remember thinking it would make my commute easier as it would involve direct trains from where I live in Worthing. I ended up being made redundant a few months later and Thameslink didn't open until 2018 in the end
Is also said that Lenin and Stalin met in the Crown and Anchor (now Crown Tavern) when he visited London in 1903 but I believe that is disputed.
We would be in Turnmills every Friday night and Sunday Morning for years from 98 to 03, in fact there was in the basement of Turnmills in the nightclub a grate down which you could hear the running of water....
@@miamijim5964 A veritable den of iniquity.
@@paulwally9007 I bloody loved it :)
@@miamijim5964 I only went once. Coincidentally, I had my nipples pierced in Clerkenwell about 1990.
@@paulwally9007 with pierced nipples you should have attended more often.. especially the Sunday morning :)
Nice walk good video.. of Farringdon and the surrounding areas 🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thanks
Top draw historical London as always JR...💚💛❤️N15🇲🇺
My great great grandparents were married at St James's Church in Clerkenwell - and he was a clerk in the courthouse.
I'm curious about St. John's Square. In researching my family, I found references that suggest the square was once consecrated ground. It is unclear to me whether the bodies were collected up and deposited in an ossuary or it it was just paved over--when I can't seem to discover--or maybe it wasn't a churchyard at all? The only certainty I have is that one of my ancestors was buried at a place recorded as St. John's Square. I imagiine it would be much easier to figure it all out with feet on the ground, but I'm trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together from the other side of the globe, so there's likely something I'm missing.
Clerkenwell. Its always an intriguing looking place in the videos. You can feel the history
Great vid John. Normally a spring will serve one well, entering at some depth and draining from the top. We had two, one running through the cellar and one at the front with a pump. The source would have been on higher ground giving the well a ‘head’ of water. Ours was about 12ft above the well and was piped in the 1700’s when clay piping became commercially available. Until then it’d have just been a little flow down the hillside into boggy ground at the bottom. Could we assume that the clientele of The Three Kings support Orient? 😉😉⚽️👍
Pink's History of Clerkenwell freely available here in PDF format: books.google.com/books/download/The_History_of_Clerkenwell.pdf?id=s09NAQAAMAAJ&output=pdf 887 pages! :-)
Thanks John. I love the history of Clerkenwell. Did you know that the White Conduit ended up in the basement of a shop near Lamb's Conduit. I saw it under glass in what was an old Dairy, but was then, twenty years ago, a women's fashion shop. They closed, and went to Folkestone the last I heard. Don't know what happened to the White Conduit though. I could dig out a photo of the shop front if you wish. James Goold
Still there
But may I add that's not Clerkenwell it's Bloomsbury
Somebody said you should do a TV or Radio Programme ie... I think with Clare Balding on her rambling Programme. Anyway.... I always think you seem happier out of London so how about the start to finish of rivers? ( Yes I know .. the Fleet etc But I mean in depth) I'm a Brit living in Austria but I lived in Bexley before moving to Austria. And I have always wondered where the Medway started. ie loved your walk along the Wandle as I went to the swimming baths at Wandsworth High Street where the Wandle came out to the Thames.. back in the day. Just an idea but your talking as you walk is so fascinating. Thank you.
I had my nipples pierced in Clerkenwell in about 1990. Today that sounds commonplace but 34 years ago I think that was one of only two places in the capital that provided the service. I think I ended up in the Magistrates' court as well, though the two incidents were unconnected.
Great video John , thank you , just started reading your new book , sense this is a much deeper dive into the evolution and psychogeography of post Olympics London ,much different from your first book , I guess that's why it took you ten years to write , really drawing me in , I'm enjoying it very much , all the best 🌈💖☯️
That’s great to hear Leslie - many thanks
About 30 years ago you could tour the underground vaults of the House of Correction but it seems to have been closed to the public for many years now. I remember they provided an audio commentary as you walked round the square. There wasn't much to see to be honest but it was very atmospheric.
The cells under the old prison that's now Kingsway Place? They open them up at least once a year for Clerkenwell Design Week, and have displays in there. Not much like you say, but still a lot of original cell doors etc.
@@manticoreaw Yes, good to know people can still see them.
Skinners well must run into the drain you showed? I’m sure there is a drain similar to what you showed in skinners street just above cleckenwell green ? Might have to have a wander around to see if you can link them together. Best of luck John
Water, water everywhere, nor any stop to think...
Save you, obviously. Thanks for another lovely walk, just the thing to end a tiring day. Trivia point- Clerkenwell Close houses the headquarters of the Museums Association, wot is I am a member of. Indeed an Associate of.
Incidentally, there's meant to be a tributary of the Fleet under the North-East side of the British Museum. Did that have a name? Could it be the Lamb's Conduit?
THankyou!