In search of secret Clerkenwell.

The rather odd-looking St Peter's Italian church is one of many secret highlights of Clerkenwell (image credit below)

Clerkenwell isn’t a particularly well-defined part of London.  There’s no ‘Clerkenwell station’ and it’s not entirely clear where it shades into Farringdon, Hatton Garden or Islington.  No wonder so many miss it.

It’s divided by a main road that goes right past all the most interesting places – so you end up crossing and recrossing it over and over again.

You can still see the original well that gave Clerkenwell its name – in a building called Well Court on Farringdon Lane.  But it’s not the most impressive sight in London and the building is a nondescript 1980s creation reminiscent of so many of London’s ugliest buildings.

Best to start then with the village green.  And this is a little wonder – a real village green within London and an undeniably attractive place.

Anywhere else, Clerkenwell Green would be the nucleus of the community.  But since the two major roads both skirt it, it has instead become a bit of a backwater.  The late 18th century church and the old Court of Sessions give it an air of classical calm – despite all the traffic roaring past.

There is also the House of Correction and Crafts Central on Clerkenwell Green here – not just an art gallery but the home of a crafts community which is based in studios and owned by a collective.

Clerkenwell is still a centre for the antiques and jewellery trade.  One of the area’s best aspects is the mix of quirky specialist businesses – architectural fittings, fine papers, picture framers and watch repairers.

St John's Gate is another impressive symbol of Clerkenwell (image credit below)

Clerkenwell was also the home of a large Italian community.  The Italian church on Clerkenwell Road (image at top) looks utterly unlike anything else in London.  It has a tall red brick façade with marble statues and gaudy mosaics – like the offspring of a Lutyens house and a candyfloss stall!

You’ll find good Italian delis and restaurants in Clerkenwell – Gazzano’s at Exmouth Market combines deli and espresso bar – though Terroni’s of Clerkenwell Road closed in 2007 and is still mourned by its former regulars.

Exmouth Market has the same village air as Clerkenwell Green, though it’s trendier and busier – the old street market has recently been revived.

The Church of the Holy Redeemer has another strikingly Italianate façade, though it’s Anglican where St Peter’s is Catholic; it also hosts some excellent concerts (and the services are musically quite fine).

We’ve been darting about from one end of Clerkenwell to the other – but that’s what Clerkenwell is like.  It doesn’t lend itself to purposeful, linear walks.  Back east then, to Farringdon for the last couple of stops on our tour of Clerkenwell – the gatehouse and the Jerusalem Tavern pub.

St John’s Gate is one of the few medieval buildings surviving in this area – it was once the gateway to the Priory of the Knights of St John Hospitallers.

Unfortunately, most of what you see today (image above)  is 19th century restoration. It’s still impressive and nowadays houses a museum of the Order of St John – but for many years, it was a coffee house and tavern.

The Jerusalem Tavern is another fabulous Clerkenwell gem (image credit below)

The Jerusalem Tavern in Britton Street is one of London’s nicest pubs, which was already mentioned in our review of the city’s best historic pubs.

Unlike most London pubs – owned by big pub companies or major brewers like Fullers – this place belongs to an independent Suffolk brewery.

It’s a Georgian terraced house, with wooden floors and a simple, spit-and-sawdust feel.  The real ales on offer are simply superb – with some unusual styles like the grapefruit wheat beer and honey mild that are good enough to convert your most stubborn lager-loving friends.

When you are there you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back into a Dickens novel – I’m sure Mr Pickwick would have felt at home here!

I can’t explain the charm of Clerkenwell and don’t think it is worth even trying to.  But if you wander its streets and look beyond and between its big blocks of flats and modern office buildings, you’ll find little time-slips like the ones mentioned above – and perhaps you’ll fall in love with it too.

Two of the best hotels around Clerkenwell are stalwarts of this blog and display similar qualities: the eco-friendly Zetter and the hip Hoxton.

Both hotels are reasonably-priced, offer free WiFi and are well-connected to central London; though only the Zetter could be said to be in Clerkenwell proper (the Hoxton is further east towards Shoreditch).

The Zetter is an eco-friendly hotel with a particularly nice restaurant which is also handy for the gastro-pubs and brunch joints of nearby Islington.

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The Zetter offers an ideal "eco-friendly" base for exploring Clerkenwell

The Hoxton is often a bit cheaper – particularly if you catch one of its famous £1 sales – and gives you a nice Pret a Manger breakfast bag in the morning (the owners of the hotel also own that London sandwich chain).

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Both the above hotels are currently in the TripAdvisor top 100 (indeed the Hoxton has consistently been in the top 20 for as long as we remember) and you can’t go far wrong with either.

Both hotels also offer a fantastic base for exploring the secret East End.

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Photo credits: Twinspot’s photostream, James.Stringer’s photostream, Zetter Hotel, Jerusalem Tavern (St Peter’s Brewery Co. Ltd).

Tagged as: Hoxton Hotel, Zetter Hotel