Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
4.5
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The area
Neighbourhood: Clerkenwell
Owing to its proximity to Smithfield Market – the site of an ancient meat market which remains in operation today – Clerkenwell boasts a plethora of globally renowned restaurants, fabulous local eateries, and some of London's favorite pubs. This isn't merely a focal point for all things foodie though. Spend enough time wondering through the area's maze of streets and you might become accustomed to the litany of slinky models passing between Clerkenwell's handful of fashion houses. Far outnumbering the models are craftspeople and designers, many of them are more than happy to welcome visitors into their studios and showrooms.
How to get there
- Farringdon • 10 min walk
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4.5
18 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
6
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
therichastill
Stevenage, UK3,315 contributions
July 2023 • Solo
Clerkenwell is a small area of London which has some really lovely buildings. There are some nice churches and arches into the city of London.
There's also quite a few little shops and restaurants in the area to visit. It's well worth visiting on foot to see some of the detail in the buildings.
The nearest main station is Farringdon which is served by the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines. It is also served by Thameslink and Elizabeth lines so it is really easy to reach from different parts of the South East of England.
There's also quite a few little shops and restaurants in the area to visit. It's well worth visiting on foot to see some of the detail in the buildings.
The nearest main station is Farringdon which is served by the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines. It is also served by Thameslink and Elizabeth lines so it is really easy to reach from different parts of the South East of England.
Written 18 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz
London, UK78 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
Clerkenwell Design Week was fun despite the rain. An intriguing opportunity to see inside the Old Session House, the Karl Marx Museum, St James's church and a modern stone building opposite on Clerkenwell Close, and St John's Square with a small courtyard behind. But even when over the area is still fun to explore.
Written 23 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aprinkibas
Cheshunt, UK467 contributions
Clerkenwell is the posh part that connects Islington to the city. Many grade 2 listed buildings, beautiful churches and architecture, lots to places to eat and drink and many hidden alleyways leading to secluded houses and pubs. Take a look around, you will be amazed.
Written 16 February 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hgoldman77
hgoldman77145 contributions
Sept 2018
Staying here is a way to experience the real London as Londoners might live it. Workplaces for creative tech, media and light manufacturing companies, plenty of inexpensive ethnic restaurants, including a daily street-food festival, walking distance to a subway and City of London sights. A short taxi ride or Underground jaunt to anywhere you want to go.
Written 19 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
futtock21
London, UK17,226 contributions
June 2017 • Solo
Things historic: the well after which this area is named was rediscovered in 1924; home of the Medieval Knights Hospitallers of St. John; gateway and crypt: now St. John ambulance HQ; St. John Street has some of the best restaurants in London: St. John (Fergus Henderson's nose to tail eating); the Eagle (London's first gastropub and still going strong); Henry IV Part 2: Falstaff joked about Justice Shallow's youthful exploits with a prostitute on Turnmill Street (today has a Spanish restaurant); three prisons were here: Bridesmill, Coldbath and New Prison; Old Street Magistrates' Court (now closed: remembering appearing as a young lawyer in front of a Magistrate with piles squirming on his heavily cushioned bench); Old Street high-tec hub; St. Luke's high-spec LSO concert venue; Clerkenwell Outrage of 1863 when Fenian (Irish Republican) terrorists escaped prison and killed local people held hostage. Farringdon station (the only station in Clerkenwell but what a station: two underground lines; Thaneslink N-S through the City; Crossrail E-W coming soon ...
Written 2 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WMIM
Horsham, UK3,201 contributions
July 2015 • Solo
This historic area of the metropolis is a little 'off the beaten tourist track' but for intrepid visitors it is rewarding. I have always found it interesting as one of my grandmothers was born there in the first year of the 20th Century.
Before being engulfed by London's urban expansion it was more of a village and folk would come here from the crowded, unhealthy city to 'take the waters' and partake of refreshments and entertainments. There were a number of springs here, hence 'well' in both the area's name and that of Sadler's Wells Theatre.
There are plenty of interesting places around here, including Clerkenwell Green (which lost its grass centuries ago) beside which Oliver Cromwell once had a house and the Museum of the Order of St. John (reviewed separately). There are plenty of pubs, restaurants and 'gastropubs' and the nearest Underground station is Farringdon.
Clerkenwell is now a part of the London Borough of Islington, and being adjacent to Islington itself has become a favoured area for socialists, especially the left-wing kind. Vladimir Lenin spent a lot of time here when in London, although he lived at Percy Circus a little way to the north, and an attractive Georgian building near the Green houses the Marx Memorial Library.
Before being engulfed by London's urban expansion it was more of a village and folk would come here from the crowded, unhealthy city to 'take the waters' and partake of refreshments and entertainments. There were a number of springs here, hence 'well' in both the area's name and that of Sadler's Wells Theatre.
There are plenty of interesting places around here, including Clerkenwell Green (which lost its grass centuries ago) beside which Oliver Cromwell once had a house and the Museum of the Order of St. John (reviewed separately). There are plenty of pubs, restaurants and 'gastropubs' and the nearest Underground station is Farringdon.
Clerkenwell is now a part of the London Borough of Islington, and being adjacent to Islington itself has become a favoured area for socialists, especially the left-wing kind. Vladimir Lenin spent a lot of time here when in London, although he lived at Percy Circus a little way to the north, and an attractive Georgian building near the Green houses the Marx Memorial Library.
Written 16 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nellielim
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia4,019 contributions
Apr 2017 • Family
This central London neighbourhood is reputed as one of the city's must-go gastronomic destinations. The Michelin starred restaurants, historic pubs and all night bars attract crowds here. As well as foodie-friendly establishments, this area is also known for its entertainment and art.
Written 22 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TERRAvelista
London, UK18,505 contributions
Oct 2019
This is an area that under went a huge regeneration in the last 20 years with more being built as you pass through here.
We walked the other day on the way to the Postal Museum, which I highly recommend you to visit, as we came from Farington tube station, until now having lots of new buildings being built near it.
Everything looks more clean cut, safer and more elegant and from the intersection of Faringdon with Clerkenwell road you have a good view of other tall buildings in the distance, near the river!!!
What I also like here, is that the facades of the old buildings have been kept, where the buildings were of historic value and could be rescued, so you have some great historic pubs where you can have a pint or good meal, thus competing with the new trendy and very cheap restaurants that are in abundance in the area towards the City. Avoid it in the rush hour, Mon to Fri after 4pm, as the tube stations are a nightmare and might dampen your great experience walking these amazing historic streets.
We walked the other day on the way to the Postal Museum, which I highly recommend you to visit, as we came from Farington tube station, until now having lots of new buildings being built near it.
Everything looks more clean cut, safer and more elegant and from the intersection of Faringdon with Clerkenwell road you have a good view of other tall buildings in the distance, near the river!!!
What I also like here, is that the facades of the old buildings have been kept, where the buildings were of historic value and could be rescued, so you have some great historic pubs where you can have a pint or good meal, thus competing with the new trendy and very cheap restaurants that are in abundance in the area towards the City. Avoid it in the rush hour, Mon to Fri after 4pm, as the tube stations are a nightmare and might dampen your great experience walking these amazing historic streets.
Written 19 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicholas H
London, UK20,403 contributions
Sept 2019 • Friends
Walking routes round Clerkenwell are usually only a couple of miles, but this district is packed with historic and interesting sites. The list is endless, but it includes St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the magnificent church of St Bartholomew the Great, Smithfield Meat Market, Charterhouse Square, The Charterhouse, the William Wallace Memorial, Spa Fields, Saffron Hill, Ely Place, Cloth Fair, the St John Gatehouse and Museum and Clerkenwell Green. The area is packed with restaurants, pubs and cafes. It’ll take a whole day to do justice to visiting it and even then you’ll run out of time to see it all.
Written 10 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Renso S
368 contributions
Mar 2016 • Solo
I did not plan to walk through this neighborhood but then I ended up spending a lot of time there. Lots of shops, coffee shops and restaurants match the architecture and street markets. Actually not a bad location to book a hotel as it is close to the main shopping areas but still has an authentic neighborhood feel to it
Written 13 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi. Thinking of moving to Clerkenwell ( Goswell Road area).
Any recommendations? Good place to live? Sunday lunch pubs?
Thank you x
Written 3 September 2024
Hello - I am bit of a deer in headlights and thought you might be able to answer a question about Clerkenwell please. We are first time visitors to London and are considering staying in the Zeller Hotel. I am afraid it will be too far away from the tube and the usual tourist attractions. I think this area sounds really interesting and fun. Any thoughts on the subject would be most wonderful & kind . Many thanks
Written 12 March 2018
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