High Holborn

Last updated

High Holborn in 1984. On the right is Staple Inn, with its distinctive timber-framed facade, and in the centre of the street is the Royal London Fusiliers Monument London High Holborn geograph-3083817-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
High Holborn in 1984. On the right is Staple Inn, with its distinctive timber-framed façade, and in the centre of the street is the Royal London Fusiliers Monument
Princess Louise public house, High Holborn Princess Louise public house, High Holborn, London 09.JPG
Princess Louise public house, High Holborn

High Holborn ( /ˈhbərn/ HOH-bərn) is a street in Holborn and Farringdon Without, Central London, which forms a part of the A40 route from London to Fishguard. It starts in the west at the eastern end of St Giles High Street and runs past the Kingsway and Southampton Row, becoming Holborn at its eastern junction with Gray's Inn Road. The western stretch, as far as Drury Lane, was formerly known as Broad Street. [1] [2] On High Holborn, traffic (including cycles and buses) flows one-way westbound from its junction with Drake Street to its western end, and flows both ways for the remainder.

The nearest London Underground stations are Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, and Chancery Lane, all on the Central line which runs beneath High Holborn.

Landmarks along High Holborn include the Cittie of Yorke, at no. 22, and the Embassy of Cuba, at no. 167. [3] The Cold War Kingsway telephone exchange was located underneath High Holborn. [4] On the south side of High Holborn is Staple Inn, the half timbered facade of which dates from 1586 and is a Grade I listed building. [5] Opposite is the Gothic Revival Holborn Bars building, built for the Prudential Assurance Company between 1885 and 1901; it is Grade II* listed. [6] On an island in the roadway is the Royal Fusiliers War Memorial, which is surmounted by a bronze statue of an infantry soldier by Albert Toft. [7]

The street was a "Feature site" for introduction of the Camden bench. [8]

High Holborn is the highest point in the City of London. At 22 metres (72 feet) above sea level, High Holborn is the lowest county top in England, if one considers the City a county.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. "UCL Bloomsbury Project". www.ucl.ac.uk.
  2. "Introducing Horwood's Plan (1792-99) – Romantic London" . Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  3. "The London Diplomatic List" (PDF). 13 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
  4. Kennedy, Maev (17 October 2008). "100ft down, the capital's cold war warren gives up its final secrets". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  5. Historic England. "1-4, Holborn Bars (1246103)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  6. Historic England. "Prudential Assurance Building (1379064)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  7. Historic England. "Royal Fusiliers War Memorial (1064638)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  8. "Camden Bench". Factory Furniture. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to High Holborn at Wikimedia Commons

51°31′04″N0°07′11″W / 51.51766°N 0.11983°W / 51.51766; -0.11983