EPW005140 ENGLAND (1920). Farringdon Railway Station and environs, London, 1920

Farringdon Street

The Old Bailey

This area of Farringdon which borders Clerkenwell has an interesting political history. The free thinking Lollards of the fifteenth century, Tolpuddle Martyrs and later, the founders of British trade unionism, all operated from Clerkenwell. Its still a base for some urban folk music as well.....in 1988 it became an area I got to know well as I worked in a couple of photographic studios as an assistant photographer, learning how to deal with large format cameras, and I became an expert lighting technician, and dealing with moody models !!

The area of Clerkenwell which sits near the St Johns Street area of this image , was known as Little Italy up until the 1960`s due to a high population of Italians living in the district from the 1860`s.

The plaque recording German bombing in WW1 at 59-61 Farringdon Road.

Formerly the site of Smithfield meat, fish & poultry building bomb damaged WW2, later rebuilt site as Caxton House, that too now demolished 2011 (as shown) for works connected with Crossrail Project.