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Holborn (pronounced /ˈhəʊbən/ or /ˈhəʊbɜːn/ -- "ho bun") is an area of Central London, England, named after the Hole-bourne (the stream in the hollow) which flowed through the area from north to south, to the Thames. This river is better known by its alternative name as the River Fleet. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, which crosses over the river valley as Holborn Viaduct, straddling the borders of the London Borough of Camden, the City of Westminster and the City of London.
The name Holborn is derived from a hamlet called Holebourne to the East which was established long before 1249, this name in turn taken from the river Fleet, now subterranean but once flowing parallel to where Kingsway now stands. In the days when Holborn was a green oasis, the Elizabethan herbalist John Gerard cultivated the land with much horticultural zeal. Here he was the first to catalogue over 1000 native species in a prose tome which is housed at the British museum.
Publishing was a major industry in the 17th century and the area prospered, also becoming notorious for prostitution. Years later Charles Dickens took up residence in the street - during his time there were many taverns; 22 inns are recorded in the 1860s. Over the coming years the area began to diversify and become recognisable as the modern street. A plaque stands at number 120 commemorating Thomas Earnshaw's invention of the marine chronometer, one of the catalysts which facilitated long-distance travel. There were many exhibitions - including the first public display in London of a gorilla in 1859. However this popularity bred imposters - Captain Eades' mermaid transpired to be a crudely combined salmon and infant orang-utan.
In the modern era High Holborn has become a centre for the legal and financial professions, next to entertainment venues. The Holborn Empire stood between 1867 and 1960 when it was pulled down after structural damage sustained in the blitz. The theatre premièred the first full-length feature film in 1924, The Wold, the Flesh and the Devil, a 100-minute melodrama filmed in Kinemacolour. Until 1992, the London Weather Centre was located in the street.
The area is north of the traditional stamping ground for journalists in Fleet Street and lawyers in the Inner Temple and Middle Temple. The most northerly of the Inns of Court, Gray's Inn, is in Holborn as is Lincoln's Inn. It is also the location of Barnard's Inn, the current home of Gresham College, the first college in London. In the eighteenth century, Holborn was the location of the infamous Mother Clap's molly house.
At the eastern end of Holborn is the Holborn Bars building, once home to the Prudential Insurance company. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse. The Daily Mirror offices used to be directly opposite it. The Holborn Bars building is notable for being used on the cover of "Old Holborn" tobacco. The insurance company relocated in 2002. The imposing red building stands on the site of Furnival's Inn, one of the few buildings which survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. Furnival's Inn taught the rudiments of law and served as a preparatory college to one of the Inns of Court. It was frequented by Charles Dickens many times between 1835 and 1836.
Further east in the gated avenue of Ely Place is the oldest Catholic Church in London, St Etheldreda's Church. Ely Place is on the site of what was from 1300 until 1772, the site of the Bishop of Ely’s London palace. In medieval times, bishops of Ely frequently held high state office requiring them to live in London. St Etheldreda’s Church was built as a private chapel attached to the palace. It is still standing today, and is the only surviving building in London from the reign of Edward I (1239–1307) though it was badly damaged during the last war. St Etheldreda, a seventh-century queen and nun, was the saint in whose name Ely Cathedral was founded.
There are references to Ely Palace grounds in Shakespeare’s plays. It was at the house that the Bard had John of Gaunt – who was living there in 1382 – say his ‘This royal throne of Kings, this sceptre’d isle’ speech. And in Richard III, Gloucester tells the Bishop of Ely: ‘My Lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there. I do beseech you, send for some of them.’.
Hatton Garden, the centre of the Diamond trade was leased to a favourite of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Christopher Hatton at the insistence of the Queen to provide him with an income.
Behind the Prudential Building lies the Anglo Catholic church of St Alban the Martyr[1]. Originally built in 1863 by architect William Butterfield it was destroyed in 1941 and a new church was built in the Victorian Gothic style.
On Holborn Circus lies the Church of St Andrews, an ancient Guild Church, that survived the Great Fire of London. Wren in any case decided to rebuild it. Although the nave was destroyed in the Blitz, the rebuild was faithful to Wren's original. In the early twenty-first century, Holborn has been the site of new offices and hotels, which have exploited its excellent public transport links (Holborn underground station is the junction of the Central and Piccadilly lines), and its strategic location between the City of London and the West End.
The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was created in 1899. It was abolished in 1965 and its area formed part of the London Borough of Camden.
For education within the Westminster portion of see the main City of Westminster article.
The following is a list of notable people who were born in Holborn or are significantly connected with Holborn.
<gallery> Image:142_Holborn_Bars,_London.jpg|Holborn Bars, built as the headquarters of the Prudential Assurance Company Image:J Sainsbury HQ 1.jpg|The headquarters of J Sainsbury plc at Holborn Circus Image:Staple Inn 1.jpg|Staple Inn building near Chancery Lane tube station Image:Grange Holborn Hotel.jpg|Grange Holborn Hotel in Holborn Image:High Holborn 1.jpg|High Holborn Image:Gray's Inn entrance.jpg|Entrance to Gray's Inn </gallery>