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Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of
Farringdon Without __NOTOC__ Farringdon Without is the most westerly Ward of the City of London, its suffix ''Without'' reflects its origin as lying beyond the City's former defensive walls. It was first established in 1394 to administer the suburbs west of Ludg ...
in the City of London. The area has its roots in the ancient parish of Holborn, which lay on the west bank of the now buried
River Fleet The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds an ...
, taking its name from an alternative name for the river. The area is sometimes described as part of the West End of London or of the wider West London area. The River Fleet also gave its name to the streets ''Holborn'' and ''
High Holborn High Holborn ( ) 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 S ...
'' which extend west from the site of the former Newgate in the London Wall, over the Fleet, through Holborn and towards Westminster. The district benefits from a central location which helps provide a strong mixed economy. The area is particularly noted for its links to the legal profession, the diamond centre at Hatton Garden and
Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospita ...
.


Origins and administration

Holborn emerged from the ancient parish of St Andrew Holborn and its later sub-divisions. The parish church is first mentioned, and described as ''old'', in a charter of 959, but this is before the parish or the landholdings on which it was based took on anything like their settled form.


Toponymy

The earliest surviving written record of the area occurs in a charter of 959, in which King Edgar the Peaceful granted Westminster Abbey an area of land (much larger than the later parish of Holborn) stretching from the Abbey itself, on Thorney Island, to the
River Fleet The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds an ...
. The charter mentions "the old wooden church of St Andrew" ( St Andrew, Holborn). The name Holborn is used in the charter, but it refers to the River Fleet rather than the district. The name "Holborn" may derive from the
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...
''hol'' for "hollow", and ''bourne'', a "brook", referring to the
River Fleet The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds an ...
as it ran through a steep valley (hollow) in places. However, the 16th-century historian John Stow attributes the name to a different watercourse: the ''Old Bourne'' ("old brook"), a small stream which he believed ran into the Fleet at Holborn Bridge, a structure lost when the river was culverted in 1732. The exact course of the stream is uncertain, but according to Stow it started in one of the many small springs near Holborn Bar, the old
City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
toll gate on the summit of Holborn Hill. Other historians, however, find the theory implausible, in view of the slope of the land.


Administration: Parish and Ward

The Parish of St Andrew, Holborn, was divided by a civil boundary, with part within the Farringdon Without ward of the City of London (later known as ''St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars'') – which includes the parish church and the part within the Ossulstone Hundred of Middlesex (later known as ''St Andrew Above the Bars''). It is not known when the parish of Holborn took on its settled form, but it is likely to have been by the time of the introduction of Canon Law around 1180, with records from the time the hospital of St Giles was established in 1120 indicating that the parish extended further west at that time, presumably to encompass what would become the combined parish of St Giles and Bloomsbury. A charter of around 1000 shows the boundaries of the City being pushed west to their settled historic extent in around 1000, though this extramural area would have been very sparsely settled. The City’s wards take shape in the 11th century, before the Norman Conquest.Process, terms and sources described in detail in "London, 800-1216". Brooke and Keir, Chapter 7 The civil division of the parish is very ancient and predates the establishment of the parish in its settled form. In 1394 the Ward of Farringdon was subdivided into Farringdon Within and
Farringdon Without __NOTOC__ Farringdon Without is the most westerly Ward of the City of London, its suffix ''Without'' reflects its origin as lying beyond the City's former defensive walls. It was first established in 1394 to administer the suburbs west of Ludg ...
, with south-east Holborn part of the latter. The City Bars mark the boundary of the City of London within Holborn. In 1994 the City boundary shifted slightly to the junction of Chancery Lane and the Bars were moved accordingly.


Many Civil Parishes

It has been described how the two parts of the parish came under separate civil governance (though without any civil governance at parish level) according to whether the part was in the City or outside. From the Tudor period onwards new local government were introduced in England, and parish areas were obliged to take on civil as well as ecclesiastical responsibilities for the first time, this started with relief of the poor. The two parts became, for civil but not ecclesiastical purposes, two separate parishes known as ''St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars'' and ''St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars'', the ''Bars'' being the City boundary markers. The area "above Bars" (outside the city's jurisdiction) was organised by the vestry board of the parish of St Andrew. As well as Holborn's two main civil parishes, there were a number of extra-parochial areas, parts of the ecclesiastical parish of Holborn but formed their own (usually tiny) civil parish areas: *
Liberty of Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place was a liberty and from 1866 to 1930 a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was part of the ancient parish of St Andrew Holborn. The southern boundary was the street n ...
* Lincoln's Inn (excluding Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the combined parish of ''St Giles and Bloomsbury'') * Thavie's Inn *
Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn is a former Inn of Chancery in Holborn, London. It is now the home of Gresham College, an institution of higher learning established in 1597 that hosts public lectures. History Barnard's Inn dates back at least to the mid-thi ...
* Furnival's Inn * Gray's Inn * Staple Inn


Response to urbanisation

The St George the Martyr Queen Square area became a separate parish, for both civil and ecclesiastical matters, in 1723; but for civil matters was reunited with the part of St Andrew outside the City (''Above the Bars'') of London in 1767, to form St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr. The Holborn District was created in 1855, consisting of the civil parishes and extra-parochial places of Holborn outside the city; St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr,
Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place was a liberty and from 1866 to 1930 a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was part of the ancient parish of St Andrew Holborn. The southern boundary was the street no ...
, as well as two tiny units that were added from the
Finsbury Division The Finsbury Division was one of four divisions of the Hundred of Ossulstone, in the historic county of Middlesex, England. The area of the Finsbury Division is now the core of modern north London. The other divisions were named Holborn, Kensingto ...
:
Glasshouse Yard The Liberty of Glasshouse Yard was an extra-parochial liberty adjacent to the City of London. The liberty took its name from a glass manufacturing works established there. The area now forms part of the London Borough of Islington. Formation ...
and St Sepulchre, Middlesex. The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was created in 1900, consisting of the former area of the Holborn District and the St Giles District, but the small units previously part of the
Finsbury Division The Finsbury Division was one of four divisions of the Hundred of Ossulstone, in the historic county of Middlesex, England. The area of the Finsbury Division is now the core of modern north London. The other divisions were named Holborn, Kensingto ...
were instead included in the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn was abolished in 1965 and its area now forms part of the London Borough of Camden.


Latter history


Urban growth

The westward growth of London beyond the City Wall, and towards the seat of government in Westminster, took place along the banks of the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
and along the roads leading from Ludgate ( Fleet Street and The Strand) and Newgate (''Holborn'' and ''
High Holborn High Holborn ( ) 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 S ...
''). This growth, initially limited to
Farringdon Without __NOTOC__ Farringdon Without is the most westerly Ward of the City of London, its suffix ''Without'' reflects its origin as lying beyond the City's former defensive walls. It was first established in 1394 to administer the suburbs west of Ludg ...
(which includes a part of Holborn) was well underway in the 12th century, leading to the Ward being retrospectively described as the capital's original West End. In the 12th century St Andrew's was noted in local title deeds as lying on "Holburnestrate"—Holborn Street, but as the street leads from Roman Newgate, and the church was sited on it by the 10th century, it is probably considerably older. In 1394 the population had grown so large that the Ward of Farringdon had grown too large for effective governance and was formally divided into the separate Wards, (rather than separate named areas within the same Ward) in 1394. The westward growth towards Westminster accelerated in the Tudor period. The westerly ribbon development through the parish was complete before the Great Fire of 1666, with the displacement of people accelerating the development of the rest of the area. The northern fringe the last area to be developed, with this process finalised in the 18th century.


Medieval

St Etheldreda's Church, in gated Ely Place, was originally the chapel of the Bishop of Ely's London palace. This ecclesiastical connection allowed the street to remain part of the county of Cambridgeshire until the mid-1930s. This meant that
Ye Olde Mitre The Ye Olde Mitre is a Grade II listed public house at 1 Ely Court, Ely Place, Holborn, London EC1N 6SJ. It is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors The National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors is ...
, a pub located in a court hidden behind the buildings of the Place and the Garden, was licensed by the Cambridgeshire Magistrates. St Etheldreda's is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Britain, and one of two extant buildings in London dating back to the era of EdwardI.


Tudor and Stuart periods

Henry VII paid for the road to be paved in 1494 because the thoroughfare "was so deep and miry that many perils and hazards were thereby occasioned, as well to the king's carriages passing that way, as to those of his subjects". Criminals from the Tower and Newgate passed up Holborn on their way to be hanged at
Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and sout ...
or St Giles. Hatton Garden, the centre of the diamond trade, was leased to a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Christopher Hatton, at the insistence of the Queen to provide him with an income. The area was not damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666, though the area of destruction reached its south-eastern boundary.


Legal profession

Charles Dickens took up residence in Furnival's Inn (later the site of "
Holborn Bars Holborn Bars, also known as the Prudential Assurance Building is a large red terracotta Victorian building on the north side (138–142) of Holborn in Camden at the boundary of the City of London, England. The block is bounded by Holborn to ...
", the former Prudential building designed by Alfred Waterhouse). Dickens put his character "Pip", in '' Great Expectations'', in residence at
Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn is a former Inn of Chancery in Holborn, London. It is now the home of Gresham College, an institution of higher learning established in 1597 that hosts public lectures. History Barnard's Inn dates back at least to the mid-thi ...
opposite, now occupied by Gresham College. Staple Inn, notable as the promotional image for Old Holborn tobacco, is nearby. The three of these were Inns of Chancery. The most northerly of the Inns of Court, Gray's Inn, is off Holborn, as is Lincoln's Inn: the area has been associated with the legal professions since mediaeval times, and the name of the local militia (now Territorial Army unit, the Inns of Court & City Yeomanry) still reflects that. The unit is nicknamed the ''Devil's Own'', a name given by George III, not due to ferocity in battle, but rather to his dislike of lawyers.


Historic points of interest

In the 18th century, Holborn was the location of the infamous
Mother Clap Margaret Clap (died c. 1726), better known as Mother Clap, ran a coffee house from 1724 to 1726 in Holborn, Middlesex, a short distance from the City of London. As well as running a molly house (an inn or tavern primarily frequented by homosexua ...
's molly house (meeting place for homosexual men). There were 22 inns or taverns recorded in the 1860s. The Holborn Empire, originally Weston's Music Hall, stood between 1857 and 1960, when it was pulled down after structural damage sustained in the Blitz. The theatre premièred one of the first full-length feature films in 1914, '' The World, the Flesh and the Devil'', a 50-minute melodrama filmed in Kinemacolor. Subsequently, the area diversified and become recognisable as the modern street. A plaque stands at number 120 commemorating Thomas Earnshaw's invention of the Marine chronometer, which facilitated long-distance travel. At the corner of Hatton Garden was the old family department store of Gamages. Until 1992, the London Weather Centre was located in the street. The Prudential insurance company relocated in 2002. The Daily Mirror offices used to be directly opposite it, but the site is now occupied by Sainsbury's head office. Behind the Prudential Building lies the Anglo-Catholic church of St Alban the Martyr.St Alban the Martyr
accessed 14 December 2013
Originally built in 1863 by architect William Butterfield, it was gutted during the Blitz but later reconstructed, retaining Butterfield's west front. On Holborn Circus lies the Church of St Andrew, an ancient
Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometim ...
Church that survived the Great Fire of London. However, the parochial authority decided to commission
Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churche ...
to rebuild it. Although the nave was destroyed in the Blitz, the reconstruction was faithful to Wren's original. Just to the west of the circus, but originally sited in the middle, is a large equestrian statue of Prince Albert by Charles Bacon, erected in 1874 as the city's official monument to him. It was presented by Charles Oppenheim, of the diamond trading company De Beers, whose headquarters is in nearby Charterhouse Street.


Geography

The district can best be described in reference to the ancient parish and the sub-divisions that succeeded it, however the area is not an administrative unit so contemporary perceptions of its extent can be vague and highly variable. In particular there are overlapping perceptions of the extent of the districts of Holborn, Bloomsbury and St Giles. One of the many factors in this, is a tendency to conflate the ''Holborn'' and ''High Holborn'' roads with the district. The now buried
River Fleet The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds an ...
formed the historic eastern boundary of the ancient parish of Holborn, a course now marked by
Farringdon Street Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, London. Route Farringdon Road is part of the A201 route connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle. It goes southeast from King's Cross, crossing Rosebery Avenue, then turns south, crossing Cl ...
,
Farringdon Road Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, London. Route Farringdon Road is part of the A201 route connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle. It goes southeast from King's Cross, crossing Rosebery Avenue, then turns south, crossing ...
and other streets. The northern boundary with St Pancras was formed by a tributary of the Fleet later known as Lamb’s Conduit. The area extends west from Farringdon Street, for three-quarters of a mile, roughly as far as Southampton Row and
Holborn tube station Holborn ( ) is a London Underground station in Holborn, Central London, located at the junction of High Holborn and Kingsway. It is served by the Central and Piccadilly lines. On the Central line the station is between Tottenham Court Road an ...
. The station was originally named ''Holborn (Kingsway)'' as it was on the junction of those two roads. Most of the area lies north of the eponymous road, rather than to the south.


Transport

The nearest London Underground stations are Chancery Lane and Holborn. The closest mainline railway station is City Thameslink. Holborn is served by bus routes 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 59, 68, 76, 91, 98, 168, 171, 188, 243, 341, 521, X68 and night routes N1, N8, N19, N38, N41, N55, N68 and N171.


Nearby areas

* Bloomsbury * Clerkenwell * Smithfield * Charing Cross *
Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...
* Covent Garden *
St. Giles Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly leg ...
* Piccadilly


Economy

In the early 21st century, Holborn has become the site of new offices and hotels. For example, the old neoclassical Pearl Assurance building near the junction with Kingsway was converted into a hotel in 1999. There has been a limited attempt by some commercial organisations to rebrand Holborn (and other nearby areas such as Bloomsbury) as "Midtown", on the grounds that it is notionally in the very middle of London, between the West End and the City, but this Americanisation has been widely criticised and not accepted or used by Londoners.


Representation

The MPs for the area are: * Keir Starmer MP, the Labour Party Member of Parliament for
Holborn and St Pancras Holborn and St Pancras () is a parliamentary constituency in Greater London that was created in 1983. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2015 by Sir Keir Starmer, the current Lead ...
, * Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for the
Cities of London and Westminster Cities of London and Westminster (also known as City of London and Westminster South from 1974 to 1997) is a constituency returning a single Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons in the United Kingdom Parliament. It is a borough co ...
, which includes the City of London portion of Holborn. The three ward councillors for
Holborn and Covent Garden Holborn and Covent Garden is a ward of the London borough of Camden, in the United Kingdom. As the name suggests, it covers the parts of Holborn and Covent Garden that lie in Camden; the eastern part of Holborn lies in the City of London and ...
, representing the London Borough of Camden part of the district are: * Cllr Julian Fulbrook, Cllr Sue Vincent and Cllr Awale Olad of the Labour Party. Holborn is represented in the London Assembly as part of
Barnet and Camden Barnet and Camden is a territorial constituency represented on the London Assembly by one assembly member (AM). The constituency was created in 2000 at the same time as the London Assembly and has elections every four years. It consists of the c ...
by: *
Andrew Dismore Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derive ...
, of the Labour Party.


Notable people

The following is a list of notable people who were born in or are significantly connected with Holborn. * John Barbirolli, conductor, was born in Southampton Row ( blue plaque on hotel his father managed). *
John William Bean John William Bean (1824 – 19 July 1882) was a British criminal and mental patient. He was most known for attempting to assassinate Queen Victoria with a gun loaded with paper and tobacco. Born a dwarf with a hunchback, Bean shot at the Queen b ...
(1824–1882), criminal, born in Holborn, attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria *
Thomas Chatterton Thomas Chatterton (20 November 1752 – 24 August 1770) was an English poet whose precocious talents ended in suicide at age 17. He was an influence on Romantic artists of the period such as Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Alth ...
(1752–1770), poet, was born in Bristol and died in a garret in Holborn at the age of 17. * Sir John Elley (1764–1899), a hero of the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
, was born to the owner of an eating-house in Furnival's Inn. * Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912), composer, born at 15 Theobalds Road; acclaimed especially for ''The Song of Hiawatha'' trilogy. * James Day (1850–1895), cricketer, was born in Holborn. * Charles Dickens lived in Doughty Street, where his house is now a museum. *
Rupert Farley Rupert Charles Farley (born 4 August 1957) is an English actor and voice artist. He has had various roles in movies such as ''From Hell'', ''The Young Poisoner's Handbook'', ''Shakespeare in Love'' and ''Mrs Brown''. He is probably best known f ...
, actor and voice actor, was born in Holborn. *
Naomi Lewis Naomi Lewis (3 September 1911 – 5 July 2009) was a British poet, essayist, literary critic, anthologist and reteller of stories for children. She is particularly noted for her translations of the Danish children's author, Hans Christian An ...
(1911–2009), advocate of animal rights, poet, children's author and teacher, lived in
Red Lion Square Red Lion Square is a small square in Holborn, London. The square was laid out in 1684 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources, the bodies of three regicides—Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Hen ...
1935–2009. *
Eric Morley Eric Douglas Morley (26 September 1918 – 9 November 2000) was a British TV host and the founder of the Miss World pageant and ''Come Dancing'' TV programme. His wife, Julia Morley, is now head of the pageant and his son Steve Douglas is one o ...
(1918–2000), founder of the Miss World pageant, was born in Holborn. *
Pedro Perera Pedro Ricardo Perera (1832 – 1915) was an English first-class cricketer. The son of the Spaniard Augurio Perera and his wife, Francisca, he was born at Holborn in 1832. His father was a merchant who moved the family to Birmingham in 1836, whe ...
(1832–1915), first-class cricketer *
Frederico Perera Frederico Perera (sometimes erroneously written as Frederick Perera) (1836 – 1909) was an English first-class cricketer. The son of the Spaniard Augurio Perera and his wife, Francisca, he was born at Holborn in 1836. His father was a merchant ...
(1836–1909), first-class cricketer * Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823), novelist and pioneer of the Gothic novel, was born in Holborn. * John Shaw Jr. (1803–1870), architect, was born in Holborn; praised as a designer in the "Manner of Wren". * Barry Sheene (1950–2003), World Champion motorcycle racer, spent his early years in Holborn. * William Morris (1845–1896), artist and socialist, lived at 8
Red Lion Square Red Lion Square is a small square in Holborn, London. The square was laid out in 1684 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources, the bodies of three regicides—Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Hen ...
. * Matthew Ball, Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet lives there.


Gallery

File:J Sainsbury HQ 1.jpg, The headquarters of Sainsbury's at Holborn Circus File:Grange Holborn Hotel.jpg, Grange Holborn Hotel File:High Holborn 1.jpg,
High Holborn High Holborn ( ) 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 S ...
File:Gray's Inn entrance.jpg, Entrance to Gray's Inn File:Royal Fusiliers memorial.JPG,
Royal London Fusiliers Monument The Royal Fusiliers War Memorial is a memorial in London, dedicated to the members of the Royal Fusiliers killed in the World Wars, Russian Civil War and subsequent conflicts, along with members of a number of London Regiment battalions kille ...
on Holborn, dedicated to those who died in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...


See also

* Holborn Circus *


Notes

*a. Pronunciation: The authoritative BBC pronunciation unit recommends " ˈhəʊbə(r)n" but allows "sometimes also hohl-buhrn". The organisation's less formal ''Pronouncing British Placenames'' notes, "You'll occasionally find towns where nobody can agree.... Holborn in central London has for many years been pronounced 'hoe-bun', but having so few local residents to preserve this, it's rapidly changing to a more natural 'hol-burn'". However, ''Modern British and American English pronunciation'' (2008) cites "Holborn" as one of its examples of a common word where the "l" is silent. The popular tourist guide ''The Rough Guide to Britain'' sticks to the traditional form, with neither "l" nor "r": .


References


External links


Holborn and Bloomsbury
by Sir Walter Besant and Geraldine Edith Mitton, 1903, from Project Gutenberg {{Authority control Districts of the London Borough of Camden Districts of the City of London