I recently wrote about our complete interior design makeover in Clerkenwell, in the City of London.
The area isn’t new to us of course – we’ve completed several projects nearby and in the City of London, including an interior refurbishment in Farringdon just around the corner, and a couple of interior design projects in the City of London’s Barbican Estate too. And we have many suppliers around Clerkenwell of course, not just on Clerkenwell Road but also around St John Street, Smithfields and Goswell Road.
What often strikes me about London though is how it’s made up of so many small areas – pockets of streets, the feel of which can change so quickly.
So although we thought we knew Clerkenwell just as well, visiting over the last year or two and regularly meeting with the contractor during the works has shown us not just how the area can change in a few streets, but also how even individual streets retain unique characteristics.
Britton Street, pictured above, is a perfect example. This gorgeous London street retains many original properties, whose misaligned doors and windows show their age and resilience despite the development that has taken place all around them.
At the end of the street the local residents have worked with the council to reinvigorate the gardens of St John the Evangelist. This previously overlooked space is now a beautiful oasis amidst the historic streets and architecture, an oasis amidst the Clerkenwell streets and just a moment’s walk from Farringdon station.
It now serves the community as a peaceful and tranquil space to rest and enjoy nature, with beautiful planting, new accommodation for insect and bees, and with striking, abstract artworks subtly woven into the environment.
Just off Clerkenwell Green, and nestled between the architectural and design suppliers around St John Street on the east, and the transport hub of Farringdon on the other side, this is a beautiful area. Smart streets have retained smaller properties, homes and businesses. And the area around Clerkenwell Road is also home to the Sessions building and the trees and landscaping of Clerkenwell Green, pictured above.
It’s a beautiful area, and like Farringdon and Barbican nearby, it rewards heading off the beaten track – heading down a side street, getting a bit lost, and seeing something new and unexpected. We hope to have the chance to work again in this lovely part of the City of London soon.
