Ely Place: The Private Street Where London's Law Doesn't Apply

Ely Place in London is a private gated street that has operated outside normal city jurisdiction since 1290 as an independent estate of the Bishops of Ely. Managed under an 1842 Act of Parliament, its beadle still locks the gates every night at 10 PM. The street also houses Ye Olde Mitre pub, built in 1546, which contains a preserved tree trunk linked to Queen Elizabeth I.

London Β· from the walk β€œLondon Through the Eyes of a Black Cab Driver” Β· audio ~3 min Β· Generated

Ely Place, London EC1N 6RY

Why is Ely Place in London an independent private street?

Right, pull up a seat for this one, because we're standing outside one of the strangest little streets in London... and most cabbies will tell you it's their Favourite piece of trivia to drop on a fare.......... See that gatehouse? See those gates? This is Ely Place. And here's the thing... London's law doesn't quite work the same on the other side.......... This land has been separate from the rest of London since twelve ninety, when it became the official residence of the Bishops of Ely. In medieval times, the estate spanned about fifty eight acres... gardens, orchards, buildings... all of it outside the City's jurisdiction, functioning as an independent ecclesiastical estate.......... Now every cabbie knows the legend. The oft-repeated tale is that for many years, the police could not lawfully enter Ely Place to arrest suspected criminals. Because of this quirky situation, criminals would supposedly hide out here to avoid capture. The truth? As we approach the middle of the nineteenth century, reports appear of police chasing suspects into Ely Place without hesitation... a suspect was convicted at the Old Bailey in eighteen forty eight after being arrested right here. So the story's a bit of a legend. But here's what IS real............ A local Act of Parliament from eighteen forty two established a body of commissioners for paving, lighting, Watching, cleansing and improving Ely Place. They still retain their watching duties, with a beadle discharging them to this day. They shut the gates at ten PM each night from that little gatehouse.......... And here's a detail that'll make you smile. Until the late nineteen sixties, the beadles would announce the time and weather on an Hourly basis, from seven AM until ten PM. But the practice was stopped after complaints about the noise they were making!......... Now, tucked down a narrow alley off this street is what every London cabbie considers the city's best kept secret... Ye Olde Mitre. Built in fifteen forty six for the servants of the Bishops of Ely. Step inside, and in the corner of the front bar, you'll spot something odd... a tree trunk, sealed behind glass. The story goes that it's the remnant of a cherry tree marking the boundary between Hatton's property and the bishop's. That tree stump is said to be the very one Queen Elizabeth the First danced around with her courtier, and rumoured lover, Sir Christopher Hatton. Hatton was known as a passionate dancer... his nickname was "The Dancing Chancellor!"

...... And That man... he gave his name to Hatton Garden, which occupies part of this very site... London's diamond quarter, right next door. All because a queen fancied a man who could dance.......... Even Shakespeare wrote about this place. In Richard the Third, Gloucester tells the Bishop: "My Lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there." Those gardens were said to produce the finest strawberries in all of London.......... So next time you're in a black cab and the driver points down a quiet cul-de-sac near Holborn... you'll know. This isn't just a street. It's seven hundred years of London being gloriously, Stubbornly odd.

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