Walking from Farringdon to Goswell Road: what to see on the way

It is about 0.9 km from Farringdon to Goswell Road on foot, roughly 13 minutes walking. There are 11 stops along the way, each with its own story. The route runs along Clerkenwell Rd, Goswell Rd.

Streets on this route

• Clerkenwell Rd
• Goswell Rd

Stops along the way

1. 1. Farringdon Station – Where the Underground Began

   Farringdon Station, Cowcross Street, London EC1A 7BN

   You are standing at the birthplace of the world's underground railway revolution.

2. 2. Cowcross Street & the Cattle Ramps

   Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6BS

   Take a deep breath. Look at the cobblestones beneath your feet. This is Cowcross Street... and its name holds a secret that most people get wrong. You might assume it was named for cows crossing the road. But no.

3. 3. Smithfield Market – Blood, Stone & Victorian Grandeur

   Smithfield Market, West Smithfield, London EC1A 9PS

   Look around you. This grand Victorian building with its ornate iron arches, domed towers, and bronze dragons... is built on a foundation of Bone. The Romans were here first.

4. 4. Charterhouse Square – Plague Pit, Tudor Mansion, Black Death

   Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AH

   Look around you. This peaceful little square, with its iron railings and shady trees... you are standing on top of one of London's largest mass graves. In thirteen forty eight, the Black Death arrived in London.

5. 5. The London Charterhouse – From Monks to Thomas More to Almshouse

   The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AN

   You are standing on one of the most layered pieces of ground in all of London. Beneath the peaceful green of Charterhouse Square... lie the bones of thousands who perished in the Black Death.

6. 6. Hat & Feathers – The Oldest Building on Clerkenwell Road

   Hat and Feathers, 2 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5PP

   Look up at this extraordinary building on the corner. This is the Hat and Feathers... and it is a survivor. There has been a pub on this spot at the junction with Goswell Road since the seventeen eighties.

7. 7. The 'Central Bath' Building – A Swimming Pool That Became a Bicycle Factory

   2 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5PP

   Take a look at this distinctive curved building on the corner of Clerkenwell Road and Saint John Street.

8. 8. Goswell Road & the Pickwick Papers – Dickens Was Here

   Goswell Road, London EC1V 7ER

   Look around you. This ordinary London street... was once the most Famous address in English literature. You are standing on Goswell Road.

9. 9. Penny Bank Chambers – The Power of the Penny

   Penny Bank Chambers, 33 St John's Square, London EC1M 4AA

   Look up at this corner building and let the story sink in... because what you're standing in front of is not just bricks and terracotta.

10. 10. St John's Gate – Knights, Shakespeare & Hogarth's Father

    St John's Gate, St John's Lane, London EC1M 4DA

    Look at this stone archway straddling the lane ahead of you. ST John'S Gate... over five hundred years old, and still standing.

11. 11. St Peter's Italian Church – London's Little Italy Basilica

    St Peter's Italian Church, 136 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5DL

    Look at this elegant façade before you... those colourful mosaics, the statues of saints gazing down from their alcoves. This is Saint Peter's Italian Church, the spiritual heart of London's forgotten Little Italy.