Did you know that...
The name of Holborn was mentioned in a charter of Westminster Abbey for the first time in 959. It referred to the area’s name as “the old wooden church of St Andrew”, which was located in Holborn. According to one version of the origin of the name, it may be derived from the Middle English “hol” for hollow, and “bourne”, a brook, which refers to the nearby River Fleet.
In the 19th century, there were over 22 inns or taverns there. In addition, in 1857 Weston’s Music Hall was constructed, later known as The Holborn Empire. In 1914, this theatre premièred a silent drama film, The World, the Flesh and the Devil, which was actually the first full-length feature film.
The list of notable residents includes: The greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Charles Dickens, 1812 – 1870. He lived in Doughty Street and, today, his house is a museum.
Composer, mostly acclaimed for The Song of Hiawatha trilogy, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1875 – 1912. Children’s author and teacher, poet, and advocate of animal rights, Naomi Lewis, 1911 – 2009. World Champion motorcycle racer, Barry Sheene, 1950 – 2003.