This is a list of the etymology of street names and principal buildings in the London districts of Clerkenwell and Finsbury, in the London Borough of Islington. The Clerkenwell/Finsbury area has no formally defined boundaries - those used here are: Pentonville Road to the north, Goswell Road to the east, Clerkenwell Road to the south and Gray's Inn Road to the west. Finsbury was traditionally roughly the northern part of the area covered here, however in practice the name is rarely used these days.
Several names are derived from the titles and properties of the Compton family, local landowners since the 17th century, earls and later marquesses of Northampton.
A-F Acton Street – after Acton Meadow which formerly occupied this siteFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p2 Agdon Street – Lord Northampton owned a property called Agdon in WarwickshireFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p3 Albemarle Way – after Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Albemarle, who lived at Newcastle House nearby in the 18th centuryFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p5 Ampton Place and Ampton Street – after its builder the 3rd Lord Calthorpe, who owned land at Ampton, SuffolkFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p238 Amwell Street – after the nearby New River, which starts at Great Amwell, HertfordshireFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p10 Archery Fields House, Wharton Street - after the historic use of the land Arlington Way – after Lord Arlington whose estates were inherited by the Dukes of Grafton; before 1936 called Arlington Street Ashby Street – Lord Northampton had a seat at Castle Ashby, NorthamptonshireFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p14 Attneave Street – thought to be named after A Attneave, local builder in the 1890sFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p16 Aylesbury Street – after the Earl of Aylesbury, who owned Clerkenwell Priory in the 17th century Back Hill – as it lies off (or to the 'back') of a main road Baker’s Row and Baker’s Yard – after Richard Baker, a local 18th century carpenterFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p18 Bath Yard - after the Marquess of Bath, who owned land locally Berry Place and Berry Street – after Thomas Berry, local early 19th century landownerFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p28 Bevin House and Bevin Way – after prominent Labour politician Ernest BevinFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p30 Bowling Green Lane – after the former Bowling Green House on this site, demolished 1933. The house had been built over an old bowling green which dated back to the 18th centuryFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p38 Brewhouse Yard – after a former brewery on this site Britannia Street – built in the 1760s and named to suggest patriotismFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p42 Cable House, Great Percy Street - after the Cable family, agents to the Lloyd Baker estate'Lloyd Baker Estate', in Survey of London: Volume 47, Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville, ed. Philip Temple (London, 2008), pp. 264-297. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol47/pp264-297 [accessed 23 September 2022]. Calthorpe Street – after Henry Gough-Calthorpe, 1st Baron Calthorpe, local 18th century landowner, and his descendants who developed the local street planFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p53-4 Catherine Griffiths Court – after Catherine Griffiths (1885–1988), a suffragette, founder of the Finsbury Women's Committee in the 1920s, and Mayor of Finsbury in 1960 Chadwell Street – after Chadwell Spring in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, source of the nearby New River, or possibly William Chadwell MylneFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p63 Charles Rowan House, Margery Street - originally built as police housing, named after Commissioner Sir Charles Rowan Claremont Close and Claremont Square – after the nearby Claremont Chapel on Pentonville Road (now the Crafts Council), which was named after Claremont, Surrey, the country house of the then-recently deceased Princess Charlotte of Wales Clerkenwell Close, Clerkenwell Green and Clerkenwell Road – from a local well (‘the Clerk’s well), which gave its name to the areaFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p74 Coldbath Square – after a former cold spring on this site that was used for medicinal purposes in the 17th – 18th centuriesFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p76 Coley Street - after Henry Coley, 17th century mathematician, who lived on Gray's Inn Road Compton Passage and Compton Street – after the Marquesses of Northampton, who owned land locallyFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p228 Corporation Row – after the former New Corporation Work House, built here in the 1660s; prior to this it was known as Cut Throat LaneFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p83 Crawford Passage – after Peter Crawford, landlord of a former pub here called the Pickled Egg; the passage was formerly Pickled Egg WalkFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p84 Cruickshank Street – after George Cruikshank, 19th century illustrator who lived on nearby Amwell StreetFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p88 Cubitt Street – after the prominent 19th century builder Thomas Cubitt, who built this street; it was formerly called Arthur Street Cumberland Gardens – probably in honour of the Duke of Cumberland; prior to 1929 this was Cumberland Terrace Cyrus Street – possibly after the Persian King of this name; prior to 1880 it was called King Street Dabbs Lane - names after Thomas Dabbs Dallington Street – after Robert Dallington, master of the Charterhouse in the 1620sFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p91 Earlom House, Fernsbury Street - named after the artist Richard Earlom Earlstoke Street – corruption of Erlestoke: local landowner Charles Compton, 1st Marquess of Northampton, married in 1787 Maria Smith, daughter of Joshua Smith MP, of Erlestoke Park, WiltshireFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p106 Easton Street – Lord Northampton owned property in Easton Maudit, NorthamptonshireFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p107 Edward Rudolf House - named after Edward Rudolf, founder of the Children's Society, whose head office was formerly here Elm Street – possibly for the former elm trees located here Exmouth Market – after Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, prominent 18th century Royal Navy AdmiralFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p114 Eyre Street Hill – after Henry Samuel Eyre, Master Gunmaker;www.eyre-estate.co.uk formerly called Little Bath Street Farringdon Lane and Farringdon Road – from Sir William de Faringdon,www.farringdonwithin.org 13th-century Alderman and Sheriff of LondonFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p118Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names (2000) Fernsbury Street – named in 1912 after an early variant of ‘Finsbury’, former name for this area Field Street – built over Battle Bridge Field,Fairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p119 or possibly after Peter Field, early 19th century builder Fleet Square – presumably as the river Fleet flowed near here Frederick Street – after local landowners the Barons Calthorpe, the 4th and 5th of whom were called FrederickFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p125 Friend Street – after George Friend, local scarlet-dyer who founded a free clinic nearby in 1780Fairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p126
G-L Garnault Mews and Garnault Street – after Samuel Garnault, 18th century treasurer of the New River CompanyFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p130 Gloucester Way – after Thomas Lloyd Baker, local landowner, who also owned Hardwicke Court in GloucesterFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p153 Goswell Place and Goswell Road – there is dispute over the origins of the name, with some sources claiming the road was named after a nearby garden called 'Goswelle' or 'Goderell' which belonged to Robert de Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk, whilst others state it derives from "God's Well", and the traditional pagan practice of well-worship. or else a former 'Gode Well' located here Gough Street – after Sir Richard Gough,www.calthorpe.co.uk wool merchant and local landowner in the early 18th centuryFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p138 Granville Square and Granville Street – after Granville Sharp, notable opponent of the slave trade; he was the uncle of Mary Sharp, who married local landowner Thomas Lloyd BakerFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p140 Gray's Inn Road – named after Lord Grey de Wilton's medieval townhouse which later became an inn of court leased to lawyers in the 16th century Great Sutton Street and Sutton Lane – after Thomas Sutton, who founded the nearby Charterhouse School in 1611 Green Terrace and Green Yard – possibly after the adjacent Spa Green, or instead John Greene, Clerk to the New River Company in the late 1600s Greenaway House, Fernsbury Street - after the illustrator Kate Greenaway who studied at Finsbury School of Art Gwynne Place and Gwynne House, Margery Street – after Nell Gwynne,www.dukeofstalbans.com mistress of Charles II, who lived near hereFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p147-48 Hardwick Mews and Hardwick Street – after Thomas Lloyd Baker, local landowner, who also owned Hardwicke Court in Gloucestershire Hayward’s Place – after James Hayward,www.londonremembers.com local 19th century landowner and ironmongerFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p156 Herbal Hill and Herbal Place – after a former herb garden near here belonging to the Bishops of Ely, former local landownersFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p158 Hermit Street – after a hermitage established here in 1511 by the Knights of Saint John of JerusalemFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p159 Holford Mews, Holdford Place and Holford Street – after the Holford family, who worked on the New River) scheme in the 18th centuryFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p161 Holsworthy Square – after the Prideaux family seat in Devon Ingle Mews and Inglebert Street – after William Inglebert, 17th century engineer who worked on the New River schemeFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p169 Jerusalem Passage – after the Knights of Saint John of JerusalemFairfield, S. The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins, p172 Joseph Trotter House - after a former Mayor of Finsbury