VG&P

London design guide 2012

TAKE A WALK WITH
*Patrick Clayton-Malone
 
Clerkenwell
& Finsbury
 
I love London, and the Barbican Centre is a perfect place to begin your experience of it. The area around here is ideal for cyclists, so collect a bike at a Cycle Hire docking station if you fancy. Head down Long Lane, past the brilliant cafe Dose and the Rising Sun pub, then turn left into Cloth Fair, site of the church of St Bartholemew the Great and home to the late john Betieman. Turn right and walk through the Victorian splendour of the Smithfield Market.
Follow Cowcross Street past Farringdon station, and walk straight up Greville Street to Hatton Garden, heart of London's jewellery trade since the Middle Ages. Continue up the hill, turning right into Leather Lane's weekday market. When you hit Clerkenwell Road you'll find Magma bookshop, which is great for a browse of design titles.
Make your way to Exmouth Market along Rosebery Avenue. You could spend the better part of an afternoon in Exmouth Market, visiting shops and galleries, and having an excellent brunch at Caravan or something small at Morito, one of the capital's best tapas restaurants.
Rest a while at Rosoman Place Park, then continue down Northhampton Road and zigzag down Clerkenwell Close, past Clerkenwell Kitchen, the charming Peabody Trust estate and the vintage Horseshoe pub, through jerusalem Passage to St John's Square. The Modern Pantry is a hot lunch spot; together with the Zetter Townhouse Bar it's a welcome addition to this historic square.
Go east now, along Albermarle Way, over Stjohn Street to Great Sutton Street and Modus, a stalwart of Clerkenwell's Design District. The strip of Old Street past Goswell Road is coming up in the world. Check out Look Mum No Hands!, a brilliant cafe, bike workshop and meeting place. Retrace your steps back to Goswell Road and turn left. Eventually you'll come upon the landmark Golden Lane Estate. This postwar housing project was designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, architects of the Barbican, which is just a few metres south. Now you've come full circle ... in more ways than one.