| From Waterhouse Square, at
the bottom turn into the narrow street, called Leather
Lane, which was mentioned in John Sow's survey of London
in 1598. The bustling street market has been here
for over 100 years and now serves the local workers at lunchtimes
on weekdays. Visitors are welcome to walk through the market
and join in the exciting hunt for bargains.
 At
the top of Leather Lane on Clerkenwell Road, look around
for the signs at the Italian Quarter - the wine shop,
the food store and the driving school. The Italian Church
of St Peter was opened in 1863 and still draws its congregation
from all over London. Each July there is an annual procession,
which first started in 1883, to celebrate the Feast of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel. Plaques to commemorate Giuseppe
Mazzini, the Italian patriot, are across the road at
Laystall Street and also at the far end of Hatton Garden.
It is hard to believe now that this area was once famous
for its gardens; one can see the clues in the street names
of Vine Hill and Saffron Hill. John Gerdard, who
published his famous Herball in 1597, also had a Holborn
garden.
The
historical background of the Hatton Garden area is part
of our national heritage. The land was owned by the Bishop
of Ely who was so powerful within the church the state
that he needed a palace, chapel and grounds in central London.
Elizabeth 1 admired and promoted a handsome courtier
who was a fine dancer. In 1576 Christopher Hatton,
seeking somewhere to live, asked the Queen to give him a
house with grounds in Ely Palace. The Bishop did not have
a say in the matter and Elizabeth 1 granted Hatton a lease,
fixing his rent at £10 pa, 10 loads of hay... and
a rose at midsummer! Hatton was knighted in 1577 he became
Lord Chancellor in 1587. In the mid-seventeenth century,
the once famous garden was used to create an estate of streets
and houses.
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