|  Near
the top of the street named Hatton Garden you can
spot the plaque for Sir Hiram Maxim, the designer
of the machine gun, who had workshops here. Another plaque
for another inventor, the cinema pioneer Robert Paul,
can be found near the junction with St Cross Street.
The former chapel and parish school, now known as Wren
House, can be identified nearby with the statues of
charity school children standing at the first floor level.
Look out, too, for the vintage post boxes.
During
the nineteenth century Johnson Matthey developed their gold
and platinum business and the trade in diamonds expanded
dramatically following the Kimberley diamond rush. Since
the 1870's the Hatton Garden area has established its international
reputation as London's Jewellery Quarter.
Nearly 300 of the local businesses are in the jewellery
industry and over 30 shops represent the largest jewellery
retail cluster in the UK. Hatton Garden is the place
to buy precious jewellery made with a long tradition of
craftspeople skills. There is a sparkling selection of the
best in both traditional and contemporary designs that will
help to celebrate every important occasion in your life.
Take
a brief visit down Greville Street into Bleeding Heart
Yard which is the street of an unlikely Ingoldsby legend.
One night in 1626 Lady Elizabeth Hatton went dancing with
a mysterious stranger. Discovered the next morning, lying
on the cobblestones, was her body torn limb from limb, and
her still bleeding, throbbing heart. There are even rumours
of her ghost.
The yard is now home to the very fashionable Bleeding Heart
Restaurant with its French cuisine and over 400 different
wines - providing another good reason to celebrate in Hatton
Garden. Thee once famous garden was used to create an estate
of private housing development.
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