This post deals with the second section of St John Street – from Clerkenwell Road to the junction with Skinner Street and Percival Street.
The west side of the street going north
When Clerkenwell Road was constructed in the 1860s, much of the densely-packed slum housing in the area was swept away. Instead of providing housing for the displaced, the authorities handed the land over to developers for commercial buildings. The only sop to the homeless was Mallory Buildings at Nos. 115 – 121 St John Street. This was put up by the London County Council in 1906 to replace some of the lost housing. It is built in a style known as “English Domestic” idiom, which is not particularly impressive looking. Mallory Buildings was named after one of the former priors of the mediaeval Priory of St John, many of whose remains were uncovered when the building was constructed.
Nos. 145 – 157 is a 1970s showroom and offices.
Nos. 159 – 173, together with buildings in Aylesbury Street and Jerusalem Passage, were originally the factory of E Pollard & Co Ltd, who had a big shop-fitting business and made up shopfronts and internal shop fittings in this factory. The main building on the corner of Jerusalem Passage and Aylesbury Street was completed in 1919, and the others were built as needed, into the 1930s. Pollard’s big thing was ‘invisible glass’ for shopfronts. This used concave glass panels so that passers-by could see right into the premises, even in strong sunlight, without reflections. There’s still a set of these windows in Simpsons of Piccadilly, which is now Waterstones. The buildings are now offices and other business premises.
The land from Aylesbury Street to Skinner Street used to belong to the Sekforde charity. The former Nicholsons distillery occupied most of this part of the street. This was the gin distillery of J and W Nicholson, which was built in the 19th century and finally closed in the 1950s. Nicholsons estate was converted into apartments in the 1990s by Bellway Homes and renamed St Paul’s Square. They kept most of the original buildings and constructed two new blocks.
Nos. 175 – 179 St John Street on the corner of Aylesbury Street was a factory or warehouse built in 1931.
Three old houses survive at Nos. 181 – 185 St John Street. Nos. 213 – 219 St John Street, called Sekforde Court, is an office development of the 1980s.
No. 221 St John Street is the former Golden Anchor public house built in 1828.
Nos. 223 – 227 St John Street is the former warehouse and showroom of the Ingersoll Watch Co Ltd, built between the First and Second World Wars. In the 1950s it was occupied by Condé Nast as a pattern factory. In 1996 it was converted to flats and named Pattern House.
The east side of the street heading south
No. 238 – 240 St John Street was built in 1890 as the George and Dragon public house and coffee tavern, which was converted in the 1990s to the Peasant, one of London’s first gastro pubs.
Nos. 224 – 232 St John Street was a factory built by Scholl Manufacturing Co in 1958. It was originally faced in ‘semi-rustic’ bricks, but when it was refurbished for a computer company the building was completely re-done in white render and dark glass.
Walmsley Building, No. 213 – 222 St John Street is a converted industrial building now occupied by the City University. Paramount House, Nos. 206 – 212 St John Street, was a factory-warehouse built in 1938, and also occupied by Scholl at one time. It was converted into apartments in the 1990s.
No. 198 St John Street is made up of a number of buildings created over time between 1910 and 1939. Nos. 190 to 194 St John Street were the earliest buildings, constructed in 1910 for the United Yeast Co, which also acquired and rebuilt No. 188 St John Street in 1919, adding a rooftop canteen in 1925–6. Nos. 182 – 186 St John Street, called Pioneer House, was built in 1913 and originally occupied by manufacturers of watch parts. Scholl Manufacturing Co bought the United Yeast building in 1930, and later expanded into Pioneer House. Then in 1939 they rebuilt Nos. 196 – 204 St John Street. The building was converted into loft style apartments in the late 1990’s. It is now just 198 St John Street.
Nos. 182 – 204 St John Street was the London headquarters of Scholl Manufacturing Co, who manufactured footcare and medical equipment. That’s a business which is still going today, although no longer in Clerkenwell. The building is now No. 186 St John Street.
A big chunk of this side of St John Street and land to the east was owned by the Cannon Brewery. It has all been converted into a flat and office scheme. I am not covering that in this post.
On the corner with Compton Street, No. 180 St John Street was originally the George public house, and No. 178 was built in 1901 as a home for the owner of the pub, H H Finch, whose carved name ‘badge’ has a prominent place on the façade.
No. 144 St John Street was the original home of the tobacco company, Lambert & Butler. It was built in the late 1830s. It was refurbished in 1931 as offices workshops and showrooms for an electroplating company. No. 146 St John Street was originally the Hope & Adze (later the Crown) public house built in 1803. It was adapted by a firm of electroplaters who added a two-storey workshop at the back in the 1890s. They were converted in 1996 into offices and live-work premises.
Nos. 140 – 142 St John Street is a commercial building constructed just before the Second World War.
No. 138 St John Street was built possibly as far back as the 18th century and occupied for many years by a pork butcher. The building was converted into a house and studio in the 1990s.
Nos. 132 – 136 St John Street was built in 1960 as a factory for Sheffield Smelting Co Ltd and was called Thessco House. The company had already been in the area – Berry Street – since the early 1800s, and their business was melting down precious metal and recovering precious metals from industrial waste and sweepings. It is commercial premises today, and renamed Bullion House in recognition of its history.
Then there are several Victorian houses from about the 1850s. No. 120 St John Street was originally the Priory Hotel. No. 122 St John Street has its original shopfront. Most houses around here were built as shophouses, with a shopfront and rooms above for living in. The oldest house is probably No. 128 St John Street which may have been 18th century originally.
The ornate building on the corner with St John Street was originally the ‘Criterion Hotel’. It was built in the 1870s by The Canon Brewery, which occupied a large part of St John Street north of Clerkenwell Road. In the 1960s it was taken over by the expanding watch trade of the time.
Hello John, thank you for this most interesting history. My Great-great-great grandfather, John Hickling, ran his business as a watchmaker from 122 St John Street. This is listed as his premises in a business directory from 1845. It’s fascinating to see that the building still stands today.