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I have seen several explanations for the street’s name. In the 14th century, there were leather sellers who carried on business here. But according to the London Encyclopaedia, the name is probably not derived from them, but from ‘leveroun’, the old French word for greyhound – and they justify this seemingly unlikely connection by saying it was possibly the name of an inn. Another source says the street was named after a local merchant called Le Vrunelane, which over the centuries became Liver Lane and finally Leather Lane. I’m going with the leather sellers.
In the late 19th century Leather Lane was described as being “much infested with thieves beggars and Italian organ grinders”.
Leather Lane runs from Holborn to Clerkenwell Road. The first section, as far as Greville Street, is dominated by two Holborn buildings. On the western side is the former Prudential Building, Nos. 138 – 142 Holborn, also called Holborn Bars – not to be confused with the Tudor-looking building on the other side of Holborn which is also called Holborn Bars. Our Holborn Bars is an immense terracotta building in ‘Houses of Parliament’ Gothic style, started in 1876 and finished in 1906 – so it is Victorian/Edwardian. It was built for the Prudential Assurance Society, who still own it although it is now used for lavish entertainment. One small infamous claim to fame of the original building was that it had a separate entrance for women.
‘One Twenty’ is a big modern building in Holborn, with retail units on the ground floor under huge supporting pillars, and offices from first to ninth floors. (It also boasts 160 bicycle spaces, 160 lockers, and 16 showers, so that’s ten sweaty cyclists battling for each shower every morning.) The building was designed by Richard Seifert and Partners and built in 1979. The offices were given what the architects describe as a ‘light touch refurbishment’ in 2015 – a general sprucing up, maybe some flowers.
One architectural website politely refers to the refurbishment being carried out ‘without disturbing retail tenants’ (translation: none of the magic dust was sprinkled on their 1979 premises).
The Sir Christopher Hatton public house aptly takes its name from the Elizabethan magnate who owned most of the land in the Hatton Garden area in the late 16th century. He was rumoured to be a lover of Queen Elizabeth I as was everyone else.
Vesage Court, at No. 8a Leather Lane, is a modernist, concrete, high-rise building built in 1981. There are 14 floors, mostly residential (there are 194 flats in all). It was originally called the Gamages Development. Gamages was a department store – a Selfridges of its day – which traded on this site from 1878 until 1972. Given the history, they really should have kept the Gamages name. Who’s ever heard of a Vesage?
In its relatively short life, the pub now know as the Argyle has been the King of Diamonds and the Old Leather Bottle. It was named the Argyle in 2012. Argyle is Gaelic for country of the Gaels. Apparently, the proper spelling is ‘Argyll’ and you should reserve ‘Argyle’ for the traditional pattern of that name for pullovers – which is a diamond. So, maybe the name is a very sophisticated reference to the pub’s catchment area being the diamond district of London.
The odd-numbered properties are on the west side of Leather Lane.
Dorrington House, 9-15 Leather Lane
Nos. 17 – 19 Leather Lane
No. 21 Leather Lane
Nos. 23 – 25 Leather Lane
Nos. 27 – 29 Leather Lane
Balady at Nos. 39 – 41 Leather Lane serves Jewish-Moroccan food including falafel and sabich.
No. 43 Leather Lane contains a café on ground and basement floors and workshop space in the three upper floors.
Nos. 45 – 49 Leather Lane
No. 51 Leather Lane
Nos. 53 – 55 Leather Lane
No. 57 Leather Lane
Nos. 59 – 61 Leather Lane
Nos. 63 – 75 Leather Lane
No. 75 Leather Lane
Nos. 77 – 89 Leather Lane, north of Portpool Lane
No. 89 Leather Lane, north of Portpool Lane
Nos. 91 – 93 Leather Lane
Nos. 95 – 97 Leather Lane
Nos. 99 – 103 Leather Lane
The even-numbered properties in Leather Lane are on the east side of the street.
Nos. 14 – 16 Leather Lane was famous as the home of the Department For Coffee & Social Affairs, which opened here in 2010. Coffee-lovers flocked to Leather Lane for the Department’s special coffee. Now they have to flock to Carnaby Street.
The new occupiers of the premises are now carrying the coffee torch – sorry, temperature controlled infusion – but they have a name which you cannot guess how to pronounce from the shop sign without asking someone.
No. 18 Leather Lane
Tongue and Brisket at No. 24 – 26 Leather Lane – is a Jewish style delicatessen with a bit of cross-Atlantic New York deli attitude. It’s well known for its salt beef (brisket).
No. 6 St Cross Street also known as Johnson House which is on Hatton Garden.
No. 52 Long Lane on the corner with St Cross Street. Daddy Donkey on the ground floor serves contemporary Mexican street food.
Langdon House, 60 Leather Lane
Corner with Hatton Wall
No. 86 Leather Lane
The name is ‘Reid’s Buildings’ not – as everyone on the internet seems to call it – ‘Reid’s Building’. There’s a stone plaque to prove it. It also tells us that the building, sorry, buildings, were constructed in 1893. There are shops on the ground floor and three storeys of flats above (and a mansard roof conversion).
Strange name for a pub. I keep thinking of Dairylea cheese triangles. It’s a mid 19th century pub with green glazed tiles on the ground floor façade.
No. 96 Leather Lane
No. 98 – 100 Leather Lane
The Lever Building, 85 Clerkenwell Road, is a converted Victorian tobacco warehouse. You may spot the Tesco’s logo discreetly placed, but no supermarket. That is because it houses their digital division. The building was recently bought by Merseyside Pension Fund.
