A cheeky visit to Hatten Garden last week – obviously wearing the vintage snake necklace!
When I first started writing this blog almost 2,5 years ago, one of the first things that I did was visit Hatton Garden, since I had heard that it was the centre of the UK diamond trade and the heart of London’s antique jewellery world. The other week I popped by there for work, which obviously was a great excuse to take some photos for you:
Hatton Garden, Jewellery Centre of London
What I didn’t know the first time that I visited, was that the area surrounding Hatton Garden has been the centre of London’s jewellery trade since medieval times! (1) In fact, the old City of London used to have specific quarters dedicated to various types of businesses, and the area around Hatton Garden sure hit the jackpot in my eyes, when it became a centre for jewellers and jewellery. Hatton Garden is located very close to Chancery Lane, and you can also get there on foot from Holborn tube station.
Diamonds, diamonds everywhere!
The history of Hatton Garden dates back to the 15th century, when the Bishops of Ely in London lived in Ely Place in Holborn. One of Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite courtiers, Sir Christopher Hatton, built Holdenby Palace, one of the largest palaces in the Tudor period (1485-1603), in 1583 as an honour to the Queen. She was mighty delighted about this and told the Bishop of Ely that he simply must rent a portion of his land to Hatton – although some say that the Queen actually granted Hatton the Bishop’s house, much to the Bishop’s displeasure! Hatton went on to (in a very humble way..!) renaming the Garden in the area after himself, and so Hatton Garden was born! (2)
Hatton Garden
Clerkenwell was at the time well known for watches and jewellery, but once the roads improved around Hatton Garden, craftsmen from Clerkenwell started populating this part of town as well. Gold and platinum were trades of the street and Hatton Garden became known as a cutting centre for Indian diamonds; and once the Kimberley Diamond Rush of South Africa took place in the late 19th century, South African diamonds also found their way to Hatton Garden. (2)
Who knows, maybe some of these diamonds were cut a long time ago in Hatton Garden? These beauties are from the exquisite collection of Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade
These days you can visit jewellery shops that specialise in traditional as well as contemporary designs in Hatton Garden, and it is definitely worth a visit as you can stroll down the streets and admire the most sparkling pieces of jewellery in the windows!
Sources:
Decades of Elegance 