Holborn, Skinner Street and Snow Hill
Links
A Vision of Britain - The Vision of Britain site has masses of statistical data about almost everywhere in Britain. But there are also links to other sites, that have contemporary accounts and detailed histories of development. This link is to the excerpt on Hastings from the 1870-72 Imperial Gazeteer of England and Wales by John Marius Wilson. It gives a pretty comprehensive history and a picture of the town at the time our ancestors were there.
1066 online - This great site about things Sussex related, has a page with links to more pages, about Hastings and St. Leonards.
The Hastings Chronicle - a rather wonderful personal site on everything to do with the history of Hastings and St. Leonards. Lots of links too.
Curious Fox - Curious Fox is a sort of family history message board. It takes time to trawl through the entries, but if you're really stuck you could give it a go. This is the page for Hastings.
Gravelroots - old photographs
"Holborn is a continuation of Oxford-street, the link between east and west. It is a great thoroughfare, but its shops are not of such a class as would be expected from that circumstance. Holborn, in fact, suffers from being neither one thing nor the other. It is too far east for the fashionable world to come to it for their purchases; it is too far west for the business men of the City; consequently it contains few first-class shops or warehouses" (Charles Dickens).
An interesting comment, which sort of makes sense, although I suspect that it is a very long time since it was seen as a shopping area. To me it has always meant the city and offices, rather than shops. And a recent visit to London did not disabuse me of this notion. My great-grandfather, John Mollett, was, however, raised in Skinner Street (swept away by the building of the Holborn Viaduct), in a confectioner's shop owned and run by his father Robert. So shops were obviously there back then.
Robert Mollett 1783-1866
John Mollett
Ann Martin
Elizabeth Foster
Links
Holborn Voice - not anything to do with history - it's a magazine for people who live and work in Holborn, but good to see locals passionate about their area.
The Fascination of London: Holborn and Bloomsbury - a Project Gutenberg e-book by Sir Walter Besant and Geraldine Edith Mitton and published in 1903.
A Walk in History - a personal blog written by someone who works in Holborn. The blog consists of different walks that the author has made in and around Holborn with fascinating little titbits from history. Packed with information. It seems to ahve ceased in 2008 though.
Victorian London - a brief collection of bits and pieces about Holbourn
British History Online - From Old and New London, comes this 1878 detailed history of Holborn and Chancery Lane, building by building.
Discovering Holborn's Underground Lairs - an article from The Telegraph about Hoblorn's maze of tunnels, offices and institutions that lie underground.
BEE Midtown - free guided walks in the central city area
Patrick Baty - Patrick Baty is a specialist in old paint and on his website he has a fairly detailed history and examination of the Holborn Viaduct - obviously with emphasis on the paint.
