Hatton Garden UK - Online Shop Review

Since the 1870s, the Hatton Garden area has established its international reputation as London's Jewellery Quarter. It houses the London Diamond Centre, which is situated at 100 Hatton Garden and is where diamonds are 'fingerprinted'; the de Beers' diamond merchants are around the corner at Holborn Viaduct. During the 19th Century, John Matthey developed a gold and platinum business, with the trade in diamonds expanding dramatically following the Kimberley Diamond Rush.

However, Hatton Garden has not always been the centre of London's jewellery and diamond trade. Its history dates back to the 15th Century when Ely Palace in Holborn was the London residence of the Bishops of Ely.

The famous jewellery area of London takes its name from Sir Christopher Hatton (pictured left) who was born in 1540 and an English courtier who was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. He received offices, honours and lands, and acted as Elizabeth's spokesman in the House of Commons. He was knighted in 1578. Five years later, in 1583, Hatton built Holdenby Palace, the largest home in Elizabethan England, with 123 huge glass windows to specifically honour his beloved Queen.

Following the reformation, Elizabeth forced the Bishops of Ely to rent some of their land to Sir Christopher and the Palace grounds and thoroughfare (Ely Place) were duly granted to him. The annual rent for the Gatehouse was a red rose, ten stacks of hay, plus £10 for the grounds, which included an orchard. The name of the garden was changed to Hatton Garden and it is now the centre of the London diamond and jewellery trade. Sir Christopher Hatton died in 1591.

Between 1620 and 1624, the Spanish Embassy occupied the Palace; twenty years later, Ely Place was made a prison by the Long Parliament. It is now owned by the Crown and is therefore not subject to London's Mayor - indeed, it is not part of the City of London that surrounds it, somewhat like the Vatican. Interestingly, even the police cannot enter unless invited to do so by the Commissionaire.

Today, between 8 and 9 Hatton Garden, a narrow passageway leads to Ely Place. In this passageway is a public house called the Mitre Tavern, originally constructed in 1547 for the Palace's servants it has an old crooked streetlamp and a small sign in the shape of a Bishop's mitre to mark its site.

Both the Palace and the pub were demolished in 1772; however, the pub was soon rebuilt. A stone mitre, taken from the Palace Gatehouse, is built into the wall and is just visible underneath the tumbling ivy. The preserved trunk of a cherry tree, which originally marked the boundary of the diocese, is in the corner of the front bar and it is said that Elizabeth I danced the maypole around it. The tavern, like Ely Palace, is technically still part of Cambridgeshire.

It is not only jewellery and diamonds that Hatton Garden is remembered for. In 1881, Maxim invented the machine gun at number 57. Further along, on the corner of Cross Street, is the façade of an old charitable bluecoat school; designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1696, it has statues of the pupils on its frontage. Sadly, due to bomb damage, the interior has now been converted to office use.

Now, nearly 300 of the local businesses trading in Hatton Garden are in the jewellery trade and, with over 55 shops, the area represents the largest jewellery retail cluster in the UK. If you're looking for precious jewellery made to a long tradition of master craftsmen's skills, Hatton Garden in London is the place to buy it.

To visit the Hatton Garden UK online shop click here.