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Cloth Fair

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Cloth Fair is a street in the City of London where, in medieval times, merchants gathered to buy and sell fabric during the Bartholomew Fair. Today, it is a short residential street to the east of Smithfield in the north-western part of the city and is located in the ward of Farringdon Within.

Key Information

Other
The oldest residential dwelling in London (numbers 41 and 42)
Interactive map of Cloth Fair
Type	Residential street
Length	150 yards
Postal code	EC1
Nearest Tube station	Barbican
Coordinates	51°31′7.92″N 0°05′58.77″W / 51.5188667°N 0.0996583°W / 51.5188667; -0.0996583
Southwest end	Little Britain
Northeast end	Middle Street
Known for	Medieval cloth market

The street runs southwest to northeast from Little Britain, parallel to Long Lane to the north and bordered by the Anglican church^[1] of St. Bartholomew-the-Great^[2] to the south, until it merges with Middle Street some 150 yards later.^[3]

Blue plaque marking the entrance to John Betjeman's home in Cloth Court off Cloth Fair

The street was originally within the precincts of the Priory of St. Bartholomew's, and until 1910 formed a separate liberty, with gates that were shut at night. Such a small area could not meet the demands of installing street lighting and sewers, and rejoined the city. The area has a long history,^[4] a varied past^[5] and strong literary tradition.^[6]

It contains within its boundaries the oldest residential dwelling in London (numbers 41 and 42),^[7] and a pair of properties administered by the Landmark Trust.^[8]^[9] One of them (number 43) is the former home of English poet John Betjeman; its door is in Cloth Court off Cloth Fair.^[10] A restaurant on the ground floor on Cloth Fair for a time took his name.^[11]

The City Music Foundation is based in Church House in Cloth Fair.^[12]

The nearest London Underground station is Barbican (Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines) and the closest mainline railway station is Farringdon.

References

[edit]

^ Parish website
^ "18 views of the Ancient Priory Church of St Bartholemew the Great" (15th Edition, rev) Webb, E.A. (Freeman Dovaston London, 1922)
^ Based on measurement using Ordnance Survey (1:2500) 1940 L.C.C revision Sheet 62
^ History of Smithfields Archived 21 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ 18th Century Crime Scene Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
^ It was immortalised in a story in The Gentleman's Magazine(Details of Publication^{[permanent dead link]}) illustrated by Phiz
^ "City of London: A History" Borer, M.A. (Constable & Co Ltd, London, 1977) ISBN 0-09-461880-1
^ 43 Cloth Fair
^ 45a Cloth Fair
^ "John Betjeman" Hillier, B. (John Murray, London,2007) ISBN 978-0-7195-6444-4
^ Betjeman’s Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ "About City Music Foundation". City Music Foundation. Retrieved 29 February 2020.

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Cloth Fair is a historic street located in the Smithfield area of the City of London, deriving its name from the medieval cloth trade that flourished during the annual Bartholomew Fair held nearby from 1133 until 1855.^[1] The Bartholomew Fair, originally chartered by King Henry I in 1133 as a three-day event on St. Bartholomew's Eve (August 23) to support the Priory of St Bartholomew, began as a cloth market in the priory's churchyard but evolved into a major commercial and entertainment spectacle attracting merchants, performers, and crowds from across England.^[1] By the 14th century, the fair had expanded beyond its initial focus on textiles to include diverse goods, booths, and amusements such as acrobats, wild animals, and early mechanical rides, while also serving as a site for public executions, including that of William Wallace in 1305.^[1] The fair endured historical disruptions like the Black Death, plague outbreaks, and the Great Fire of London in 1666—during which it was briefly suspended—but persisted until its final iteration on September 3, 1855, amid declining trade and urban reforms.^[1]^[2] Today, Cloth Fair remains a quiet residential enclave amid the bustling City, preserving remnants of its Tudor-era past, most notably 41-42 Cloth Fair, a timber-framed house constructed between 1597 and 1614 as part of a block of eleven courtyard dwellings known as "The Square in Launders Green."^[3] This structure is the only surviving example from that development and the oldest house in the City of London, having miraculously escaped destruction in the Great Fire of 1666 due to the protective walls of the adjacent St. Bartholomew's Hospital.^[3] Other notable buildings include 45a Cloth Fair, a restored 17th-century property now managed by the Landmark Trust, which highlights the street's architectural heritage tied to the fair's legacy.^[4] The area continues to evoke its medieval roots, with occasional modern commemorations, such as the 2023 restaging of the fair for the 900th anniversary of the priory's founding, underscoring Cloth Fair's enduring cultural significance.^[1]

History

Medieval Origins

The Bartholomew Fair was established in 1133 when King Henry I granted a charter to Prior Rahere, founder of St. Bartholomew's Priory in Smithfield, authorizing an annual fair to commence on the eve of St. Bartholomew's Day (August 24) and last for three days.^[5]^[6] Rahere, a former court minstrel who had vowed to build the priory after recovering from illness, intended the event to generate revenue for the religious house and its attached hospital, initially serving as a general market for diverse goods just outside London's city walls.^[5]^[6] Over the subsequent decades, the fair expanded under the priory's oversight, with temporary booths erected in the churchyard and surrounding precincts to accommodate growing crowds of traders and visitors.^[5] From the early 13th century, cloth merchants increasingly dominated the proceedings, transforming the area into a specialized trading hub that lent its name to the street now known as Cloth Fair.^[5] Drapers and clothiers from across England gathered annually to buy and sell woolen fabrics, setting up stalls under the priory's jurisdiction, where a court of piepowder resolved disputes over weights, measures, and contracts to ensure orderly commerce.^[7]^[5] The priory's canons collected tolls and fees, using the proceeds to maintain their institutions, while the fair's location in Smithfield—open fields ideal for large assemblies—facilitated the influx of participants from London and beyond.^[5] Key medieval developments included royal confirmations that bolstered the fair's status, such as Henry II's charter around 1173 reaffirming its privileges and Henry III's grant in 1253 extending protections against external interference.^[5] Contemporary accounts describe vibrant scenes of cloth stalls laden with dyed woolens, kerseys, and broadcloths, drawn by merchants including international traders from Flanders, known for fine linens, and Italy, bringing silks and dyes in exchange for English exports.^[8]^[5] These gatherings underscored the fair's role in integrating local artisans with continental networks, with regulations like the assize of cloth enforcing quality standards to prevent fraud.^[8] By the 14th century, Bartholomew Fair had emerged as England's premier cloth market, central to the wool trade that fueled medieval prosperity and rivaling continental events in scale.^[6]^[5] It handled substantial annual volumes of woolen cloth, estimated in the thousands of pounds, generating vital income for the priory—such as over £65 in a single year by the late medieval period—and stimulating London's economy through taxes, employment, and the distribution of raw materials to weavers and dyers nationwide.^[5] This economic dominance solidified Cloth Fair's reputation as a cornerstone of English textile commerce during the Middle Ages.^[6]

Post-Fire Developments

The Great Fire of London in 1666 devastated much of the City, including areas near Smithfield, but Cloth Fair largely escaped destruction due to its position outside the old city walls and the protective enclosure of the former priory boundaries, which halted the flames' advance. While most structures in the vicinity were razed, the survival of some peripheral buildings, such as those on the street's edges, allowed for a relatively intact core amid the widespread ruin. Rebuilding efforts in the Smithfield area followed the broader City-wide reconstruction overseen by figures like Christopher Wren, whose plans advocated for wider streets and more uniform brick facades to prevent future fires, though Cloth Fair's narrow medieval layout persisted with only minor adjustments to align with these safety-oriented designs.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] By the 18th century, Cloth Fair's role as a commercial hub began to wane as the Bartholomew Fair faced increasing competition from emerging markets elsewhere in London and the relocation of the cloth trade to other regions, diminishing its economic prominence. The fair, once a major textile exchange, shortened to just three days amid complaints of disorder, shifting emphasis toward entertainment over trade and prompting gradual regulatory restrictions by City authorities. Surviving pre-fire timber-framed houses, such as Nos. 39-45, were re-faced with brick to meet evolving building standards, while the street increasingly accommodated residential occupants alongside fading commercial activities by the mid-1700s.^[1]^[11] In the 19th century, proximity to the expanding Smithfield Market introduced industrial influences, with Cloth Fair developing into a cluster of Victorian-era tenements housing workers amid the area's meat trade bustle. The 1855 suppression of Bartholomew Fair by the City of London Corporation, citing rampant debauchery and public disorder, further eroded the street's market functions, confining remaining trade to sporadic drapery and haberdashery shops. Sanitary reforms, spurred by the 1848 Public Health Act and subsequent investigations into London's slums, targeted the overcrowded alleys around Cloth Fair in the 1840s and beyond, leading to clearances that widened passages and demolished ramshackle structures to combat disease and improve ventilation.^[13]^[1]^[14]^[11]

Modern Preservation

During World War II, Cloth Fair endured threats from the Blitz, with intense bombing in the adjacent Smithfield area during 1940–1941 causing widespread destruction to nearby structures, though the street's core historic buildings remained largely intact.^[15]^[16] Post-war reconstruction efforts in the City of London prioritized renewal of heavily bombed sites, but spared much of Cloth Fair to retain its surviving historic fabric amid broader urban redevelopment.^[17] The 1960s–1970s Barbican redevelopment, initiated in 1965 and spanning over a decade, rebuilt the surrounding devastated landscape into a modern estate of residential towers, cultural venues, and green spaces, effectively isolating Cloth Fair as a preserved enclave of timber-framed and Georgian-era architecture.^[18] This isolation was reinforced by protective measures under the City of London's early conservation framework, including the 1971 designation of the St Bartholomew’s Conservation Area, which encompassed Cloth Fair and mandated the safeguarding of its medieval-derived streetscape and listed buildings.^[19] In the 21st century, preservation has advanced through targeted restorations, notably by the Landmark Trust, which acquired properties at Nos. 39–45 Cloth Fair in 1970 and undertook sympathetic refurbishments in the 1970s and 1980s, including structural reinforcements, roof repairs, and reinstatement of period features, with continued upgrades into recent years.^[11] Cloth Fair forms an integral part of the Smithfield Conservation Area, re-designated in 1991 with updated management strategies in 2012 to balance heritage protection against modern pressures like infill development.^[19] Contemporary challenges encompass rising tourism, which draws visitors to explore the street's links to Smithfield Market, alongside the imperative for climate adaptation strategies to protect vulnerable historic materials from rising humidity and extreme weather.^[19]

Location and Layout

Geographical Position

Cloth Fair is a short residential street in the north-western part of the City of London, within the Farringdon Within ward of the historic Square Mile. It runs east-west from its western terminus at West Smithfield to the north side of the church of St. Bartholomew-the-Great. The street falls within the EC1A 7JQ postcode and has approximate coordinates of 51°31'8"N, 0°6'0"W.^[5]^[20]^[21] The street is immediately adjacent to Smithfield Market to the south and the Barbican Centre to the north, with connections eastward toward Newgate Street. Its narrow configuration contributes to an intimate, alley-like atmosphere amid the surrounding urban density.^[4] Accessibility to Cloth Fair is facilitated by its central position, with the nearest Underground stations at Farringdon (approximately 0.3 miles away) and Barbican (0.2 miles away), allowing easy pedestrian approach.^[22]^[23]

Street Features

Cloth Fair is a narrow pedestrian street in the Smithfield area of the City of London, characterized by its tight urban grain and irregular medieval alignments that trace back to the layout of the historic Bartholomew Fair booths east of St Bartholomew-the-Great church.^[19] The street features a cohesive, modest scale at its western end, with compact building plots originating from developments between 1590 and 1614, creating a sense of enclosed historic intimacy.^[19] A series of irregular alleys and courts branch off and link parallel east-west routes, remnants of the area's dense medieval street network, though many have been lost or altered over time.^[19] Modern enhancements include late-20th-century structures such as No. 25 Cloth Fair with its glazed façade and Nos. 24-37, which are red-brick houses featuring oriel windows that harmonize with the surrounding historic fabric.^[19] Cast-iron bollards, typical of City of London public realm design, line parts of the street to manage pedestrian flow, though some have been identified as obstructive and subject to removal proposals in recent years. Subtle landscaping elements, including mature trees and iron railings around the adjacent churchyard, contribute to the street's tranquil setting, while shopfronts maintain traditional painted timber designs with minimal, non-illuminated signage to preserve the conservation area's character.^[19] The street exudes a quiet, residential atmosphere that contrasts with the adjacent bustle of Smithfield Market, offering a haven of calm enhanced by reduced traffic and proximity to green spaces like the St Bartholomew-the-Great churchyard.^[19] Historically, 19th-century Ordnance Survey maps and photographs depict Cloth Fair as densely packed with timber-framed houses, a configuration that persisted until early-20th-century clearances for public health improvements and to better frame the church, resulting in today's more open spaces.^[19]

Architecture and Notable Buildings

41 Cloth Fair

41 and 42 Cloth Fair is a rare surviving example of early 17th-century domestic architecture in the City of London, constructed as part of a terrace of eleven timber-framed houses built between 1597 and 1614 on land formerly belonging to St Bartholomew's Priory.^[16] The building was developed by Robert and Henry Rich, grandsons of the priory's last prior, Richard Richmond, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries.^[16] Erected in the Tudor style, it stands three storeys high with an attic, featuring oak timbers and jettied upper storeys that project outward, a common feature in pre-Fire London housing to maximize space over narrow streets.^[3] The structure's red brick facade includes pairs of two-storey timber bay windows with casement glazing, brick storey bands separating the levels, and a timber eaves cornice supporting a hipped tiled roof with a boarded gable.^[24] The house remarkably survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, which devastated much of the surrounding area, likely due to its location just beyond the fire's eastern extent at Pye Corner and the protective high walls of the former priory that contained the blaze.^[16] Internally, it retains significant original features, including a 17th-century staircase rising from the second floor to the attic and fine panelled rooms with early woodwork, one of which features painted panelling on the first floor.^[24] These elements highlight its historical authenticity, though the building underwent sensitive restoration in 1930 by the architectural partnership of Seeley and Paget, who employed archaeologically informed methods to preserve its pre-Fire character.^[24] Ownership of 41 and 42 Cloth Fair passed through various hands over the centuries, including merchants and lessees such as William Chapman, who operated an alehouse there in the 17th century.^[16] In 1930, architects John Seely and Paul Paget purchased and restored the property for £3,000, using it as both a home and office; Seely died in 1963, and Paget continued to use it until his death in 1990.^[16]^[3] Neighboring properties 43-45 were sold to the Landmark Trust in 1970 for preservation as holiday rentals. Following Paget's death, 41-42 was sold privately and underwent further renovation in 1995; as of 2022, it remains a private residence.^[25] Today, the building is Grade II* listed, recognizing its exceptional architectural and historical importance.^[24] Despite its prominence, 41 and 42 Cloth Fair is often erroneously described as the oldest house in the City of London, a claim disputed by structures like St Bartholomew's Gatehouse (c. 1595); while parts of the terrace date to the late 16th century, some elements may reflect later repairs or reconstructions.^[16]

Other Historic Structures

At 45a Cloth Fair stands a Georgian-style townhouse with an original timber frame dating to around 1600, later encased in brick during the 18th century to give it a classic facade typical of the period.^[26] Acquired by the Landmark Trust in 1970 and extensively restored in 1986, the property features preserved period interiors such as paneled rooms and original wooden elements, with the upper floors retaining features like a reprinted William Morris Acorn wallpaper in the sitting room.^[26] Today, it serves as holiday accommodation managed by the Landmark Trust, sleeping up to four guests and hosting events that highlight its historical character.^[4] Adjoining the prominent Tudor core at 41-42 Cloth Fair are 18th-century extensions that include brick re-facings and sash windows, reflecting post-Great Fire of 1666 rebuilds that modernized the original late-16th-century timber structures while preserving their essential form.^[11] These additions, completed in the Georgian era, feature characteristic brickwork and glazing that blend seamlessly with the street's historic aesthetic, contributing to the row's cohesive appearance despite the underlying medieval and Tudor origins.^[11] The eastern end of Cloth Fair integrates with the precincts of St. Bartholomew-the-Great, London's oldest surviving parish church founded as a 12th-century priory, where boundary walls and remnants of the monastic enclosure define the street's edge. Visible stone arches from the 13th to 14th centuries, part of the priory's original fabric, mark this transition and underscore the area's continuous ecclesiastical presence since the Norman period. Several 19th-century structures along Cloth Fair, including warehouses used for cloth storage tied to the street's mercantile past, were demolished in the early 20th century as part of slum clearance efforts by the City of London Corporation, with many buildings condemned by 1914 and razed by 1917.^[27] These sites were later filled with modern infill developments in the 1970s, including office and residential buildings that contrast with the surviving historic row while respecting conservation guidelines.^[11]

Cultural Significance

Link to Bartholomew Fair

Cloth Fair's historical significance is inextricably linked to the Bartholomew Fair, which was chartered in 1133 to the prior of St. Bartholomew's Priory and Hospital, founded by Rahere in 1123, to generate funds through pilgrimage and modest trade on the site's precincts.^[5] By the 13th century, the fair had evolved into England's premier cloth market, with Cloth Fair emerging as the central trading lane where drapers and allied guilds conducted business, later formalized under organizations like the Worshipful Company of Drapers, solidifying its role until the fair's zenith in the 1500s.^[5] This period marked the fair's transformation from a monastic event into a national commercial hub, attracting merchants from across the country to buy and sell woolens and linens under the priory's oversight. Key traditions underscored Cloth Fair's centrality during the fair's medieval and early modern eras, including elaborate pageants that blended religious observance with commercial spectacle, drawing crowds to the Smithfield area.^[13] A hallmark was the enforcement of standardized "cloth measures," where guilds like the Merchant Taylors—closely tied to drapers—paraded to Cloth Fair with silver yard sticks to verify lengths and prevent fraud, a practice documented until 1854.^[28] By the late 14th century, the fair boasted thousands of stalls across its grounds, including those lining Cloth Fair, fostering a vibrant economy but also contributing to its later overcrowding and disorder.^[5] The fair's decline accelerated in the 19th century amid concerns over public disturbances, culminating in its suppression by the City of London Corporation in 1855 through regulatory measures that banned rowdy amusements and unlicensed trading. Cultural artifacts preserve Cloth Fair's fairtime bustle, including surviving records from the Drapers' Company that detail cloth transactions and guild oversight at the site during peak years.^[5] Eighteenth-century prints, such as those by Thomas Rowlandson capturing the fair's chaotic energy near Smithfield, vividly depict Cloth Fair's role amid booths, performers, and merchants during the event's August weeks.^[29] These visuals, alongside guild archives, highlight the street's transformation into a temporary marketplace teeming with activity. The legacy endures through modern revivals that honor Cloth Fair's site-specific history, such as the 2023 re-staging organized by local City initiatives, which recreated elements of the original fair in the vicinity to celebrate its 900th anniversary and promote community heritage. A further re-staging occurred on September 19-20, 2025, as a family-friendly neighborhood festival during the Open House Festival.^[30]^[31] These events draw on historical traditions to bridge the fair's medieval origins with contemporary appreciation of its cultural footprint.

Contemporary Role

Cloth Fair functions primarily as a preserved historic residential enclave and tourist attraction in contemporary London, housing a small community of permanent residents alongside several holiday rental properties managed by the Landmark Trust. These rentals, including properties like 43 and 45a Cloth Fair, appeal to visitors drawn to the street's medieval heritage and proximity to landmarks such as St Bartholomew the Great church, contributing to its role as a quiet retreat amid the City.^[32]^[4] The area supports community-driven initiatives that enhance its modern appeal as a green and cultural space. The Hidden Garden, revitalized starting in 2018 by local volunteers on church land behind St Bartholomew the Great, focuses on biodiversity by planting native species and herbs to attract pollinators, including bees, while engaging visitors through sensory experiences like fruit tasting and herb picking.^[33]^[34] Local events, such as summer history walks led by City of London guides and music performances during open garden days, foster community interaction and draw crowds, with the garden alone attracting over 2,000 visitors during its 2024 open weekend.^[35]^[33] Economically, Cloth Fair stands in stark contrast to its neighbor, Smithfield Market, London's historic wholesale meat hub, which handled 103,000 tonnes of trade in 2023 and remains a cornerstone of the area's commercial vitality despite impending relocation plans post-2028. This juxtaposition positions Cloth Fair as a serene heritage "oasis," offering respite from the market's industrial bustle while benefiting from spillover tourism.^[36]^[37]

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