• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • First Time Here?
    • Archive
    • London Blogs
  • Blog
  • Travel
    • London Theater Tickets
    • Shopping
    • Tips
    • Tours
    • Transport
    • Maps
    • Parks
    • Resources
    • Restaurants
    • Top 10 London
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Buildings
    • Food
    • London Books
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Pubs
  • Londonism
    • Reviews
    • Fun London
    • Iconic London
    • Life in London
    • London Realities
    • Moving to London
    • Politics
  • The Tube
  • London History
    • Great London Buildings
    • Great Londoners
  • Contact
  • Guidebooks
    • 101 London Travel Tips – Guidebook
    • 101 Free Things to do in London

Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London

You are here: Home / Guides / Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Holborn

Top Ten London: Top 10 Things to See and Do in Holborn

Sep 28, 2018 By John Rabon

Striding the boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, Holborn is a district close to the center of London.  The first documented reference to Holborn was in 959, but the district itself wasn’t created officially until 1855.  It has had an interesting history from hosting one of the city’s most famous molly houses for gay men in the 18th Century, a setting for many of Charles Dickens’s stories, and is home to two of the Inns of Court.  Today, some have attempted to rename it “Midtown” as it is almost the exact center of the city.  Whatever brings you here, there are plenty of great things to do see and do in Holborn, so we’ve outlined our ten favorites for you.  You can let us know your own favorite Holborn places in the comments.

Princess Louise Pub Grade II Listed Urinals

Not everyone will be able to see these for themselves, but it’s a pretty interesting and unusual listed icon in London.  The pub itself was built in 1872 and is well-known for its 1891 Victorian interior.  The entirety of the pub is actually Grade II listed, but most unusual are the men’s urinals which are perfectly preserved and still functioning from when they were installed in the late 19th Century.

Old Curiosity Shop

This shop on Portsmouth Street is believed to be the one on which Dickens based his novel of the same name.  The shop itself has been on this site since the 16th Century which makes it the oldest shop in Central London.  Its historical and cultural impact means that it is under a preservation order so when you step inside, you’ll feel Dickens’s novel come to life.

Museum of Comedy

Fans of British Comedy will want to check out this museum just west of the Holborn Underground Station and south of the British Museum.  Artifacts of comedy going back decades can be found in the museum’s collection as well as rotating exhibitions.  You can also check out the Comedy Crypt, a state of the art traditional performance space that hosts comedy acts, cabaret shows, and other performances throughout the week.

Dr. Johnson’s House

One of two writer’s home museums on this list, Dr. Johnson’s House celebrates the life of the man responsible for the first English language dictionary.  Of course, Dr. Johnson was a prolific writer on several fronts from poetry to novels.  The home has a great array of artifacts from Johnson’s life as well as serving as a research library.

Charles Dickens Museum

© Siobhan Doran / Dickens Museum

Our second writers’ museum, Charles Dickens lived in this townhouse at 48 Doughty Street for many years.  As noted with the Old Curiosity Shop, the area made it into many of his writings and like Dr. Johnson’s House, the museum contains many artifacts and exhibits related to his life and work.  The museum is also available for hire and has a wonderful café.

Temple Church

Now we start to get into the legal significance of Holborn with Temple Church, a 12th Century house of worship that serves the Inner and Middle Temple, two of London’s four ancient societies of lawyers.  Its name derives from being a meeting place for the Knights Templar prior to the church’s construction.  Besides being a working church and a museum with exhibits to its history, Temple Church is also home to one of the existing copies of the Magna Carta, a central document to English law.

Hunterian Museum

If you have a high threshold for things that are squick, or just an interest in anatomy, you’ll want to visit the Hunterian Museum at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.  Hosted by the Royal College of Surgeons, the museum has one of the largest collections of anatomical specimens in Britain, everything from the smallest animals to human parts.  The museum is closed until 2021 as it renovates, but it hopes to have some other facilities open soon for visitors.

Lincoln’s Inn Fields

The largest public square in London, Lincoln’s Inn Fields borders two of the Inns of Court and provides a welcome respite to attorneys and laypersons alike.  It’s been around since the 1630s with the plans drawn by famed landscape architect Inigo Jones and brought to life by William Newton.  Whether you begin or end your day here, it provides a link to half the places on this list.

Lincoln’s Inn/Gray’s Inn

To practice law in England and Wales, you have to be admitted to one of the four Inns of Court, and two of them are found in Holborn.  It’s impossible to say which is older as the Inns have an unwritten agreement that none will claim it predates the others, but you can certainly visit both with very different styles of architecture from different eras.  Additionally, Lincoln’s Inn is the largest of the four, so it makes for a must-visit if you have to choose.

Royal Courts of Justice

Of course, without somewhere to practice, there wouldn’t be much need for the Inns to be located in Holborn.  The Royal Courts of Justice have been part of the British legal system since 1882 and is arguably the most important building in Holborn.  Its Gothic Revival style evokes the image of a cathedral dedicated to the law and some of Britain’s most important barristers have walked these halls and practiced in its courtrooms.  You can book a tour of the building, which is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in criminal law and legal history of the United Kingdom.

John Rabon
Author: John Rabon

John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.

close

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Featured, Guides, Top 10 London

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

About John Rabon

John is a regular writer for Anglotopia and its sister websites. He is currently engaged in finding a way to move books slightly to the left without the embarrassment of being walked in on by Eddie Izzard. For any comments, questions, or complaints, please contact the Lord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's haircut.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Get the Anglotopia/Londontopia App

Our Advertisers

If you are a mobile gamer, you may want to take a look at UK’s new mobile casinos and slots reviewed by NewCasinoUK.

Join the London Forum

  • Mudlarking
  • MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON
  • What's Your Favorite Place in London?
  • Paddington Station

London Guide

  • Ten Cheap Things You Can Do in London on a Budget
  • Ten London Exhibitions to Look Forward to in 2023
  • London’s Non-Free Museums: Your Guide to London’s Museums That Charge Admission
  • Trip Planning: Top 10 Exhibitions To Plan Your 2018 Trips to London Around
  • London Guide: Our Favorite Restaurants in London – London Restaurant Recommendations for Americans – What’s Your Favorite?

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Support Londontopia

Search our Extensive Archive

Top 10 London

  • Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
  • London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
  • Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
  • Museums of London: Ten Overlooked London Museums
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Recent Posts

  • V&A set to open first major UK exhibition on Renaissance sculptor Donatello
  • Ten National Trust Properties in London
  • What’s On in London Events for February 2023
  • Only Fools And Horses musical to close in West End after four years
  • Artist Ai Weiwei to launch first design-focused exhibition at London’s Design Museum
  • London Travel Alert: Staff at British Museum to walk out during half-term break
  • Poet Lemn Sissay ‘over the moon’ to receive Freedom of the City of London
  • English Heritage has unveiled six new blue plaques for London
  • National Portrait Gallery to reopen in June with two special exhibitions
  • Exploring The Cosmic House in London

Best Posts on Londontopia

  • 101 London Travel Tips
  • Top 100 London Attractions
  • How to Find the Cheapest Airfares to London
  • 10 Things NOT to do in London
  • Best London Guidebooks
  • 101 Free Things to do in London
  • London Lingo – A London Word Dictionary
  • Top 7 Tips for Doing London on the Cheap
  • Top 11 Myths American Believe about London
  • Guide to Eating in London
  • Best Times of Year to Travel to London
  • London Packing Tips
  • Top 11 Movies Set in London
  • Top Attractions off the Tourist Track
  • Top 5 Most Amazing London Hotels
  • Top 10 Hostels in London
  • Best Views in London Restuarants
  • London Taxi Ettiquette
  • Top 12 London Views
  • Great Fire of London
  • A Guide to Five of London’s Bridges
  • 10 Random Facts and Figures about Trafalgar Square
  • Top 100 British Slang Words

London Places to Explore

Bloomsbury Buckingham Palace Canary Wharf City of London Covent Garden Cutty Sark Greenwich Hampstead Hampton Court Palace Heathrow Houses of Parliament Hyde Park Imperial War Museum Islington Kensington Kensington Palace Leicester Square London London Eye London Transport Museum Museum of London National Gallery Notting Hill Piccadilly Circus Putney Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Regent's Street Royal Academy Selfridges Somerset House Southbank Southwark St Pancras St Paul's Cathedral Tate Britain Tate Modern The City Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square V&A Wandsworth West End Westminster Westminster Abbey

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Recent Videos

Walk Around London Virtually Right Now – Watched Walker is the YouTube Channel We All Need Right Now

Jason Hawkes Shares a Beautiful Video of London From Above That We All Need Right now

London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground

Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line

London History: The Place Where Old London Double Decker Buses Went to Die

London Video: A Look at the Great Smog of London

Tube and London bus fares to rise by nearly 6% from March

What is Crossrail 2 and What is Its Current Status?

London Alert: Strike by London Underground workers to go ahead after last-minute talks fail

London Mayor hails Elizabeth line as direct routes and Sunday services begin

Elizabeth line fully opens and offers more direct journeys

Tube poet encourages writers to ‘bring who they are to the field’

Footer

About Londontopia

Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!

When We’re in London Next

We don’t currently have any travel plans to London but hope to visit at some point in 2021.

  • SEO Backlinks
  • Travel Blog

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Copyright © 2023 Anglotopia, LLC · Website Developed by Anglotopia, LLC · Log in