This neighbourhood, lined with a mix of Victorian and Georgian style buildings, is predominantly made up of Kingsway, Holborn’s major thoroughfare. Although it’s a street with busy bus and automobile traffic, the energy of its pedestrians – students, tourists, and office workers – makes it an exciting place to be. Whether you’re popping into class or a public lecture at the London School of Economics (LSE), or grabbing a bowl of noodles at Wagamama followed by a pint at The Shakespeare’s Head, this area has something for everyone. It might not be a generally residential area, but with it being so well-connected by the Holborn tube station, there’s plenty of reasons to visit.

Once a settlement near a stream, known as a hole bourne, the area developed into a suburb during the medieval times, and by the 1600s, markets and slums began to pop up throughout the neighbourhood. The area grew into one characterised by small, winding roads. However, in the early 1900s, the London City Council spearheaded a major redevelopment project in the area. This project cleared the streets and slums around the neighbourhood and replaced it with the major Kingsway road in 1905. Once these slums were cleared, land opened up near Clare Market, and was eventually purchased for the purpose of building the London School of Economics.

Beneath the neighbourhood sits a half mile long former bomb shelter, also known as the former Kingsway Telephone Exchange. Since the tunnel’s construction wasn’t completed until 1942, it was never actually used to house people during the Second World War, but is rumoured to have served as offices for the MI6. By 1954, it was eventually repurposed as Telephone Exchange offices. Former workers have described it as an underground town in itself.

With the high number of students rushing through the neighbourhood, the area lacks a cohesive residential community feel. Most of the eateries are casual chains that cater to those spending time in the area during normal working hours. Regardless, students attending the LSE report that there’s plenty enough just on the outskirts, whether it be Lincoln’s Inn Fields or Somerset House, that make the area feel less transient.

The historic Kingsway Tram Subway, built in 1906 as part of an ambitious renewal programme for the Holborn and Aldwych areas, has been inoperational and closed to the public since 1952. The development of the Elizabeth Line, which runs close to the old tram stations, sparked new life into the abandoned system. Following the opening of the Elizabeth Line, the London Transport Museum announced that it would reopen the tram and provide tours of the Kingsway Tram Tunnel, costing interested voyeurs around £45 a head.