Goad London 44—EC1—Holborn—Hatton Garden—Leather Lane—Prudential 1958 (1969) map

Charles Goad Insurance Plan of London, sheet 44 [Holborn, Hatton Garden, Leather Lane and the Prudential Assurance building]

Goad's fire insurance plan of London, sheet 44, covers Holborn and Hatton Garden (EC1), where the Prudential's palace stands beside the jewellery quarter. At the time the Prudential Assurance Company filled the block between Holborn, Brooke Street, Leather Lane and Beauchamp Street, occupying Alfred Waterhouse's red terracotta headquarters of 1876–1901. Prudential left the building in 1999 but still owns it as Holborn Bars, which is now used for offices and venues. William Hodge & Chilver's printing premises then stood beside the jewellery and watch premises, revealing a broader working district than Hatton Garden's jewellery reputation alone implies. The street itself remains the jewellery centre today, with nearly 300 trade businesses. Leather Lane's weekday market now feeds the lunchtime office crowd, and Holborn Circus, which dates from 1867, had its Prince Albert statue of 1874 moved aside in 2014. Insurers used these plans to rate property and fire risk, and they kept them current with pasted overlays recording new uses, altered layouts, demolition and rebuilding. The sheet was resurveyed and reissued in April 1958, with a 1958 copyright date. Its latest dated correction is September 1969, and key plans acquired with the group carry corrections as late as October 1970 and March 1971. Other streets on the sheet include Greville Street, Dorrington Street and Brooke's Market.

CAPTION BELOW PICTURE: 'Charles Goad Insurance Plan of London, sheet 44 [Holborn, Hatton Garden, Leather Lane and the Prudential Assurance building]'

IMAGE SIZE: Approx 62.5 x 53.0cm, 24.5 x 20.75 inches (Large)

ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Charles Goad & Co

PROVENANCE: Insurance Plan of London, Volume II. Charles E. Goad, London.

TYPE: Vintage hand-coloured fire-insurance plan with later overpasted amendments

AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic historic print,…