There are many different things to see and do in Holborn, London. One of the capital’s most central districts, the area is home to a wide variety of attractions for the visitor and it makes a convenient location from which to explore the city. And with many comfortable and affordable hotels near Holborn, it is a great place to base oneself for a stay in the city.
Just around the corner from Holborn tube station, amid the Georgian splendour of Lincoln’s Inn Fields is Sir John Soane’s Museum. Formerly the home of the renowned nineteenth century architect, it now houses the paintings, drawings and sculptures that he collected. Egyptian relics sit beside neo-classical architectural models in the atmospheric rooms of the museum.
Across the square from the John Soane’s, visitors to Holborn can explore a collection of a very different kind. The Hunterian Museum is devoted to the profession of surgery, of which John Hunter was the founding father. The museum displays thousands of anatomical specimens, surgical instruments and specimens of extinct animals. There are also more gruesome exhibits such as the skeleton of a seven and a half foot tall man.
At the end of Shaftesbury Avenue sits the Shaftesbury Theatre. First opened in 1911, the theatre has played host to numerous musicals and plays, including ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ and ‘Rent’. At the time of writing it is staging ‘Rock of Ages’.
A short stroll from Holborn you can discover the ancient artifacts housed in the British Museum. One of the world’s great collections of human history, the British Museum has treasures from around the world, including the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. Tucked away just around the corner from the British Museum is the Cartoon Museum. A treat for kids and adults alike it has a collection of British cartoons and caricatures ranging from the eighteenth century to the present day.
Other attractions in Holborn include the Royal Courts of Justice, which (restrictions permitting) allow members of the public to see the law in action, and Coram’s Fields, a playground and park for kids that includes a city farm.
Holborn is accessed via the Central Line on the London Underground and by a range of buses from all over the city. One can easily get to King’s Cross for international train services and to Euston for many national train lines.
