Moorfields

Open space in/near City of London, existing until 1812

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Moorfields was an open space located adjacent to the northern wall of the City of London, near Moorgate.

The marshy conditions of the Moorfields area were caused by the defensive wall acting as a dam, impeding the flow of the River Walbrook and its tributaries. The fields were divided into four areas: Little Moorfields, Moorfields proper, Middle Moorfields, and Upper Moorfields.

The origins of Moorfields lie in a wider area known as the "great fen" which covered much of the Manor of Finsbury. The exact extent of the fen is unclear, but it likely extended west from the Walbrook, north to the vicinity of Old Street, and west to the road from Cripplegate.

Little Moorfields and Moorfields proper were located just north of London’s wall and included the Bethlem Hospital from 1676 to 1815. These parts were inside the City boundaries, lying in the Coleman Street Ward. The Walbrook, known as Deepditch at this point, formed the eastern boundary of Moorfields proper and an administrative boundary between Coleman Street Ward and the extra-mural ward of Bishopsgate Without and the parish of Shoreditch.

Middle Moorfields and Upper Moorfields were located outside the City, to the north-west of Moorfields proper, in the Manor of Finsbury, which was coterminous with the parish of St Luke’s.

Throughout history, Moorfields served as a refuge for those displaced by the Great Fire of London in 1666, a site of sporadic open-air markets and shows, and a place associated with the poor, highwaymen, and brothels. It was also a location for violent rioting during the Gordon Riots in 1780 and home to The Foundery, an early centre of Wesleyan Methodism.

Much of Moorfields was developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the creation of Finsbury Square in 1777 and Finsbury Circus in 1812. Today, the name survives in various locations, such as Moorfields Eye Hospital, St Mary Moorfields, and Moorfields Highwalk in the Barbican Estate.

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NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Moorgate Moorgate was one of the gates in the London Wall but was one of the later gates of London, dating from the early 15th century.
Moorgate

NEARBY STREETS
Aldermanbury Square, EC2V At the centre of Saxon London, the aldermen (elder statesmen of City wards) met in a ’bury’ (house) in a time before the Guildhall was built (City of London)
Aldermanbury Square, EC2V
Aldermanbury, EC2V Aldermanbury is the Saxon name for ’Eldermen’ (elder statesmen) and ’bury’ (house) (City of London)
Aldermanbury, EC2V
Alderman’s Walk, EC2M Alderman’s Walk was formerly Dashwood’s Walk, for Francis Dashwood, who lived here in the 18th century (Liverpool Street)
Alderman’s Walk, EC2M
Andrewes Highwalk, EC2Y Andrewes Highwalk is named for Lancelot Andrewes, rector of the nearby St Giles-without-Cripplegate Church (Barbican)
Andrewes Highwalk, EC2Y
Andrewes House, EC2Y Andrewes House is a block on Fore Street (Barbican)
Andrewes House, EC2Y
Basinghall Avenue, EC2V Basinghall Avenue is one of the streets of London in the EC2V postal area (City of London)
Basinghall Avenue, EC2V
Basinghall Street, EC2V Basinghall Street joins Gresham Street to the south (City of London)
Basinghall Street, EC2V
Bastion Highwalk, EC2Y Bastion Highwalk is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Bastion Highwalk, EC2Y
Bishopsgate Churchyard, EC2M Bishopsgate Churchyard is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (Liverpool Street)
Bishopsgate Churchyard, EC2M
Blomfield Street, EC2M Charles James Blomfield was an energetic churchman who became Bishop of London in 1828 (City of London)
Blomfield Street, EC2M
Boston House, EC2M Boston House is a building on New Broad Street (City of London)
Boston House, EC2M
Brandon Mews, EC2Y Brandon Mews is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Brandon Mews, EC2Y
Britannic House, EC2M Britannic House is a block on Finsbury Circus (City of London)
Britannic House, EC2M
Broad Street House, EC2M Broad Street House is a block on Old Broad Street (Liverpool Street)
Broad Street House, EC2M
Broad Street Place, EC2M Broad Street Place is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Broad Street Place, EC2M
Broadgate Circle, EC2M Broadgate Circle is situated at the centre of the Broadgate development (City of London)
Broadgate Circle, EC2M
Chapel Street, EC2Y In 1939, Chapel Street briefly became Chapel Lane (Barbican)
Chapel Street, EC2Y
City Greenyard, EC2Y City Greenyard - or simply Green Yard - was swept away to build the Barbican area (Barbican)
City Greenyard, EC2Y
City Place House, EC2V City Place House is a block on Basinghall Street (City of London)
City Place House, EC2V
City Tower, EC2V City Tower is a block on Unnamed Road (City of London)
City Tower, EC2V
Coleman Street, EC2V Coleman Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2V postal area (City of London)
Coleman Street, EC2V
Cross Key Court, EC2R After 1939, the new name for Sun Court, Great Swan Alley was Cross Key Court, EC2 (City of London)
Cross Key Court, EC2R
Cutlers Gardens Arcade, EC2M Cutlers Gardens Arcade is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (Liverpool Street)
Cutlers Gardens Arcade, EC2M
Dashwood House, EC2M Dashwood House is a block on Old Broad Street (Liverpool Street)
Dashwood House, EC2M
Dominion Street, EC2M Dominion Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Dominion Street, EC2M
East Street, EC2M East Street was the name of the road leading out of Finsbury Circus (City of London)
East Street, EC2M
Eldon Street, EC2M Eldon Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Eldon Street, EC2M
Elephant Yard, EC2Y Elephant Yard was the coaching yard which used to belong to the Elephant Inn, demolished in the 1840s (Barbican)
Elephant Yard, EC2Y
Exchange Place, EC2M Exchange Place is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (Liverpool Street)
Exchange Place, EC2M
Finsbury Avenue, EC2M Finsbury Avenue is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Finsbury Avenue, EC2M
Finsbury Circus Gardens, EC2M Finsbury Circus Gardens is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Finsbury Circus Gardens, EC2M
Finsbury Circus House, EC2M Finsbury Circus House is a block on Eldon Street (City of London)
Finsbury Circus House, EC2M
Finsbury Circus, EC2M Finsbury Circus replaced the last of the open Moorfields in 1812 (City of London)
Finsbury Circus, EC2M
Finsbury Pavement, EC2M Finsbury Pavement was the first pavement of firm ground north of the marshy Moorfields (Moorgate)
Finsbury Pavement, EC2M
Fore Street Avenue, EC2Y Fore Street Avenue is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Fore Street Avenue, EC2Y
Fore Street, EC2Y Located near the Barbican Centre in the City of London, Fore Street stretches from Wood Street to Fore Street Avenue, with Moor Lane joining its northern side. (Barbican)
Fore Street, EC2Y
Great Swan Alley, EC2R Great Swan Alley is one of the streets of London in the EC2R postal area (City of London)
Great Swan Alley, EC2R
Great Winchester Street, EC2N Great Winchester Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2N postal area (City of London)
Great Winchester Street, EC2N
Habib House, EC2R Habib House is a block on Moorgate (City of London)
Habib House, EC2R
Lackington Street, EC2M Lackington Street is a road in the EC2A postcode area (City of London)
Lackington Street, EC2M
Langthorn Court, EC2N Langthorn Court is an historic courtyard in the City of London (City of London)
Langthorn Court, EC2N
Little Winchester Street, EC2N Little Winchester Street used to run south off London Wall (City of London)
Little Winchester Street, EC2N
Liverpool Street, EC2M Liverpool Street commemorates Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (Liverpool Street)
Liverpool Street, EC2M
London Wall Buildings, EC2M London Wall Buildings are a commercial development (Liverpool Street)
London Wall Buildings, EC2M
London Wall, EC2M London Wall is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
London Wall, EC2M
London Wall, EC2Y London Wall is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (City of London)
London Wall, EC2Y
Milton Street, EC2Y Milton Street was formerly known as Grub Street (Barbican)
Milton Street, EC2Y
Moor House, EC2Y Moor House is a block on Fore Street Avenue (City of London)
Moor House, EC2Y
Moor Place, EC2M Moor Place is the successor street to Short Street (City of London)
Moor Place, EC2M
Moorfields Highwalk, EC2Y Moorfields Highwalk is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Moorfields Highwalk, EC2Y
Moorfields, EC2M Moorfields is the successor street to Little Moorfields which dated from the mid eighteenth century (City of London)
Moorfields, EC2M
Moorgate Hall, EC2M Moorgate Hall is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Moorgate Hall, EC2M
Moorgate Place, EC2R Moorgate Place is one of the streets of London in the EC2R postal area (City of London)
Moorgate Place, EC2R
New Broad Street House, EC2M New Broad Street House is a block on Old Broad Street (City of London)
New Broad Street House, EC2M
New Broad Street, EC2M New Broad Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
New Broad Street, EC2M
New Liverpool House, EC2M New Liverpool House can be found on Eldon Street (City of London)
New Liverpool House, EC2M
New Union Street, EC2Y New Union Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (City of London)
New Union Street, EC2Y
Octagon Arcade, EC2M Octagon Arcade is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (Liverpool Street)
Octagon Arcade, EC2M
Old Broad Street, EC2M Old Broad Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Old Broad Street, EC2M
One Ropemaker Street, EC2Y One Ropemaker Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (City of London)
One Ropemaker Street, EC2Y
Park House, EC2M Park House is a block on Finsbury Circus (City of London)
Park House, EC2M
River Plate House, EC2M River Plate House is a block on Finsbury Circus (City of London)
River Plate House, EC2M
Roman House, EC2Y Roman House is a building on St Alphage Garden (Barbican)
Roman House, EC2Y
Ropemaker Street, EC2M Ropemaker Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Moorgate)
Ropemaker Street, EC2M
Salisbury House, EC2M Salisbury House can be found on London Wall (City of London)
Salisbury House, EC2M
Seddon Highwalk, EC2Y Seddon Highwalk is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Seddon Highwalk, EC2Y
Silk Street, EC2Y Silk Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Silk Street, EC2Y
South Place, EC2M South Place is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (Moorgate)
South Place, EC2M
Speed House, EC2Y Speed House is a block on Speed Highwalk (Barbican)
Speed House, EC2Y
St Alphage Garden, EC2Y St Alphage Garden is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (City of London)
St Alphage Garden, EC2Y
St Alphage Highwalk, EC2V St Alphage Highwalk is part of the Barbican (City of London)
St Alphage Highwalk, EC2V
Sun Street Passage, EC2M Sun Street Passage is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (Liverpool Street)
Sun Street Passage, EC2M
Swedbank House, EC2M Swedbank House is a block on New Broad Street (City of London)
Swedbank House, EC2M
The Postern, EC2Y The Postern is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
The Postern, EC2Y
Thomas More Highwalk, EC2Y Thomas More Highwalk is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Thomas More Highwalk, EC2Y
Throgmorton Avenue, EC2N Throgmorton Avenue is one of the streets of London in the EC2N postal area (City of London)
Throgmorton Avenue, EC2N
Union Court, EC2N Union Court is an alleyway off of Broad Street (City of London)
Union Court, EC2N
Wallside, EC2Y Wallside is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Wallside, EC2Y
West Street, EC2M West Street led into Finsbury Circus (City of London)
West Street, EC2M
Whitecross Place, EC2M Whitecross Place is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Whitecross Place, EC2M
Willoughby Highwalk, EC2Y Willoughby Highwalk is one of the streets of London in the EC2Y postal area (Barbican)
Willoughby Highwalk, EC2Y
Willoughby House, EC2Y Willoughby House is a building on Willoughby Highwalk (Barbican)
Willoughby House, EC2Y
Wilson Street, EC2M Wilson Street is one of the streets of London in the EC2M postal area (City of London)
Wilson Street, EC2M
Wormwood Street, EC2N Wormwood Street refers to the wormwood plant which used to grow on the London Wall and in other areas of wasteland in the City (Liverpool Street)
Wormwood Street, EC2N


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