
Silk Street is a street in the
City of London. It runs north-south, and then west-east, from the junction with
Beech Street (west),
Chiswell Street (east) and
Whitecross Street
Whitecross Street is a short street in Islington, in Inner London. It features an eponymous street market and a large housing estate.
Since 2010, there has been an annual Whitecross Street Party one weekend in the summer, together with an exhi ...
(north, continuing the street), to
Moor Lane.
The northern junction marks the boundary of the City with
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...
: Whitecross and Chiswell (north and east) are in Islington, while Beech and Silk (west and south) are in the City.

The east-west section of Silk Street is a survival from the pre-
World War II street pattern, running between Milton Street in the east and Whitecross Street in the west. West of Whitecross Street it continued as Paper Street. The area was heavily damaged during the war, and when the
Barbican Estate
The Barbican Estate, or Barbican, is a residential complex of around 2,000 flats, maisonettes, and houses in central London, England, within the City of London. It is in an area once devastated by World War II bombings and densely populated b ...
was built in the area after the war, the southern part of Whitecross Street, south of Silk Street, was swallowed up by the development, as was Paper Street, and the short section of Whitecross Street between Silk Street and Chiswell Street/Beech Street was renamed to be part of Silk Street, forming the north-south section of today's Silk Street. In the east the street was extended beyond
Milton Street to Moor Lane.
The main entrance to both the
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...
and the
Guildhall School of Music & Drama is in Silk Street.
The head office of
Linklaters, the
multinational law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...
and member of the
Magic Circle is at 1 Silk Street.
See also
*
Cripplegate
*
Fore Street, London
Fore Street is a street in the City of London near the Barbican Centre. It runs from Wood Street, London, Wood Street to Fore Street Avenue and is joined by Moor Lane (London), Moor Lane on its north side. The street was extensively damaged ...
*
Grub Street
*
Whitecross Street
Whitecross Street is a short street in Islington, in Inner London. It features an eponymous street market and a large housing estate.
Since 2010, there has been an annual Whitecross Street Party one weekend in the summer, together with an exhi ...
References
{{coord, 51, 31, 11.8, N, 0, 5, 31.2, W, type:street, display=title
Streets in the City of London