The image I provided is a drawing of Steeple Inn in 1900.

“Holborn.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holborn.

Most of the action in Bleak House happens around 1850 London in the neighborhood of Holborn.  Holborn is located in the center of London and is now a major cite for offices and historic museums. The Holborn neighborhood was soley a community until the Holbron District was created 1855. This district included the parishes of St. Andrew, St. George, and St. Giles. This borough or district only lasted until 1900 ("Holborn"). Charles Dickens lived in the residential part of Holborn at 48 Doughty Street and chose it to be the setting for many of his works (Perdue).

The name Holborn comes from the early settlement being located on the edge of a "hole bourne" which is a stream in a valley. This streem was eventually covered by Farringdon Street and Farringdon Road. The neighborhood's long lost stream was referenced in Bleak House as a story Mr. Snagsby shares frequently (Dickens 198). Dickens's description of the setting of London around 1850 as being dirty, muddy, polluted, and crowded is accurate with the historical records. With some of the major roads being lower than the ground they would collect water and waste from the surrounding areas. This resulted in the streets being covered in muck and mud which is frequently referenced in Bleak House. The first chapter sets this muddy murky atmosphere by referencing mud six times.

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles, and Patricia Ingham. Bleak House. Broadview Press, 2011.

"Holborn." An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in London, Volume 2, West London. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1925. 43-63. British History Online. Web. 30 October 2020. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/london/vol2/pp43-63.

“Holborn.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holborn.