Blackfriars is an area of central London, which lies in the south-west corner of the City of London.
The name Blackfriars was first used in 1317 (as Black Freres from the French ‘frère’ meaning ‘brother’) and derives from the black cappa worn by the Dominican Friars who moved their priory from Holborn to the area between the River Thames and Ludgate Hill in about 1276. Edward I gave permission to rebuild London’s city wall, which lay between the river and Ludgate Hill, around their area. The site was used for great occasions of state, including meetings of Parliament and the Privy Council, state visits, such as of Charles V in 1522, as well as the location for a divorce hearing in 1529 of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. The priory was eventually closed in 1538 during Henry’s Dissolution of the monasteries. Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, was born in the area.
Some of the buildings were subsequently leased to a group of entrepreneurs who created the Blackfriars Theatre on the site, not far from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre which sat almost directly across on the other side of the river. In 1632, the Society of Apothecaries (a livery company), acquired the monastery’s guesthouse and established their base there. The building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London but the Society rebuilt and Apothecaries Hall is still to be found in Blackfriars today.
The area is now the location of Blackfriars station, and forms the northern bridge-head for both Blackfriars Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge. Alongside the road bridge is Blackfriars Millennium Pier, a stop for river bus services on London River Services.
Morgan Pryce is a commercial property agency working exclusively with tenants looking to find the right London office space for their business. We never work for landlords, so our business focuses on finding the best solutions for you, not the owners of the building.
We provide the best advice, planning and consultancy at every part of the process, whether you are buying or renting an office space, or renegotiating your existing lease. Our team of experts will steer you through the process, providing honest and timely advice. Our specialists have access to every single building available to rent or buy in the London and Greater London area and our information is updated every hour, every day, all year round.