The Saturday
Street is our weekly series in which we unlock the stories behind
the names of London's famous thoroughfares. It's compiled by London Walks guide Karen
– listed by Travel +
Leisure magazine as The
World's Greatest Tour Guide. You can find Karen on Saturdays guiding
her Old
Westminster and British
Museum walks. If you've got a London street query or suggestion,
email Karen at the
usual address
St Giles High Street Location: WC2
St Giles High Street links the area around modern day Centre Point with Holborn. St Giles – the patron saint of lepers and outcasts – has had a church dedicated to his name in this part of London from the early 1100’s. Originally it was attached to the monastery and leper hospital founded by Queen Mathilda of Scotland. The first victims of the Great Plague were buried in the parish.
