Evocative street names abound in London but one that definitely hints at a troubled past is Bleeding Heart Yard, a cobbled courtyard just off Greville Street in Hatton Gardens.
Origin? Ready for a good yarn or two?
One legend tells the story of the wife of the Lord Chancellor of England, Sir Christopher Hatton, who makes a pact with the devil (never a wise thig to do) to secure wealth and a mansion in Holborn. The devil obliges but at the housewarming party dances with her and then in typical devil like fashion, tears her heart out which is found in the courtyard the next morning, still beating.
Too far-fetched for you? Okay what about this one.
In the 17th century, society beauty Elizabeth Hatton jilted the Spanish ambassador here with terrible consequences. The couple had been attending a society ball nearby but the following morning, she was found dead in the courtyard torn limb from limb, her heart still pumping blood onto the cobbled stones. Of course, the ghost of the murdered lady still haunts the courtyard. Goes without saying.
If that too is a bit fanciful, then this one is probably for you.
It’s named after a 16th century inn that stood nearby called the Bleeding Heart. The pub’s sign showed the heart of the Virgin Mary pierced by five swords.
Anyway, Charles Dickens, wasn’t so fussy about origins and was so taken with the yard, he based some of his fictional characters here in his book Little Dorrit.
Image courtesy of Wikipedea. Source: Walter Thornbury and Edward Walford Old and New London. Cassell, Peter & Gaplin, 1873-8, 2.541. This copy taken from Tufts University Archives.