43 CLOTH FAIR
Smithfield, London, EC1
‘Of course I have to live here,’ declared John Betjeman on visiting Cloth Fair in the 1950s. He subsequently took a lease on the upper floors of number 43 and used the home as his London bolthole for the next 20 years. Today guests can experience the capital through the eyes of the poet with a stay at this Landmark Trust-owned property. It’s an elegant, atmospheric retreat from the city’s bustle, and still looks much as it did when Betjeman lived here – right down to the William Morris Acorn wallpaper in the sitting room. Fans of his work can delight in the shelves of the library, which are
