"The alley first appears as a named passage in R Howood's map of 1799, although it shows up as a shorter passage than it is today. Either the John Roque map is wrong, or the alley had been cut back just 50 years later, or the R Horwood map is wrong. Then, about 50 years later, the east-west branch was renamed French Alley, and the north-south branch named New Norfolk Street. Another 50 years, and the whole lot is being called Norfolk Place."
"This is one of the older passages that leads off Shoreditch High Street, and as a passage, it's a classic Shoreditch mix of former warehouses that are now expensive offices and modern residential buildings. The main Shoreditch High Street is an ancient road leading to London, and the first inklings of property development in the area can be seen in the late 1600s. While not accurate enough to be certain, an L-shaped passage in roughly the right location appears on John Roques's map from 1746."
French Place leads off Shoreditch High Street and exemplifies former warehouses converted into expensive offices and modern residences. Early mapping shows an L-shaped passage on John Roque's 1746 map and a named but shorter passage on R Horwood's 1799 map, creating uncertainty about changes. The passage underwent name changes: east-west became French Alley, north-south became New Norfolk Street, later unified as Norfolk Place, and now restored to French Place. World War II bombing destroyed many surrounding buildings but only one frontage on the alley, preserving several original frontages despite later rebuilds behind them. A grand Victorian warehouse dated 1886 and a heritage-listed bollard remain notable features.
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