Throughout its route the road keeps to the higher ground, above the valley of the
River Fleet to the east. In earlier times it was the principal route from London to
Hampstead. The area of Gray's Inn Road was clearly populated from palaeolithic times. Given the road's height above the Fleet valley, it may have formed part of an ancient trackway. A
gravel bed off Gray's Inn Lane (see below) was the find spot for the c. 350,000-year-old
Gray's Inn Lane Hand Axe in 1679. It was acquired by
Hans Sloane and later donated to the
British Museum, where it remains. Hand Axe Yard, a residential development adjoining Gray's Inn Road, takes its name from the object. From at least the 13th century onwards it was in the possession of the
Grey family, after whom
Gray's Inn is named. The name "Purtepol Street" is recorded in the time of
Henry III and this may be the first reference to the current Gray's Inn Road. In a document of 1299 it is called "Street of Pourtepol without London", which is appropriate as it lies only just outside the boundary of the
City. In a document of 1468 the road is called "Graysynlane, otherwise Portpole Lane". On the
"Woodcut" map of c.1561, "Greys ynne la." is shown leading from
Holborn Bars to
Gray's Inn, from where it becomes an unnamed track leading into the country.
John Ogilby and
William Morgan's map of 1676 shows "Grayes-Inn Lane" which is clearly built up as far as Elm Street, although that is the limit of the map.
John Rocque's map of 1738 depicts "Grays Inn Lane" which clearly applies to the stretch from Holborn to the edge of the built up area (somewhat south of the present Calthorpe Street), but where it passes into the country it is called "Road to
Hampstead and
Highgate". ==Landmarks==