Discover Clerkenwell – CPRE London’s home
![](https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/islington-jan-1440x1080.jpg)
What it’s like working in the best place to live in London (according to the Sunday Times)
21 March 2024
It’s been named the best place in London to live – but we’re lucky enough to work in Clerkenwell.
And we agree – it’s a great spot in the city. Here’s six reasons why:
As a London’s countryside charity we’re big fans of active travel – walking, cycling and public transport. Being right next to Farringdon Station, with the new Queen Elizabeth line, overground links AND the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan line we are well connected.
![Clerkenwell Cross with daffodils](https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/IMG_2734-scaled-e1711108610165-728x700.jpg)
At lunchtime we love to walk the ancient streets with quirky names and a lot of history. According to The Sunday Times, who named Clerkenwell the best place to live in London in 2024, “Shakespeare refers to the brothels on what is now Turnmill Street in Henry IV: Part II and Dickens was a customer at the Finsbury Bank for Savings on Sekforde Street — and used the area as a location in Little Dorrit as well as Oliver Twist.”
We can’t wait for the new Museum of London to open in Smithfields in 2026! Like lots of London museums it will be free, packed with London stories and objects and a great place to visit on rainy days.
Although lovers of a pack lunch, we do stretch our legs along the packed food stalls of Leather Lane and the diamond traders of Hatton Garden. Exmouth Market has some of the best restaurants in London including Moro, independent cafes and shops and one of our favourite parks Spa Fields.
We love our local green space including St John’s Gardens – a peaceful pocket oasis in the heart of Clerkenwell. Originally part of the medieval precincts of St John’s Priory it was stormed by rebels during the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381, and has a rare Norman crypt. It became an eighteenth-century burial ground, Victorian ornamental garden and is now a designated Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
Our office on Cowcross Street is in the Alan Baxter workspaces and we rub shoulders with professionals, charities and special interest groups loosely linked under the design community, of which Clerkenwell is the global centre. Neighbours include Friends of Friendless churches, SAVE Britain’s Heritage and Ethical Property Foundation.
![Clerkenwell Spa Fields London](https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/IMG_2726-728x546.jpg)