If you were to find yourself strolling in Clerkenwell there are some lovely sites and historic areas surrounding your virtual office in the Borough of Islington. Clerkenwell is an area of rich history: it first became an area of notoriety in the Middle Ages when the parish clerks performed mystery plays, particular theatre shows based on biblical themes. Though the name derives from that period, it is also known as Little Italy, because – as the name suggests – it was a settling area in London for Italian immigrants for almost a century from the 1850s to the 1960s.

Located in the epicentre of four tube stations (Farringdon, Barbican, Chancery Lane, Holborn) and two rail stations (Farringdon and Barbican), Clerkenwell has very quick and easy connections to all parts of the city. Though it is primarily an area of business, you can find plenty of deli/sandwich shops, restaurants and bars, as well as one of the superclubs of London – Fabric on Charterhouse St.

The area is famous for the old village in its heart, between St. James’ Church and Clerkenwell Green – a park without grass for over 300 years, where Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shakespeare in Love have been filmed and Oliver Twist learned to pickpocket! The Eagle on Farringdon Road was the first gastropub in London and opened in 1991 to start the trend. The Clerkenwell is an excellent restaurant and also worth visiting for good food – a great place for a business lunch! Clerkenwell is the perfect place to live and work – Daniel Defoe knew this in the 1700s, as does Zaha Hadid knows it very well right now. There is a significant political past to the area surrounding Clerkenwell Green as noted by Wikipedia. Here’s an excerpt from the page:

“Clerkenwell Green has historically been associated with radicalism, from the Lollards in the 16th century, the Chartists in the 19th century and communists in the early 20th century.^[1] In 1902, Vladimir Lenin moved the publication of the Iskra (Spark) to the British Social Democratic Federation at 37a Clerkenwell Green, and issues 22 to 38 were indeed edited there. At that time Lenin resided on Percy Circus, less than half a mile north of Clerkenwell Green. In 1903 the newspaper was moved to Geneva. It is said that Lenin and a young Stalin met in the Crown and Anchor pub (now known as The Crown Tavern) on the Green when the latter was visiting London in 1903. In the 1920s and 1930s, 37a Clerkenwell Green was a venue for Communist Party meetings, and the Marx Memorial Library was founded on the same site in 1933. Clerkenwell’s tradition of left-leaning publication continues today, with The Guardian and The Observer having their headquarters a short walk away – although both papers will move to Kings Cross in 2008.”

London Presence however is not affiliated with any radicalist party today (!)

For more information on the area go to the Wikipedia page here.