‘Not enough greenery’… Paolo Melis and Andrew Howard

THE ancient parish of Clerkenwell is Islington’s oldest business and financial district, and the neighbourhood certainly has a storied past.

Dickens, Lenin and Oliver Cromwell all called it home at various points and in Elizabethan times it housed three prisons and an entire brothel quarter in Turnmill Street, which runs from Clerkenwell Road in the north to Cowcross Street in the south.

One of the oldest streets in London, it is mentioned by Shakespeare in Henry IV: Part II.

However, those rambunctious days are now firmly consigned to the history books.

Since the turn of the century, gentrification has grown exponentially in Clerkenwell and if today’s radicals and intellectuals want to buy a house here, they’ll have to fork out a cool £3.8million.

Now even the The Sunday Times has branded it one of the “Best Places To Live” in its 2024 Guide, describing Clerkenwell as having “bundles of energy” and “top-notch culinary and cultural scenes”.

Charlene Simpson behind the bar of The Exmouth Arms

Charlene Simpson, 32, assistant manager at one of the area’s oldest pubs, The Exmouth Arms, is not surprised by the nomination.

“I’d love to live round here, but it’s completely out of my price range,” she said. “Only two people who work at the pub actually live in Clerkenwell, one’s still at home with their parents and the other’s in student accommodation. I think they pay around £900pcm for a room. Rent is insane in London.”

Charlene grew up in Hackney Wick and moved to Holloway when she started her family. She’s now looking to move to the outskirts of the capital, where you can get more bang for your buck. Post-Covid, commuting to the neighbourhood has become increasingly common for staff and customers alike, she says.

“I’m not really sure who actually lives round here, possibly older people who bought a long time ago”.

Her words are echoed  by Andrew Howard, 36, a stage technician at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, who lives in south-east London. Like Charlene, Andrew’s a fan of the area. “Upper Street is the Lordship Lane of north London,” he said.

The Exmouth Arms [Matt Brown_CC BY 2.0 DEED]

His colleague Paolo Melis, 39, head of sound at the performing arts venue, also raves about Clerkenwell’s buzzy restaurants and convenient transport links. However, neither has considered moving to the neighbourhood.

“See that house over there,” says Paolo pointing to a small terraced house opposite the iconic Islington theatre. “It sold for £1.5million last year, ­and this is not a quiet road.”

“It hasn’t even got a back garden”, Andrew adds.

Both were slightly surprised to learn the neighbourhood has been named the best place to live in London.

“There’s not enough greenery and too much traffic”, Andrew laughs, adding that were he ever to buy, he’d do so in south London. “It’s the superior half of the capital,” he said.

According to Foxton’s estate agents, the average rent in Clerkenwell is £4,498 a month – more than double most Londoners’ monthly salary.

Dickens chose Clerkenwell Green as the setting where Fagin and the Artful Dodger introduced Oliver to pickpocketing. Nowadays, you’d have to pick more than a pocket or two to rent in the area.