Saffron Hill, London, EC1N

An astounding lateral loft apartment re-designed with great inventiveness and thought, located in the former home of Punch Magazine. Punch was established in 1841 by Ebenezer Landells and Henry Mayhew, a British Magazine full of humour and satire, renowned internationally for its wit and for its introduction of the term cartoon as we know it today. It published the works of some of the greatest comic writers and poets such as W.M Thackeray, Mayhew, P.G. Wodehouse, Sir John Betjeman, Alan Coren and Miles Kingston to name a few. In 1947-1948 its readership peaked at 184,000 copies and in later years much of the archive was acquired by the British Library, including the famous Punch table. Many might wonder why the building inherited the name of Leonardo da Vinci born in 1452, one of the greatest renaissance painter, writer, sculptor, engineer and architect of all time! Clerkenwell was once known as London's "Little Italy" as from the 1850’s to the late 1960’s it was home to over 15,000 Italians, and in homage to this community it was re-named after one of Italy’s greatest inventive minds and possible the most notable Italian in history. This incredible loft apartment, has been sensibly re designed making intelligent use of the space available, creating a most wonderful home. Wherever possible rooms have been reconfigured, walls moved, ample storage space created and floor to ceiling doors added allowing the space to flow logically. The living area is a vast space, cleverly divided into a formal reception area, ample dining space and bespoke fitted kitchen. There are three bedrooms all which are doubles with floor to ceiling built in wardrobes. The principal bedroom has an en-suite shower room and there is a further family/guest bathroom as well as utility room. The apartment also benefits from a secure off street parking space, a rarity in Clerkenwell. Saffron Hill runs parallel to Hatton Garden and is moments from Farringdon Underground (Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City, Circle and Elizabeth Lines) and Mainline Station which offer superb connections to the financial district in The City and London's West End. Clerkenwell, recently described by The Times as “all that’s best about life” in the capital and named as the best place to live in London, first became a fashionable place in the 17th century as a destination where Londoners enjoyed tea gardens, theatres and spas: in fact, you can still see part of Clerks’ Well after which Clerkenwell was originally named. The area later became famous as a centre for clock and watchmaking alongside the jewellers and goldsmiths of Hatton Garden. It remains one of the best-preserved village centres in central London – a vibrant modern community with a fascinatingly rich history. With Exmouth Market close by offering great shopping and tremendous diversity of acclaimed restaurants and bars it remains one of London’s best kept secrets. Some pictures show the apartment as previously furnished.