Charlotte Gunnell

What better place for the new home of the Museum of London than Smithfield, where London’s history has played out for centuries? There are buildings on West Smithfield which survived the Great Fire of London, dodged the bombs of The Blitz, and have seen our city grow around them for almost 1,000 years. That makes Smithfield one of the oldest areas in London, and one that deserves much more recognition than it gets. Here's six cultural gems you should check out the next time you're in the 'hood:  Memorials to revolutioners Tell a medieval Londoner that you were off to admire the rich cultural beauty of Smithfield and they’d look at you as if you were one turnip short of a turnip surprise. That’s because, in their day, the area was an infamous site for executions: it was here that Scottish patriot Sir William Wallace was hung and quartered in 1305; that Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasant’s Revolt, met his end in 1381; and that Henry VIII exacted his revenge on the people who dared deny that he was head of the church. Memorials for Wallace and Tyler remain here today.   @damienhirst #stbartholomewthegreat #smithfield A photo posted by @davidahbtaylor on May 21, 2016 at 4:25am PDT     A Damien Hirst masterpiece at an Oscar-worthy filming location Remember when everyone rushed to Tate Modern to see Damien Hirst’s exhibition? Well now you can see his work again - this time at St Bartholomew the Great church in Smithfield. ‘Exquisite Pain’ - a gilded statue of Saint Bartholomew b

So you’ve made it through the morning. Well done you! You deserve a break, surely, and it should be something extra special. Today is a day that deserves more than a Pret sandwich. Hell, not even a work picnic on the concrete steps outside Sainsbury’s will suffice (as opulent as that sounds). So go and explore. A whole hour is stretched out before you, full of opportunities. Take some inspiration from the rich culture that makes up our beautiful city. Discover a little bit of London down a road less picnic’d. Escape the suits and the tourists for 60 precious minutes of your working day, and visit one of these quiet places that you can visit within the hour:   Euston: The Grant Museum of Zoology If dissected animals in formaldehyde won’t put you off your lunch, then pay UCL’s natural history museum a visit near Euston Square station. Among their collection of 68,000 animal specimens – including some from London Zoo – are a dodo, a quagga, and a jar of moles. Because why not. See also: The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology Farringdon: St Bartholomew the Great Not only was this peaceful twelfth-century church used as a filming location for 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Shakespeare in Love' and many others, it's a place where you'll get to admire a modern work of art in the bargain, too: Damien Hirst’s statue of St Bartholomew – called Exquisite Pain – will be at St Bart’s for the next few years. Oh, and if the area around the entrance to St Bart’s Hospi