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Saffron Hill is an area near Holborn between Leather Lane and Farringdon Road. In the 14th century saffron was grown in gardens here. In the 18th century the area deteriorated and became a notorious rookery with flourishing crime and vice, intersected by the open sewer of the Fleet Ditch. It is the site of Fagin's den in Oliver Twist. In the 19th century social workers began to operate in this area, and Saint Peter's church, to which this school was attached, was opened in 1832. The construction of Holborn Circus, Holborn Viaduct and Farringdon Road involved the covering of the Fleet and the demolition of many of the slum dwellings, changing the character of the area.
Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).