Dufferin is located in the northeastern corner of the City of London, near Old Street station. It is bounded by Whitecross Street to the west, Old Street to the north, Chiswell Street to the south and Bunhill Row to the east. The neighbourhood is largely comprised of Victorian shop-houses along its outer boundaries, while a post-war council estate is hidden inside the core. Despite being in central London, the area is close to green spaces such as Fortune Street Park to the west and Bunhill Fields to the east. Quaker Gardens is also located near the centre of the area. To the south is a Cass Business School building, adjacent to Trowers & Hamlins LLP – these buildings mark the edge of the City of London’s business district south of the Dufferin area.

Dufferin features one of the oldest continuous markets in London, Whitecross Street Market, which has been around for more than 150 years. Originally comprised of street vendors and costermongers, it drew attention as a place of destitution. Becoming synonymous with poverty and alcoholism, Whitecross became known as Squalors’ Market. Today, however, it is a weekday food market, serving lunchtime eats to definitely-not-destitute City workers.

Sir John Cass, founder of the Sir John Cass’s Foundation (one of the largest and oldest education charities in London), was a London politician and philanthropist who gave away a significant portion of his fortune for educational endeavours. Born in 1661, he served as both an Alderman and a Sheriff for the City, and was also the MP for the City. According to some, he passed away suddenly while signing the will through which he endowed his Foundation. Pupils at the schools he founded wear a red feather on Founder’s Day, to represent the bloodstained quill that Cass was known for using.

Based near the heart of the City of London, the Sir John Cass Foundation has supported education in the area since Sir John Cass first established a school here in 1710 - a legacy which continues into the present day. The Sir John Cass Business School is amongst the highest-ranked business schools in the world, holding a rare gold standard of ‘triple-crown’ accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).

While the Dufferin neighbourhood is close to London’s central business district, and gets crowded at times, the corporate heart of the City ends just short of Dufferin. The Old Street area to the north has a life of its own, and it has more in common with neighbouring Shoreditch than it does with business-centred Moorgate. The local shophouses surrounding the neighbourhood’s council flats can make the residential portions of the neighbourhood feel serene, and Quaker Gardens offers a quiet place to escape in the middle of it all.