Why visit? This is a vibrant, diverse community with one of the youngest average ages of any London borough. The Upper Street area is lined with lively restaurants, bars and shops. The area has significant entertainment links. It includes the sites of some of the country’s early purpose-built cinemas, one of which still functions as … Read More
Why visit? Caledonian Road is an interesting place to visit because of the fascinating history provided by the Caledonian Asylum and the Caledonian Market. Today the road shows marked contrast between the western section dominated by post-war housing developments and the eastern side which was developed as fine Victorian housing. Running through the southern end … Read More
The borough of Islington is full of interesting areas – this section of our website provides you with an overview of the different areas that you might want to explore with our guides Clerkenwell – Medieval Monasteries, Entertainment, Revolutions, Craftspeople, Prisons and Theatre, The Fleet Finsbury – Archery, Burial grounds, Medical history, Poverty and Nonconformist … Read More
For many centuries Islington’s abundant natural water sources played an important part in its history. From medieval times, drovers taking livestock to Smithfield market stopped in the Islington countryside to feed and water their animals. By the Tudor age Islington was known as ‘Cowtown’ because its rich pasture was ideal for dairy farming and pleasure-seekers … Read More
Why visit this area? Islington is a borough of contrasts, both in the prosperity of its residents and the environment they inhabit, and if there’s one area that could be said to express this most, it is Canonbury and Mildmay Park. From Highbury New Park across to Southgate Road, and south to the Regent’s Canal, … Read More
Why visit this area? A walk through Clerkenwell is a journey into a thousand years of history. Once a pastoral tranquillity of rural religious houses and one of London’s early medieval suburbs with its wells, rivers and Mystery Plays. More up to date it has one of the first Underground stations and the latest Crossrail … Read More
Why visit this area? If you are interested in old graves and burial grounds, social history or listed buildings, this area of Islington has much to offer. From the art deco on one side of Charterhouse Square to the ancient Monastery building on the other, from the site of the first public park to the … Read More
Why visit this area? Walking through Holloway is like leafing through an encyclopaedia of architectural styles – commercial, church and residential – from the late 18th century to the present day. Each sub-area has its own character, and the transitions can be dramatic: when York Way (predominantly commercial and light industrial) crosses Camden Road it … Read More
Why visit this area? Highbury is an elegant Georgian and Victorian residential area on a gentle incline leading up to its highest point (160ft) of Highbury Hill. It contains 25 acres of open space called Highbury Fields and the ‘village’ of Highbury Barn. Before it developed in the late 18th and early 19th century, it … Read More