Priss Fotheringham ‘the second best whore in the city’ The above blue plaque in Whitecross Street, Finsbury, has recently been obscured by a new artwork. Whilst sad that we can no longer see it, the plaque itself was part of a contemporary artwork series installed in 2012 during the annual Whitecross festival of street art. … Read More
Crackers invented in Finsbury As Christmas approaches and we start to prepare for the festival season, putting up the tree and decorations, buying the presents and starting to think just how big that turkey will be! Have you ever thought about those essential Christmas Crackers – where for a few days a year we laugh … Read More
Daniel Defoe 1660 – 1731. Born Cripplegate died Ropemakers Alley, Moorfields Have you been to Bunhill Fields and seen this? This impressive memorial to famous author Daniel Defoe does him proud but did you know that originally he had a much more modest headstone? Almost 150 years after his death, as the appreciation of his story telling grew it was … Read More
This discreet wall plate on a school in Bath Street, Finsbury commemorates the ‘French Hospital’, founded in 1718. Then this Islington Borough green historic plaque marked the adjacent site of the rather more sinister-sounding City Pest House, established in 1593; sadly, it appears to have been mislaid during some recent building work. Bath Street … Read More
Introduction The area of Finsbury has a strong connection with Medicine, and to start off, here is a post that looks at the Bethlehem Hospital – in the City of London, but just outside the Moorgate. The hospital led to many Doctors and Physicians living in the area around Finsbury Circus, and this led to … 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