Welcome to our newsletter of walks and events for February 2026, and this month we again have a comprehensive range of walks to discover different aspects of the historic area of Clerkenwell and Islington, starting with:
Union Chapel Guided Tour
The Union Chapel has towered over Upper Street in Islington since the 1870s and today thrives as an award-winning venue, homelessness project and a working radical church.
On the tour, led by an expert Islington Guided Walks guide, you’ll see this architectural gem up close and discover the building’s fascinating history.
The Grade I listed Victorian Gothic Chapel is one of the largest Nonconformist churches in London. It houses an important Father Henry Willis organ that is one of few left in the UK with an original hydraulic blowing system, stunning stained glass windows and a distinctive octagonal interior built for acoustics and visibility.
Take a tour and learn more about Islington’s heritage, the Chapel’s triumphant survival after a wartime bomb, and the fascinating story of its near demolition in the 1980s, at a time when Victorian architecture was only just being appreciated.
Clerkenwell Road – Warehouse to Hard House
A guided tour of Victorian warehouses and industries on a road that was key to the great 19th-century reshaping of London
This tour explores the architecture and history of Victorian warehouses and the industries of the past along and around Clerkenwell Road, as well as the 19th-century drive to reshape London through the building of roads and railways.
The creation of Clerkenwell Road carved a swathe through the city’s history, destroying neighbourhoods, making hundreds of people homeless and changing the social make-up of the area.
Today this area is full of architects, designers and cafes, but in earlier times this was a place of warehouses and factories, from crystal glass manufacturing to clockmakers, printers to gin distillers. It went on to be home to some of the famous names of the 20th century, including Columbia Records, Kodak Cameras and Zetter’s Pools – not forgetting the legendary nightclub Turnmills. Traces and clues to this rich history still remain and we’ll see how many we can find.
The tour starts at Barbican exit to the Elizabeth Line on Long Lane, opposite the Old Red Cow pub, and will take about 90 minutes, ending a short distance from Farringdon station. It’s a gentle wander on flat city pavements, though some of them are quite narrow.
The tour will start at 11am so please aim to arrive 5-10 minutes early.
This walk takes place on the 7th of February. Click here for details and booking.
Ghostsigns of Islington: bygone brands and businesses
Ghostsigns are the remnants of old advertising that still cling to the walls above today’s busy streets depicting products or services that are no longer available. There are some excellent examples to be found in adjacent to Islington High Street.
Most of the signs we’ll look at will be the hand-painted variety, as per the example shown here, but you will also see other types of old signage such as low reliefs, forged metal and carved and gilded shop fronts.
Learn about the unusual businesses, people or products behind the signs; from vets to vegans, rubber to metal and cars to chemists.
Starts near the Town Hall and ends at Angel station.
For more info on this specific walk please use the website link at the bottom or see janeslondonwalks on Eventbrite
This walk takes place on the 12th of February. Click here for details and booking.
Canonbury Tower Tour
Canonbury Tower was built in the late 16th century and is a rare survivor of Tudor domestic architecture in London. The Tower was added onto a manor house built in the early 1500s as the country retreat of the Canons of St Bartholomew’s Priory in Smithfield.
On this 90-minute tour you’ll see the existing Tudor interiors and hear about the many notable characters associated with the building. Over the centuries these have included Thomas Cromwell of Wolf Hall fame, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, Francis Bacon and the writers Washington Irving (Sleepy Hollow) and Oliver Goldsmith (The Vicar of Wakefield). You’ll also have the chance to climb up to the rooftop which affords wonderful views over London in all directions.
Tours are available twice a month on the second Friday and the last Wednesday.
Canonbury Tower is owned by the Marquess of Northampton and has been in the same family since the 16th century. All visitors are guests of the seventh Marquess, Spencer Compton.
This tour takes place on the 13th of February. Click here for details and booking.
St Mary Islington – Church and Tower Tour
Discover the history of Islington’s first parish church and climb the 120 steps to the top of tower for the best panoramic views across London.
St Mary’s church on Upper Street has played a central role in the history of Islington for over a thousand years and, during this time, several different churches have stood on the site, leaving an eclectic mix of architectural styles.
Find out about the 12th century Norman church, its 15th century medieval successor and the 18th century rebuild. During The Blitz of World War II St Mary’s suffered extensive damage – only the tower and steeple survived the bomb. The church was rebuilt in 1956 as a fascinating example of post-war reconstruction, enhanced by many unique artworks of interest.
This tour takes place on the 14th of February. Click here for details and booking.
Art Deco Arsenal
Sport and transport, movies and moving.
Join Jane to admire and find out about a cross-section of 1930’s buildings, collectively known as Art Deco. See how the innovative styles of that era still endure today.
You’ll see stadium and cinema architecture whilst hearing about design, typography and geometric embellishments and you’ll get to peek inside some impressive interiors.
We’ll also look at other well-proportioned inter-war innovations in the form of residential and business properties, as well as a renovation scheme that was never completed.
The tour starts near Arsenal station and lasts approx two hours, ending a stone’s throw from Finsbury Park station.
For more info on this specific walk please use on the website link at the bottom or see janeslondonwalks on Eventbrite
This walk takes place on the 15th of February. Click here for details and booking.
Regent’s Canal, a walking tour of its industrial past & sustainable future
On this linear walk along the Regent’s Canal from Angel Station, led by qualified Clerkenwell & Islington guide and conservation architect Minerva, you will:
• Discover how Victorian industrial wasteland became London’s most desirable waterside living – and what this transformation cost some communities
• Learn why adaptive reuse of old buildings is the ultimate climate action – and which developers are getting sustainable regeneration right
• Compare two contrasting estate regenerations: Packington’s success story vs Colville’s cautionary tale of poor workmanship and displaced tenants
• Understand how the canal that once moved coal now moves gentrification – spotting genuine community benefit vs expensive window dressing
• Explore mixed-use developments and warehouse conversions that either honor or erase the area’s working-class heritage
” This tour was an incredible experience! The walk, combined with Minerva’s explanations, helped me rediscover the canal’s rich history and evolution. The tour highlights some of the key buildings along the canal, but it’s presented in a way that’s engaging and accessible, even for those who aren’t architecture enthusiasts. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to explore and learn more about this fascinating part of the city!”
This walk takes place on the 22nd of February. Click here for details and booking.
The Slow Horses Stroll
Prepare to immerse yourself in the authentic London of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses novels and the acclaimed TV adaptation.
This walking tour takes you beyond the screen and pages, directly into the streets that inspired the stories and characters you love.
Your guides, Caroline and Nigel, will take you in the footsteps of your favourite bunch of MI5 misfits, and give you a whole new perspective on the city. You’ll see the actual Slough House and other real-life locations where memorable encounters with the Slow Horses take place. And along the way, you’ll discover the fascinating links between the series and London’s rich past — from the medieval heritage of its oldest parish church, to the Victorian grandeur of Smithfield Market, and the striking Brutalism of the Barbican.
The locations are brought to life with some of your guides’ favourite extracts from the novels and they’ll uncover the production secrets that transform this corner of the city into Lamb’s London.
The two-hour tour starts outside Barbican Underground Station (Hammersmith & City line) and ends near Old Street Station (Northern line).
Disclaimer: this walking tour of Slow Horses locations is in no way affiliated with Mick Herron or his publishers, See-Saw Films or Apple TV+.
This walk takes place on the 20th of February. Click here for details and booking.
Caledonian Clock Tower
Discover the hidden history of the Caledonian Market Clock Tower, the last surviving structure of Islington’s vast Victorian livestock market. On this guided tour with Islington Guided Walks, you’ll explore how thousands of cattle, sheep and pigs once passed through this site each week, shaping the streets, pubs and daily life of north London.
Climb 178 historic steps inside the Grade II* listed tower to see the original Victorian clock mechanism, still wound by hand, and enjoy sweeping views across London from the upper levels. Along the way, uncover the dramatic rise, decline and survival of the market, and how this remarkable tower was saved and restored as a local landmark.
Please note: this tour involves steep, narrow stairs and requires sturdy footwear.
This walk takes place on the 28th of February. Click here for details and booking.
Look At The Estate We’re In
An architectural appreciation tour showcasing a variety of well-designed social housing estates in Islington.
We’ll start in Essex Road and make our way to Highbury & Islington station via Victorian, Edwardian and pre-WWII developments made possible by concerned and innovative benefactors. We’ll also look at early LCC estates and Islington’s own, more recent, schemes. It’s a delightful route that always surprises.
Find out about the philanthropists and the architects behind the schemes and how their cleverly designed and solid-built constructions brought about a sense of pride and well-being. See how these estates continue to look good today.
For more info on this specific walk please use the website link at the bottom or see janeslondonwalks on Eventbrite
This walk takes place on the 1st of March. Click here for details and booking.
Finsbury in Print
Finsbury’s narrow streets and courts provide the setting for many novels. We pass by novelist Arnold Bennetts’s Riceyman Steps, through George Gissing’s Nether World, see where Dickens’ Oliver Twist first met Mr Brownlow and meet the inspiration for Miss Haversham.
Closely associated with the print trade, Finsbury was also home to many magazines and journals, from the Gentleman’s Magazine of the 18th century, through Lenin’s Iskra to feminist Spare Rib in the 1970s with stories by Margaret Drabble and Edna O’Brien among others.
This walk takes place on the 2nd of March. Click here for details and booking.
Clerkenwell Road – Warehouse to Hard House
A guided tour of Victorian warehouses and industries on a road that was key to the great 19th-century reshaping of London
This tour explores the architecture and history of Victorian warehouses and the industries of the past along and around Clerkenwell Road, as well as the 19th-century drive to reshape London through the building of roads and railways.
The creation of Clerkenwell Road carved a swathe through the city’s history, destroying neighbourhoods, making hundreds of people homeless and changing the social make-up of the area.
Today this area is full of architects, designers and cafes, but in earlier times this was a place of warehouses and factories, from crystal glass manufacturing to clockmakers, printers to gin distillers. It went on to be home to some of the famous names of the 20th century, including Columbia Records, Kodak Cameras and Zetter’s Pools – not forgetting the legendary nightclub Turnmills. Traces and clues to this rich history still remain and we’ll see how many we can find.
The tour starts at Barbican exit to the Elizabeth Line on Long Lane, opposite the Old Red Cow pub, and will take about 90 minutes, ending a short distance from Farringdon station. It’s a gentle wander on flat city pavements, though some of them are quite narrow.
This walk takes place on the 7th of March. Click here for details and booking.
Our next newsletter will be on the first weekend in March, and until then, our website is regularly updated with new walks.
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