Welcome to the July newsletter from Clerkenwell and Islington Guides.

A couple of months ago, our newsletter covered Peter Axson’s sponsored bike ride for the Jane Duffield Bursary Charitable Trust.

The Jane Duffield Bursary Charitable Trust was set up in late 2020 in memory of our friend Jane Duffield. Jane was an inspirational teacher who was for some 17 years a teacher, Literacy Co-ordinator, Head of Key Stage and ultimately Assistant Head of Richard Cobden Primary School in the London Borough of Camden. While she was teaching Jane was also following her interest in tour guiding, qualifying as a City of London Guide, a Westminster Guide, and a Clerkenwell and Islington Guide (receiving the Guide of the Year award on this course). After 10 years as a part time guide she gave up her teaching post to train as a Blue Badge Guide, covering not only the whole of London but also other areas  such as Windsor, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge and Stratford upon Avon. She qualified as a Blue Badge guide in 2015 and went on to qualify as a London Borough of Camden tour guide, the borough where she had lived and worked for so long.

Peter has now completed the first bike ride, and can be seen here crossing Tower Bridge (in blue on the right):

Peter provided the following update:

Thanks for all those who sponsored me, your generosity has raised enough to fund three bursaries to allow three more students to benefit from a Guiding course.

The London 100 was cruel. I completed it in just under 10 hours having had several punctures. Actual cycling time 7 and a quarter hours, with 2 and ¾ hours learning how to change inner tubes – a skill last used as a teenager.

Sadly phase two of the London-Brighton has been delayed until September due to a cycling accident three days after completing the London 100.

The good news is the site window for sponsorship has been extended and even better news the Charity has now been recognized by HMRC so all future and (hopefully)  those received to far will be able to receive gift aid further boosting the benefit to the charity.

Donations can continue to be made by clicking here, and are very gratefully received.

Now for a list of the latest walks available from Clerkenwell and Islington Guides:

CATTLE, CONVICTS & CELTS

Expect a once innovative prison, an establishment for fatherless Scottish children, the revolutionary impact of the railways and omnibus and the remnants of the huge livestock market that fuelled the Victorian mega-city with meat.

This circular walk commissioned by The London Metropolitan Archives continues a series covering the broad sweep of London’s history. It explores the dramatic impact of the Victorian era on the area in and around Caledonian Road. To tie in with The London Metropolitan Archive’s current exhibition on “The Lost Victorian City”  the walk includes two significant lost institutions.

This walk takes place on the 10th of July at 11:00 and can be booked by clicking here.

ISLINGTON’S BIG SCREENS

A stroll through more than 100 years of Islington cinema-going; all between Angel and Essex Road stations. You’’ll encounter Victorian showmen, architectural wonders and tales of bad behaviour in the stalls. Come to discover hidden gems and hear what a night ‘at the flicks’ was like decades before multiplexes.

In addition to such landmarks as the Screen on the Green, you’ll see some buildings that were once cinemas as well as a few intriguing places where all trace of their cinematic past has vanished.

This walk takes place on the 10th of July at 18:30 and can be booked by clicking here.

ALL AROUND THE HOUSES (ESSEX ROAD TO REGENT’S CANAL)

Part of the proceeds from this walk will support the Arlington Association’s fund-raising for local charities and to maintain Arlington Square’s garden.
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Keep it to yourself, but the streets between Essex Road and the Regent’s Canal form one of Islington’s hidden pockets of tranquility and beauty.

See a microcosm of Islington’s history, heritage and housing in this area’s architecture, waterways, gardens and pubs and discover its close ties to the ancient City of London.

London On The Ground’s guided walk in this area will let you in on its secrets. Highlights include:

– Islington’s early story from the Domesday Book to the 1500s.
– Mid 19th century terraced houses and social housing from the 1800s to the 2000s.
– A Victorian church and almshouses with historic ties to the City of London.
– A school with links to Pink Floyd and a mural commemorating the New River.
– The Regent’s Canal.
– An award-winning public garden square maintained by local residents.
– A community pub, where the tour will end (with a drink for those who would like one!).

Start: Outside Essex Road station, Canonbury Road N1
Finish: The Hanbury pub, Linton Street N1

The walk will take between 90 mins and 2 hrs. Please be prepared for all weathers!

“A thoroughly enjoyable tour.”
“… a lovely walk, definitely recommended.”
“Great walk, well structured, paced and delivered.”

This walk takes place on the 18th of July at 18:00 and can be booked by clicking here.

ST MARY ISLINGTON – CHURCH AND TOWER TOUR

St Mary’s, Islington on Upper Street has played a central role in the history of Islington for a thousand years. During this time several different churches have stood on the site, leaving an eclectic range of architectural styles.

On this 90-minute guided tour you’ll learn about the 12th-century Norman church and its 15th-century medieval successor. In the 18th century it was completely rebuilt, lasting until 1940 when St Mary’s became the first London church to be destroyed in World War II. Only the tower and steeple survived the bomb; the main body of the church was rebuilt in 1956, a fascinating example of post-war reconstruction and design.

As well as providing a glimpse into the history of St Mary’s and how it has influenced Islington today, you’ll also have the opportunity to climb the 120 steps to the top of tower, giving you a bird’s-eye view over London.

This walk takes place on the 20th of July at 14:00 and can be booked by clicking here.

CLERKENWELL: LONDON’S FIRST SUBURB

Monks, nuns, courthouses, rookeries, radicals, distillers, pubs, crafts, trades and architecture

On this circular walk from/to Farringdon Station, now one of the best connected stations in all of London, you will:

• Learn about Clerkenwell’s Norman and medieval monastic heritage.
• Discover Clerkenwell’s tradition for radicalism, dissent and protest.
• Understand its growth from rural monastic quarter to the first area to be swallowed up by creeping urbanisation.
• Hear about Clerkenwell’s history as a centre for makers of clocks, watches, jewellery and furniture; for brewers and distillers; and for crime and vice.
• See the site of the historic court houses of the lost county of Middlesex.
• Admire architecture from the 16th to the 21st centuries in a visually attractive village-like area.
• Have a rare opportunity to see the Clerk’s Well that gave the area its name.

“Thanks for a great walk.”
“a very enjoyable walk with Jonathan around Clerkenwell”
“enjoyed the informative dialogue and the hidden places visited”

The walk lasts approximately two hours. Please be prepared for all weather conditions!

Start: Farringdon Station forecourt (opposite Castle pub, Cowcross Street/Turnmill Street)
Finish: Farringdon Station

This walk takes place on the 21st of July at 14:30 and can be booked by clicking here.

UP AND DOWN UPPER STREET

Islington, now the most densely populated London borough, was for centuries famed for its pastures, dairies, fresh water wells and pleasure gardens. Today, this inner urban borough offers an eclectic range of modern shops, restaurants, theatres, pubs and cafes, but its history remains there, hidden in plain sight.

At the heart of Islington is Upper Street, the borough’s main road and liveliest thoroughfare.
Upper Street was once part of the main route for drovers bringing livestock into Smithfield Market in the City of London. Islington comprised Upper Street, Essex Road (formerly Lower Street/Lower Road) and a lot of fields until the 18th century.

The gateway to Upper Street is Angel, a name which has come to denote this whole quarter.
• Learn how the tube station, and the area, got its name.
• Hear echoes of forgotten tramways, waterways and cattle droving routes.
• See the church that distils Islington’s history in a single building; and two contrasting theatres.
• Find out about Islington’s takeover of the former borough of Finsbury.
• Discover a hidden garden most locals don’t even know; and Upper Street’s newest public space.

The walk lasts approximately two hours. Please be prepared for all weather conditions!

Start: Outside Angel tube station, Islington High Street, N1 8XX.
Finish: a short walk from Highbury & Islington tube station.

“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for Friday’s wonderful tour of Angel. We’ve had loads of great feedback and learnt a lot ourselves too! The team were very impressed by your extensive knowledge.”

“…a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, the tour was brilliantly structured and Jonathan’s narrative flowed beautifully – hugely informative and very entertaining.”

This walk takes place on the 10th of August at 11:00 and can be booked by clicking here.

Our next newsletter will be out on the first Sunday in August.