Welcome to the September edition of walks and events by Islington Guides, starting with:
Islington: 900 Years in 90 Minutes
Explore the vibrant evolution of Islington from the 12th century to the modern day. On this fast-paced historical stroll, we will visit the hidden corners where locals have lived, worshipped, worked, and built businesses for centuries. Rather than just focusing on grand monuments, we will look at the human history of the area—uncovering how everyday families, artists, and neighbours transformed a quiet rural parish into the welcoming, diverse community we see today.
We will start at The White Swan around the corner from Highbury & Islington station, and finish 2 minutes from Angel station.
What’s Your Tipple…?
This entertaining tour will take you through the area’s historic as well as current popular spots where Londoners have convened to enjoy a drink or two and still do!
Learn about the evolution of drinks from the humble water to addictive gin, the circumstances that lead locals to try and indulge in alcoholic beverages through the last few centuries, and how Islington was best placed to produce them.
We will start at Farringdon station and end at a historic pub 5 minute-walk away where you can buy your favourite tipple!
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 walk takes place on the 5th of September. Click here for details, along with future dates.
Canonbury Tower guided 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 usually 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 walk takes place on the 11th of September. Click here for details, along with future dates.
Eclectic Clerkenwell
Monks, nuns, courthouses, rookeries, radicals, distillers, pubs, crafts, trades and architecture!
“Great Tour… Perfect style and pace.” Tripadvisor 5*
“Really interesting and entertaining… Jonathan is a knowledgeable and personable guide.” Tripadvisor 5*
“Excellent tour. Very interesting and informative.” Tripadvisor 5*
“Another fact filled walk… off the beaten track… Thoroughly recommend.” Tripadvisor 5*
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 sites of the historic court houses of the lost county of Middlesex.
• Admire architecture from the 16th to the 21st centuries in this 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 great tour… Immensely enjoyable and packed with fascinating details”
“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 12th of September. Click here for details.
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!”
Industrial Clerkenwell
This tour explores the architecture and history of the industries of the past along and around Clerkenwell Road, St John Street and surrounding streets, looking for traces of the warehouses, factories and working lives of a vanished world.
This walk takes place on the 26th of September and can be booked by clicking here.
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.
Our next newsletter of walks and events will be on the first weekend in October. Until then, our website is regularly updated with walks, and also has walks for the months following September.
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