Canonbury Tower Tour

Come and explore the inside and outside of one of Islington’s historic jewels – the Canonbury Tower.  Originally built in the early 1500s by Prior Bolton of St Bartholomew’s Priory as a summer retreat, the Tower has a fascinating history, and was owned by Thomas Cromwell (of Wolf Hall fame) and at one time occupied by novelist Oliver Goldsmith.  

Please note that access to this building is restricted, and only available if it is not in use. The tour will also only run if we have three or more visitors booking. We regret that the tour might need to be cancelled at short notice.  We will endeavor to contact you (using email) 48 hours before the tour to let you know if it is going ahead. 

Please get to the building ten minutes before the tour commences.   Once the tour starts, the main door will be locked, and late comers will not be able to join the tour.   The tour takes about an hour and a half to complete.

Canonbury Tower is in Canonbury Place, N1 2NQ (opposite the junction with Compton Road).  The nearest stations are Highbury and Islington, Essex Road, and Canonbury.  Please check travel options at the Transport for London Journey Planner. 

If you can’t make this date, the tour generally runs twice a month. Click the link below for a full list of dates.