Walking the Hackney/Islington border from the Rosemary Branch to Old St

This boundary walk between Hackney and Islington boroughs weaves around the areas either side of Regent’s Canal, City Rd basin and City Rd

‘Beating the Bounds’ to mark and confirm the borders between parishes is an ancient tradition, where the border was literally paced out, agreed and marked with stones each year. This is the second in a series of planned walks exploring the borders of today’s Islington Borough, looking at how this has evolved over the centuries due to a mix of changing land ownership, parish church catchments, significance of early settlements and roads, and natural features such as springs and ponds.

There’s a wealth of interest on either side of the border as we walk from the Regent’s canal to Finsbury, Shoreditch and the edge of the City in Moorfields. A varied mix of City Livery Company history, ironworks, canal basins, WWII devastation, the lost hospitals quarter, a natural swimming pool and a mediaeval well. This walk lasts for 2 hours and ends near Old Street station.