Local expert Philip Nelkon teleports you to a bygone Islington. Take a stroll along chic Upper Street and its surrounds to experience the first half of the 20th century and the hidden history of a less prosperous Islington. There was no NHS, so where did the poor go for treatment and where could they get ... Read More
This boundary walk between Islington and Hackney boroughs weaves around the areas either side of the Regent’s Canal, City Rd Basin and City Rd. There’s a wealth of interest in the old boroughs of Finsbury and Shoreditch, and the edge of the City in Moorfields. A varied mix of City Livery Company history, ironworks, canal ... Read More
See inside the oldest building in Islington and enjoy a magnificent view for miles over London from the roof of its tower. 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 ... Read More
Since the middle-ages, when religious pageants were held on the banks of the River Fleet and entertainers performed at the annual Bartholomew’s Fair, Clerkenwell has been a part of London steeped in cultural history. Theatre, literature, music, film, architecture, food, sculpture and visual art spanning the last 900 years are all covered as we wander ... Read More
This walk traces today’s border between Islington and Camden winding either side of the now buried River Fleet. Along the way, we’ll see varied architecture from pretty Georgian and Victorian terraces to old burial grounds, narrow passages that were once slums and restored industrial buildings; see if we can spot historic boundary markers; meet mediaeval ... Read More
This walk between Islington and Hackney boroughs follows the lines of Balls Pond Road and Southgate Road, including a stroll through pretty De Beauvoir Town. There’s a wealth of interest on either side of the border, including a leper hospital, almshouses, inns of pleasure and ill repute, 19C residential roads, market gardens, a livestock market, ... Read More
See inside the oldest building in Islington and enjoy a magnificent view for miles over London from the roof of its tower. 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 ... Read More
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 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 ... Read More
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, ... Read More
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 ... Read More
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 ... Read More
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, ... Read More