Today the tow path is open to all, lined with colourful houseboats, waterside apartments and offices, well-used by walkers, cyclists and joggers. We use it to experience a bit of calm and quiet away from the bustle of the shops and the cars. But it wasn't always so lovely. This 200-year-old waterway from Paddington to ... Read More
In 1884 Sanger's Circus came to the south-east corner of Parliament Fields. Some of the animals and vehicles arrived via rail and, during the unloading process, two of the four performing elephants got unusually spooked and broke free of the yard, fleeing through nearby streets, causing mayhem and excitement along the way. Ida and Palm's ... Read More
Discover how Islington developed from a rural settlement and centre for dairy farming into the diverse, bustling area it is today. In 1086 the Domesday Book reported that Islington contained just 27 households. Today its quarter-of-a-million residents live in an area that boasts world-class cultural venues but also less green space than any other London ... 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
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
Remnants of bygone advertising, for bygone brands and businesses, are still visible today, clinging to the walls above our busy streets. These old signs are now commonly referred to as 'ghostsigns' and most of the ones we'll look at on this walk will be the hand-painted variety, as per the example I've created for this ... Read More
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