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 mixed bag showcasing the diverse and creative people who have lived and worked in the Holloway area across the centuries. Learn about innovators and inventors, diarists and dandies, punks and painters, space travel and sport. We'll visit locations associated with poets, playwrights, musicians, artists and thieves – some names you might already know but ... Read More
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 ... Read More
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 ... Read More
One of Islington's often-ignored streets, this thoroughfare offers a wealth of diverse history and architectural delights. Jane will lead you along the full length of the road from Islington Green to Ball's Pond Road covering 500 years of history, from Tudor houses, through 1820's Georgian splendour and Victorian expansion to Art Deco embellishment and today’s ... Read More
A tour with a former Pub Landlady and Cook which explores not only the why and wherefore of the explosion of restaurants, cafes and bars in the area over the last 30 years or so, but also dining and drinking from the past, including feasting with royalty and monks, eating with the Victorian working classes ... Read More
Join Greg The Guide for a fun stroll through Highbury’s history, with history and stories along the way, and a comfort stop at a local pub Historic Highbury - a guided walk with pubs Join ````Qualified Islington guide and local resident Greg for a fun and informative stroll through the streets of historic Canonbury, starting ... Read More
From warrior queens to scientists, writers, reformers and pop icons, this tour uncovers the powerful, rebellious and visionary women who shaped not only this neighbourhood, but the wider world. Expect hidden histories, bold personalities, and a fresh perspective on a part of London you thought you knew. Over approximately 2 hours, we’ll explore powerful highlights—from ... Read More
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 ... Read More
Take a rare look inside Islington's glorious Grade II* listed 1930s Egyptian cinema. When the Carlton Cinema on Essex Road opened in 1930 it was advertised as ‘North London’s most palatial cine-variety theatre’ with 2,500 seats and an in-house orchestra. After the cinema closed in 1972 the building was converted into a bingo club which ... Read More
Take a rare look inside Islington's glorious Grade II* listed 1930s Egyptian cinema. When the Carlton Cinema on Essex Road opened in 1930 it was advertised as ‘North London’s most palatial cine-variety theatre’ with 2,500 seats and an in-house orchestra. After the cinema closed in 1972 the building was converted into a bingo club which ... Read More
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 ... Read More