Here's our insider's guide to Islington and its surrounding areas.
Click on the names to see a map or further information.
A |
Angel
- Named after a famous coaching inn - now a bank after reconstruction in
1981. Angel now refers more generally to the area around the Underground
station and along Upper Street.
Arlington
Square - Built around 1850, the Square and its wide streets are now
almost cut-off to through traffic from New North Road, giving the area a
very peaceful atmoshpere. Watch out for the learner drivers though... |
B |
Barnsbury
- A conservation area with many fine period houses and squares, tucked away
between Upper Street and Caledonian Road.
Business
Design Centre - Exhibition and conference centre located on Upper Street.
Originally the Royal Agricultural Hall, the majority of visitors were then livestock.
The raised pavements on Upper Street were built to keep pedestrians away
from the livestock on their way to market. |
C |
Canonbury
Square - One of the finest garden squares in Islington, built in 1800.
Famous inhabitants include George Orwell (number 27), Evelyn Waugh (number
17) and the Grossmiths (number 5) Diary of a Nobody fame. The Estorick
Gallery is at number 39 in the square and houses a collection of Modern
Italian Art.
Canonbury
- The conservation area contains many highly sought after period properties,
especially the rare villa-style houses on and around Alwyne Road.
Camden
Passage - Running parallel with Upper Street, it has a reputation for
being one of the best locations for antiques in the capital. The antiques
market is open between 9am and 4pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Clerkenwell
- Historically the home of the printing industry and small jewellery and
watch workshops, but now the established home of the loft apartment. After
Black Monday, recession hit landlords began letting their vacant commercial
Victorian buildings as residential studios and lofts, sparking an influx
of artists with an effect similar to SoHo, New York in the '50s. Many of
those artists have since migrated east through Shoreditch and off into Hackney,
but the area remains fresh and vibrant.
Congestion Charge
- Islington is mostly outside of the new Congestion Charging Zone, with
the boundary running along City Road, past Angel station and down Pentonville
Road. Some were worried that Islington's side streets would become rat-runs
for charge-dodgers, but we haven't noticed any increase in traffic at all
on the back-roads. |
D |
De
Beauvoir
- Often overlooked by Islington house-hunters, this area contains similar
period property to central Angel, but roads tend to be a bit quieter and
gardens bigger. In return for a longer walk to the Tube, you can get a good
deal more house for your money.
Dalston
- Definitely classed as 'up and coming', but should get there much faster
once the new Tube station opens.
Duncan
Terrace & Colebrooke Row - Two of the most sought after streets in the
area and literally seconds away from Islington Green, their Georgian terraces
originally overlooked the New River, which has since become the landscaped
area between the two streets.
Duke
of Cambridge, St. Peter's Street - London's first organic gastro pub. |
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Northchurch Road, De Beauvoir
|
E |
East
London Line - The long-awaited and much-delayed extension of the Tube
into Hackney. There will be three new stations along Kingsland Road, so
Hoxton, Haggerston, London Fields and Dalston properties are all set to
see significant increases in value once it opens. |
F |
Finsbury
- The area just South of Angel tube. Some of the finest period properties
are to be found around the classic garden squares, such as Myddleton Square
and Wilmington Square. Inside the Congeston Zone.
Farmers'
Market - Sunday's 10am to 2pm, just opposite Islington Green. |
G |
Gainsborough
Studios, Poole Street - It's been a power plant, a film studio (home
to Hitchcock's classics), a derelict warehouse hosting huge raves and now
a super-trendy apartment development. Watch out for it's positive effects
on surrounding Shoreditch Park. |
H |
Hoxton
- Completely turned around in the last 10 years, there are now hundreds
of bars and restaurants centred around Hoxton Square, art galleries and
expensive loft apartments.
Hugh Myddleton - Sir Hugh Myddleton built the New River in the early
1600's to bring drinking water to London from the springs in Hertfordshire.
His statue stands in front of Islington Green at the fork of Upper Street
and Essex Road.
Highbury
Fields - Islington's largest open space, with tennis courts, football
pitch and a well-used children's play area. The houses on Highbury Crescent
overlooking the Fields are among the most desirable in Islington. |
I |
Islington
Green - This small patch of green at the fork of Upper Street and Essex
Road provides the focal point for the whole area. Locals and shop workers
sit on the grass during sunny summer lunch-hours. |
J |
|
K |
Kingsland
Road - One of London's main North-South axes and also something of a
dividing line between Islington and Hackney. Property prices in the immediate
area are significantly lower than back towards Upper Street, but expect
that gap to close once the East London Line opens. |
L |
Lonsdale
Square - Built around 1838, this garden square in Barnsbury was built
in a unique Neo-Gothic style. One of the most sought after squares to this
day. |
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Lonsdale Square |
M |
Marx
Memorial Library - for books, pamphlets and periodicals on all aspects
of Marxism, the science of Socialism and history of working-class movements. |
N |
New
River - The New River, an idea proposed and partly
financed by the Welsh businessman and engineer Hugh Myddleton, was constructed
between 1609 and 1613 from Anwell and Chadwell in Hertfordshire to Islington,
London, in order to convey fresh water to the City of London. There's an
attractive path to walk along the brook through the heart of Canonbury.
Narrowboat
Pub, St. Peter's Street - Tucked away down St. Peter's Street, this
pub overlooks the canal. In the summer, take your drink down to the towpath
and sit by the water. |
O |
Old
Street - Defining the North-East corner of the City (and now also the
Congestion Zone), Old Street has become a general term for the area that
includes the Tube Station, Old Street itself, and also parts of Hoxton and
Shoreditch. |
P |
|
Q |
Queen's
Head, Essex Road - Hugely popular pub, especially in the summer evenings
with people spilling out on to Essex Road. |
R |
Regent's
Canal - The canal in Islington is part of the 8.5 mile Regent's Canal.
This flows from Little Venice through Camden and past Islington, Hackney
and Tower Hamlets. It enters the Thames at Limehouse Basin in the East End.
The towpath is used by joggers and cyclists, and several warehouse conversions
have sprung up along its banks.
Restaurants
- Far too many to mention here, Upper Street has become famous for its huge
selection of eateries. See the Evans Baker favourites... |
S |
Shoreditch
- Now known for its bars and nightlife, other highlights include Brick
Lane which has more bars, restaurants, a Sunday market, and the infamous
BodyWorlds exhibition. Also, the ever-popular flower market is on Columbia
Road on Sunday mornings.
Schools
- Information about all of the schools in Islington is on the Islington
Council website.
Sadler's Wells
Theatre - home of English Ballet. The splendid new building incorporates
some of the old one of 1927, whose stage was too narrow for major 20th
century ballet. The original building dates from 1638 - virtually nothing
of it remains. Once a spa, the original well remains in the foyer. |
T |
Tony
Blair's old house- In 1986, then Labour MP for Sedgefield, Tony Blair
moved to Stavordale Road in Highbury. By 1992, the MP had moved up in the
world, to the post of Shadow Home Office Minister and moved to Richmond
Crescent in Barnsbury.
Thornhill
Square - The garden square in Barnsbury that appeared in 'Four Weddings
and a Funeral'. |
U |
Underground
Stations - Angel (Northern Line), Highbury & Islington (Victoria
Line), Caledonian Road (Piccadilly Line)
Universities - The local university is City University. |
V |
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W |
Wenlock
Basin - Constructed in 1826, this basin off the Regent's Canal sits
between Upper Street and City Road, and is now home to several large warehouse
conversion developments. |
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Wilmington Square, Finsbury.
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X |
|
Y |
York
Way - The key road in the centre of the King's Cross redevelopment. |
Z |
Zones
- Islington falls on the boundary between London Transport Travelcard Zones
1 and 2. |
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