| Islington | |
|---|---|
 Islington High Street, looking south towards Pentonville Road | |
  Islington Location withinGreater London | |
| Area | 14.86 km2 (5.74 sq mi) (whole Borough) |
| Population | 206,125 (2011 census) (whole borough)[1] |
| • Density | 13,871/km2 (35,930/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ315844 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | N1,EC1 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°32′38″N0°06′10″W / 51.5440°N 0.1027°W /51.5440; -0.1027 | |
Islington (/ˈɪzlɪŋtən/IZ-ling-tən) is an inner-city area of northLondon, England, within the widerLondon Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district ofInner London, extending from Islington'sHigh Street to Highbury Fields andRegent's Canal, encompassing the area around the busy High Street,Upper Street,Essex Road, andSouthgate Road to the east.
The manor of Islington was named by theSaxonsGiseldone (1005), thenGislandune (1062). The name means "Gīsla's hill" from the Old Englishpersonal nameGīsla anddun ("hill", "down"). The name later mutated toIsledon, which remained in use well into the 17th century when the modern form arose.[2][3] The manor, which was served by the ancient parish of Islington, later sub-divided, with new estates such asNeweton Berewe,Bernersbury,Hey-bury andCanonesbury – names first recorded in the 13th and 14th centuries) co-existing with the rump of the manor of Islington. The ancient parish of Islington continued to serve the rump manor of Islington and also the various manors that had broken away from it.
Some roads on the edge of the area, includingEssex Road, were known asstreets by the medieval period, possibly indicating aRoman origin, but little physical evidence remains. What is known is that theGreat North Road fromAldersgate came into use in the 14th century, connecting with a new turnpike (toll road) upHighgate Hill. This was along the line of modern Upper Street, with a toll gate atThe Angel defining the extent of the village. TheBack Road, the modernLiverpool Road, was primarily adrovers' road where cattle would be rested before the final leg of their journey toSmithfield. Pens and sheds were erected along this road to accommodate the animals.[4]
The first recorded church,St Mary's, was erected in the twelfth century and was replaced in the fifteenth century.[5] Islington lay on the estates of theBishop of London and the Dean and Chapter ofSt Pauls. There were substantial medieval moatedmanor houses in the area, principally at Canonbury and Highbury. In 1548, there were 440 communicants listed and the rural atmosphere, with access to the City and Westminster, made it a popular residence for the rich and eminent.[2] The local inns harboured many fugitives and sheltered recusants.
The hill on which Islington stands has long supplied theCity of London with water, the first projects drawing water through wooden pipes from the many springs that lay at its foot, inFinsbury. These includedSadler's Wells, London Spa andClerkenwell.
By the 17th century these traditional sources were inadequate to supply the growing population and plans were laid to construct a waterway, theNew River, to bring fresh water from the source of theRiver Lea, inHertfordshire toNew River Head, below Islington inFinsbury. The river was opened on 29 September 1613 by SirHugh Myddelton, the constructor of the project. His statue still stands where Upper Street meets Essex Road. The course of the river ran to the east of Upper Street, and much of its course is now covered and forms alinear park through the area.[6]
TheRegent's Canal passes through Islington, for much of which in an 886-metre (2,907 ft) tunnel that runs from Colebrook Row east of the Angel, to emerge at Muriel Street near Caledonian Road. The stretch is marked above with a series of pavement plaques so walkers may find their way from one entrance to the other. The area of the canal east of the tunnel and north of the City Road was once dominated by much warehousing and industry surrounding the large City Road Basin and Wenlock Basin. Those old buildings that survive here are now largely residential or small creative work units. This stretch has an old double-fronted pubThe Narrowboat, one side accessed from the towpath.
The canal was constructed in 1820 to carry cargo fromLimehouse into the canal system. There is no tow-path in the tunnel so bargees had towalk their barges through, braced against the roof.[7] Commercial use of the canal has declined since the 1960s.
In the 17th and 18th centuries the availability of water made Islington a good place for growing vegetables to feed London. The manor became a popular excursion destination for Londoners, attracted to the area by its rural feel. Manypublic houses were therefore built to serve the needs of both the excursionists and travellers on the turnpike. By 1716, there were 56 ale-house keepers in Upper Street, also offering pleasure and tea gardens, and activities such as archery,skittle alleys and bowling. By the 18th century, music and dancing were offered, together with billiards, firework displays and balloon ascents. TheKing's Head Tavern, now aVictorian building with a theatre, has remained on the same site, opposite the parish church, since 1543.[8] The founder of the theatre, Dan Crawford, who died in 2005, disagreed with the introduction of decimal coinage. For twenty-plus years after decimalisation (on 15 February 1971), the bar continued to show prices and charge for drinks in pre-decimalisation currency.
By the 19th century manymusic halls and theatres were established aroundIslington Green. One such wasCollins's Music Hall, the remains of which are now partly incorporated into a bookshop. The remainder of the Hall has been redeveloped into a new theatre, with its entrance at the bottom ofEssex Road. It stood on the site of the Landsdowne Tavern, where the landlord had built an entertainment room for customers who wanted to sing (and later for professional entertainers). It was founded in 1862 by Samuel Thomas Collins Vagg and by 1897 had become a 1,800-seat theatre with 10 bars. The theatre suffered damage in a fire in 1958 and has not reopened.[8] Between 92 and 162 acts were put on each evening and performers who started there includedMarie Lloyd,George Robey,Harry Lauder,Harry Tate,George Formby,Vesta Tilley,Tommy Trinder,Gracie Fields,Tommy Handley andNorman Wisdom.
The Islington Literary and Scientific Society was established in 1833 and first met in Mr. Edgeworth's Academy on Upper Street. Its goal was to spread knowledge through lectures, discussions, and experiments, politics and theology being forbidden. A building, the Literary and Scientific Institution, was erected in 1837 in Wellington (later Almeida) Street, designed by Roumieu and Gough in a stuccoed Grecian style. It included a library (containing 3,300 volumes in 1839), reading room, museum, laboratory, and lecture theatre seating 500. The subscription was two guineas a year. After the library was sold off in 1872, the building was sold or leased in 1874 to theWellington Club, which occupied it until 1886. In 1885 the hall was used for concerts, balls, and public meetings. TheSalvation Army bought the building in 1890, renamed it the Wellington Castle barracks, and remained there until 1955. The building became a factory and showroom for Beck's British Carnival Novelties for a few years from 1956, after which it stood empty. In 1978 a campaign began with the goal to redevelop the building as a theatre. A public appeal was launched in 1981, and a festival of avant-garde theatre and music was held there and at other Islington venues in 1982. What has become the successfulAlmeida Theatre was founded.[8]
TheRoyal Agricultural Hall was built in 1862 on theLiverpool Road site of William Dixon's Cattle Layers. The hall was 75 ft high and the arched glass roof spanned 125 ft. It was built for the annualSmithfield Show in December of that year but was popular for other purposes, including recitals and theRoyal Tournament. It was the primary exhibition site for London until the 20th century and the largest building of its kind, holding up to 50,000 people.[9] It was requisitioned for use by theMount Pleasant sorting office during World War II and never re-opened. The main hall has now been incorporated into the Business Design Centre.[8]
At the beginning ofWorld War I the enthusiastic response toLord Kitchener's call to arms, 'Your King and Country Need You', overwhelmed the ability of the Army to absorb the volunteers. Soon local committees were recruiting complete units, often from men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together: these were known as 'Pals battalions'. In February 1915 Kitchener approached the 28Metropolitan Borough Councils in theCounty of London, and the 'Great Metropolitan Recruiting Campaign' went ahead in April, with each mayor asked to raise a unit of local men.[10] TheMayor and Borough of Islington agreed and on 18 May they were authorised to raise the21st (Service) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Islington). The 'Islington Pals' served on theWestern Front from 1916 to 1918 as part of40th Division, seeing action against theHindenburg Line and atBourlon Wood. After the huge casualties it suffered during theGerman spring offensive of March–April 1918, the battalion went back to England to be reconstituted from men of lower medical category, and never returned to the Western Front. It was disbanded soon after theArmistice with Germany.[11][12]
Some early development took place to accommodate the popularity of the nearby Sadler's Wells, which became a resort in the 16th century, but the 19th century saw the greatest expansion in housing, soon to cover the whole parish. In 1801, the population was 10,212, but by 1891 this had increased to 319,143. This rapid expansion was partly due to the introduction of horse-drawn omnibuses in 1830. Large well-built houses and fashionable squares drew clerks, artisans and professionals to the district. However, from the middle of the 19th century the poor were being displaced by clearances in inner London to build the new railway stations and goods yards. Many of the displaced settled in Islington, with the houses becoming occupied by many families. This, combined with the railways pushing into outer Middlesex, reduced Islington's attraction for the "better off" as it became "unfashionable".[13] The area fell into a long decline; and by the mid-20th century, it was largely run-down and a byword for urban poverty.[2]
The Blitz caused severe damage to Islington's housing stock, with 3,200 dwellings destroyed. Before the war, a number of 1930scouncil housing blocks had been added to the stock. After the war, partly as a result of bomb site redevelopment, the council housing boom got into its stride, reaching its peak in the 1960s: several extensive estates were constructed, by both theMetropolitan Borough of Islington and theLondon County Council. Clearance of the worstterraced housing was undertaken, but Islington continued to be very densely populated. The district has many council blocks, and the local authority has begun to replace some of them.
From the 1960s, the remainingGeorgian terraces were rediscovered by middle-class families. Many of the houses were rehabilitated, and the area became newly fashionable. This displacement of the poor by the aspirational has become known asgentrification. Among the new residents were a number of figures who became central in theNew Labour movement, includingTony Blair before his victory in the1997 general election. According toThe Guardian in 2006, "Islington is widely regarded as the spiritual home of Britain's left-wing intelligentsia."[14] TheGranita Pact betweenGordon Brown and Tony Blair is said to have been made at a now defunct restaurant on Upper Street.[15]
TheAfrican National Congress's headquarters in exile was based on Penton Street. It was the target of abomb attack in 1982.
The completion of theVictoria line and redevelopment ofAngel tube station created the conditions for developers to renovate many of the early Victorian and Georgian townhouses. They also built new developments. Islington remains a district with diverse inhabitants, with its private houses and apartments not far from social housing in immediately neighbouring wards such as Finsbury and Clerkenwell to the south, Bloomsbury and King's Cross to the west, and Highbury to the north west, and also the Hackney districts of De Beauvoir and Old Street to the north east.
Islington is the most densely populated borough in the UK according to the 2011 census, with a population density of 138.7 people per hectare, compared to an average of 52.0 for London.
The urbanisation of Islington began with ribbon development along theGreat North Road (the modernA1). which is known (south to north) asIslington High Street,Upper Street,Holloway Road andArchway Road as it passes through the district. In 1716 theGreat North Road came under the control of the newly formed Islington Turnpike Trust. The Trust grew rapidly, and soon had control of most major roads in the area, building a number of major road arteries through the expanding residential areas, includingCaledonian Road,Euston Road,City Road andNew North Road.[16]
Islington High Street runs approximately 500 metres (0.31 mi) from the intersection ofPentonville Road andCity Road at the south end toIslington Green at the north end, where it branches intoUpper Street andEssex Road (former Lower Street). The earliest reference to Islington High Street is its appearance on a 1590 map of the area. At this time, nineinns (including the famousAngel, which has subsequently given its name to the area around High Street), as well as housing and a public pond were shown lining the street.[17]
ThePeacock Inn[18] at 11 Islington High Street dates from 1564, although the currentfaçade dates from 1857. It featured inTom Brown's Schooldays as the inn at which Tom stays prior to travelling toRugby School. It closed in 1962, although the building still stands.[19]
Angel tube station
on Islington High Street has the longestescalator on theLondon Underground system, at 318 steps.[20] In 2006 a Norwegian man made headlines afterskiing down the escalator at the station.[21]
Upper Street is Islington's main shopping street. The parish church,St Mary's, is located on Upper Street.
TheAngelbusiness improvement district (BID), is an area centred on theAngel tube station, and which includes parts of southern Islington and neighbouringClerkenwell.[22]
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Islington features extensively in modern English literature and culture:
There are over 60 sports and other types ofphysical activity on offer to the public in Islington, at more than approximately one hundred clubs,leisure centres, parks,community centres, and other venues.[28] The Islington Boxing Club, on Hazellville Road, was founded in January 1974 and was originally based in the community hall of York Way Court, close toKing's Cross Station.[29]
The borough is home totop-flight professionalfootball clubArsenal, whosesixty-thousand capacity stadium is inHolloway.
The area is served by numerous bus routes, with a majorbus interchange located near theAngel tube station.Red route andresidents' parking restrictions apply throughout the area.
According to latest figures published by the Department for Education, there are 47 primary and 10 state-funded secondary schools in Islington.
Grade II*
English Heritage[30] list three Grade II*listed buildings within Central Islington (and many more in surrounding districts):
Grade II (selected):
The area contains numerous Georgian townhouses, shops and pubs. Many whole terraces are listed including much ofLiverpool Road (one side of which is inBarnsbury) andIslington High Street/Upper Street. Other multiply listed streets include Arlington Square (one of the UK's top 10 garden squares),[31]Camden Passage, Compton Terrace, Colebrooke Row, Cross Street, Duncan Terrace,Essex Road, Gibson Square and Milner Square.
Other Grade II–listed structures include:
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