 The Eagle pub on the City Road, mentioned in the nursery rhymePop Goes the Weasel.[1] | |
  Location within Islington | |
| Maintained by | London Borough of Islington |
|---|---|
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°31′48″N0°05′57″W / 51.53000°N 0.09917°W /51.53000; -0.09917 |
City Road orThe City Road is a road that runs throughcentral London. The northwestern extremity of the road is atAngel where it forms a continuation ofPentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for the eastern part of London's first bypass, theNew Road from Paddington to Islington, which was constructed in 1756. The City Road was built in 1761 as a continuation of that route to theCity of London.[2]
From Angel, City Road runs roughly south-east and downhill past theCity Road Basin ofRegent's Canal andMoorfields Eye Hospital, after which it bears closer to south, and has a junction withOld Street at the formerOld Street Roundabout. After Old Street, it continues south, continuing pastBunhill Fields,Wesley's Chapel and theHonourable Artillery Company, after which the road continues south asFinsbury Square, thenFinsbury Pavement, thenMoorgate—the latter beginning at the border with the City of London. These roads form a major entry point into the City of London, and were extended in 1846 through the City itself (as Princes Street andKing William Street) to connect withLondon Bridge.
The part of the road north of Old Street is on theLondon Inner Ring Road and as such forms part of the boundary of theLondon congestion charge zone. The ring road continues east along Old Street. Most of the road is in theLondon Borough of Islington, although the stretch from Wharf Road down to Old Street is the border between Islington andHackney, so the two sides are in different boroughs.
NearbyLondon Underground stations areAngel,Old Street andMoorgate. The disusedCity Road station was on City Road itself.
London Bus routes serving the length of City Road include 43, 205, 214, 394.
The City Road and The Eagle tavern are mentioned in an additional verse written for thenursery rhymePop Goes the Weasel by 1856, when it was quoted in a performance at theTheatre Royal:
Up and down the City Road
In and out the Eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop! goes the weasel.[3]
The Eagle was a well-known public house on City Road, which was rebuilt as a music hall on 1825, was later renamed the Grecian Theatre, became aSalvation Army centre in 1884, and was demolished in 1901.[4] Its site is now occupied by Eagle Dwellings, a housing complex administered by thePeabody Trust.[5] A replacement Eagle pub, opened in 1901, was erected in Shepherdess Walk, on the opposite (north-east) side of City Road: this still stands, and the rhyme is painted on a plaque on its façade.[4][1]