A Brief History of Islington

Like much of London Islington has changed a lot over the years. Not so long ago it was a popular hunting ground for figures such as Henry VIII and was a major supplier of milk and cheese for the capital. Islington was a major gateway to London. It was the main highway for herders, traders and farmers bringing goods for sale at London's Smithfield market. Trade came from as far away as Wales and Scotland, with herders walking their stock to London over periods of days and weeks. As the years passed and trade grew, what is today's Upper St became filled with bars and theatres to entertain the passing trade. Stockyards grew up in Canonbury and Barnsbury to pen the herds of animals on the way to market.

During the 18th century the area saw a rise in popularity as an area for a good day out for the more affluent London residents. They would come to play sports, shoot and take in the sites so different to those of urban London. By the late 18th century the area had become quite heavily populated, though it was still a "town outside of London" according to writers at the time.

During the 19th century the area again became a major source of entertainment for Londoners. It offered lots in the way of theatres, music halls and bars for the well-off and became a major draw, much as it does today. Many fine Victorian squares and terraces were built to house the rising mercantile and middle classes, though the advent of commuting by rail in the late 19th century brought an end to Islington's rising affluence.

The beginning of the 20th century continued the decline in Islington's popularity and affluence, a decline hastened by heavy bombing during World War II. Islington was often used as a dumping ground by bombers that had hit their main targets in Central London. They would offload their remaining cargo of bombs over Islington after peeling away to the North on their way back to Germany.

Post-war, Islington saw attempts to offer housing to a wider society with the construction of low-cost housing and estates on the derelict bomb sites, helping the diverse, socially mixed culture develop.

Recently we have seen another revival in the area which has attracted a host of young media professionals and is now seen as a trendy night out for both visitors and residents of London, due to the increase in popular night spots, shops, bars and restaurants.

Famous Faces and Influences

Islington has featured heavily in modern literature and has seen a number of writers visit and produce best-sellers while living here. Douglas Adams who lived in Islington and used the area as a setting for a number of his novels. George Orwell lived in the area during the two wars and wrote '1984' while living here. Another prominent resident was the 60s author Joe Orton, a regular - if notorious - visitor to Highbury Fields. But perhaps the writer most heavily influenced by the area is Nick Hornby, who initially moved to the area for his love of Arsenal Football Club and proceeded to write the books Fever Pitch, High Fidelity and About a Boy; all of which are set in the Islington area and have now been turned into major films.

Islington has seen a wide variety of famous faces emerge from and move to the area; notably Vladimir Lenin who during his exile from Russia chose Islington as his second home; Alfred Hitchcock started his legendary film career at Islington studios and Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness came to the area in 1956 to film the acclaimed 'the Lady Killers.' Other famous faces who were born in or have lived in the area included; Dido, Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Griff Rhys Jones and Alan Davies as well as a host of media professionals.

Famous Places

Another fixture set not just in the skyline of Islington but in the hearts of many Islingtonians is that of Highbury and Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal have played at Highbury since 1913 and have brought much to the area as well as firmly placing Highbury on the map. In the coming months with the near completion of the new Ashburton Grove stadium, just down the road the club will bring even more to the area, including; 2,500 new homes of which 40% will be affordable housing; 2,600 new jobs; a new world class sports facility; four new community health facilities; new commercial spaces and a revitalisation of the area.

Just north of Highbury is Finsbury Park, an area which boasts a rich and diverse culture incorporating many religions and people. Its name comes originally from the mid-nineteenth century when what is now Finsbury Park used to make up part of Hornsey Woods, and was separated from the rest for the recreational use of the people of Finsbury in south London - hence the name Finsbury Park. Since then the area has developed leaving little of the original park and now is home to one of the most famous Mosque's in England.

Another well known part of Islington is Holloway, an area whose name derives from the ancient cattle routes that ran through Islington to Smithfield. Due to the constant travel the route soon began to erode and appeared sunken and was thus given the name 'Holloway.' The route was used extensively by the Romans and became their primary road to the North. As with the rest of Islington, Holloway rapidly industrialised in the 19th century and now features a large amount of housing. In addition more notable landmarks in the area include the Marlborough building part of the London Metropolitan University and Holloway Prison which has been open since 1852 and has now become one of the country's major female prisons.

One of the three districts that Holloway is made of includes Archway the site of the first cable car route in Europe in 1884. Archway's name comes from when the construction of a tunnel for the Great North Road to Scotland failed due to repeated collapses, it was replaced by a large cutting designed by Thomas Telford above which a bridge was soon built that linked the villages of Highgate and Crouch End and inspired the name that many Islingtonians use today; Archway.