43-504: Essex Road is a main road in Islington , London . It is part of the A104 and connects Islington High Street with Balls Pond Road via Essex Road railway station . The road is about 1 mile (1.6 km) long. It starts as continuation of Islington Green , which is a fork from Islington High Street , and runs northeastwards over New North Road towards Balls Pond Road . It is part of the A104 ,
86-407: A 1,800-seat theatre with 10 bars. The theatre suffered damage in a fire in 1958 and has not reopened. Between 92 and 162 acts were put on each evening and performers who started there included Marie Lloyd , George Robey , Harry Lauder , Harry Tate , George Formby , Vesta Tilley , Tommy Trinder , Gracie Fields , Tommy Handley and Norman Wisdom . The Islington Literary and Scientific Society
129-510: 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 successful Almeida Theatre was founded. The Royal Agricultural Hall was built in 1862 on the Liverpool Road site of William Dixon's Cattle Layers. The hall
172-438: A long decline; and by the mid-20th century, it was largely run-down and a byword for urban poverty. The aerial bombing of World War II caused much damage to Islington's housing stock, with 3,200 dwellings destroyed. Before the war, a number of 1930s council 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
215-451: A main local road across northeast London. The northern section of the road was once called Seveney Street, possibility indicating a Roman connection. The southern section was called Lower Street, as it was a lower ground level than Upper Street . Many properties along the road were constructed in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Most of these are still standing, though the various inns alongside them have been redeveloped. Islington Market
258-453: A public pond were shown lining the street. The Peacock Inn at 11 Islington High Street dates from 1564, although the current façade dates from 1857. It featured in Tom Brown's Schooldays as the inn at which Tom stays prior to travelling to Rugby School . It closed in 1962, although the building still stands. Angel tube station on Islington High Street has the longest escalator on
301-453: A theatre, has remained on the same site, opposite the parish church, since 1543. 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 many music halls and theatres were established around Islington Green . One such
344-546: Is an inner-city area of north London , England , within the wider London Borough of Islington . It is a mainly residential district of Inner London , extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy High Street, Upper Street , Essex Road (formerly "Lower Street"), and Southgate Road to the east. The manor of Islington was named by the Saxons Giseldone (1005), then Gislandune (1062). The name means "Gīsla's hill" from
387-529: Is in Barnsbury ) and Islington High Street / Upper Street . Other multiply listed streets include Arlington Square (one of the UK's top 10 garden squares) Camden Passage , Compton Terrace, Colebrooke Row, Cross Street, Duncan Terrace, Essex Road , Gibson Square and Milner Square. Other Grade II–listed structures include: Dun (fortification) A dun is an ancient or medieval fort. In Great Britain and Ireland it
430-949: Is in Holloway . The area is served by numerous bus routes, with a major bus interchange located near the Angel tube station . Red route and residents' 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 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 of Liverpool Road (one side of which
473-550: Is mainly a kind of hillfort and also a kind of Atlantic roundhouse . The term comes from Irish dún or Scottish Gaelic dùn (meaning "fort"), and is cognate with Old Welsh din (whence Welsh dinas "city" comes). In certain instances, place-names containing Dun- or similar in Northern England and Southern Scotland , may be derived from a Brittonic cognate of the Welsh form din . In this region, substitution of
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#1732852305879516-521: The Táin Bó Flidhais features Dún Chiortáin and Dún Chaocháin . Duns seem to have arrived with the Celts in about the 7th century BC. Early duns had near vertical ramparts made of stone and timber. There were two walls, an inner wall and the outside one. Vitrified forts are the remains of duns that have been set on fire and where stones have been partly melted. Use of duns continued in some parts into
559-644: The London Underground system, at 318 steps. In 2006 a Norwegian man made headlines after skiing down the escalator at the station. Upper Street is Islington's main shopping street. The parish church, St Mary's , is located on Upper Street. The Angel business improvement district (BID), is an area centred on the Angel tube station , and which includes parts of southern Islington and neighbouring Clerkenwell . Islington features extensively in modern English literature and culture: There are over 60 sports and other types of physical activity on offer to
602-1093: The Middle Ages . Duns are similar to brochs , but are smaller and probably would not have been capable of supporting a very tall structure. Good examples of this kind of dun can be found in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland , on artificial islands in small lakes. The word dun is, along with like-sounding cognate forms, an element frequently found in Celtic toponymy; especially that of Ireland and Scotland. It can include fortifications of all sizes and kinds: Many settlement and geographical names in Scotland are named with Gaelic dun ("fort"), as well as cognates in Brittonic languages such as Cumbric and Pictish . Some place-names in England are derived from Brittonic cognates of Welsh din (c.f. Cornish dyn , Cumbric *din ), and fewer perhaps from
645-417: The 14th century, connecting with a new turnpike (toll road) up Highgate Hill . This was along the line of modern Upper Street, with a toll gate at The Angel defining the extent of the village. The Back Road , the modern Liverpool Road , was primarily a drovers' road where cattle would be rested before the final leg of their journey to Smithfield . Pens and sheds were erected along this road to accommodate
688-662: The 17th century these traditional sources were inadequate to supply the growing population and plans were laid to construct a waterway, the New River , to bring fresh water from the source of the River Lea , in Hertfordshire to New River Head , below Islington in Finsbury . The river was opened on 29 September 1613 by Sir Hugh Myddelton , the constructor of the project. His statue still stands where Upper Street meets Essex Road. The course of
731-608: The 1960s: several extensive estates were constructed, by both the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and the London County Council . Clearance of the worst terraced housing was undertaken, but Islington continued to be very densely populated, with a high level of overcrowding. The district has many council blocks, and the local authority has begun to replace some of them. From the 1960s, the remaining Georgian terraces were rediscovered by middle-class families. Many of
774-545: The Brittonic form by the Gaelic equivalent may have been widespread in toponyms. The Dacian dava (hill fort) is probably etymologically cognate. In some areas duns were built on any suitable crag or hillock, particularly south of the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth . There are many duns on the west coast of Ireland and they feature in Irish mythology . For example, the tale of
817-584: The Business Design Centre. 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
860-507: The City and Westminster, made it a popular residence for the rich and eminent. The local inns harboured many fugitives and sheltered recusants. The hill on which Islington stands has long supplied the City of London with water, the first projects drawing water through wooden pipes from the many springs that lay at its foot, in Finsbury . These included Sadler's Wells , London Spa and Clerkenwell . By
903-608: 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 the Great North Road (the modern A1 ). which is known (south to north) as Islington High Street , Upper Street , Holloway Road and Archway Road as it passes through
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#1732852305879946-492: The Old English personal name Gīsla and dun ("hill", " down "). The name later mutated to Isledon , which remained in use well into the 17th century when the modern form arose. The manor, which was served by the ancient parish of Islington, later sub-divided, with new estates such as Neweton Berewe , Bernersbury , Hey-bury and Canonesbury – names first recorded in the 13th and 14th centuries) co-existing with
989-515: The animals. The first recorded church, St Mary's , was erected in the twelfth century and was replaced in the fifteenth century. Islington lay on the estates of the Bishop of London and the Dean and Chapter of St Pauls . There were substantial medieval moated manor houses in the area, principally at Canonbury and Highbury. In 1548, there were 440 communicants listed and the rural atmosphere, with access to
1032-465: The canal system. There is no tow-path in the tunnel so bargees had to walk their barges through, braced against the roof. 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. Many public houses were therefore built to serve
1075-414: 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
1118-430: 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". The area fell into
1161-426: The district. In 1716 the Great 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, including Caledonian Road , Euston Road , City Road and New North Road . Islington High Street runs approximately 500 metres (0.31 mi) from
1204-453: The houses were rehabilitated, and the area became newly fashionable. This displacement of the poor by the aspirational has become known as gentrification . Among the new residents were a number of figures who became central in the New Labour movement, including Tony Blair before his victory in the 1997 general election . According to The Guardian in 2006, "Islington is widely regarded as
1247-432: The intersection of Pentonville Road and City Road at the south end to Islington Green at the north end, where it branches into Upper Street and Essex Road (former Lower Street). The earliest reference to Islington High Street is its appearance on a 1590 map of the area. At this time, nine inns (including the famous Angel , which has subsequently given its name to the area around High Street), as well as housing and
1290-459: 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. The King's Head Tavern , now a Victorian building with
1333-505: 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 pub The Narrowboat , one side accessed from the towpath. The canal was constructed in 1820 to carry cargo from Limehouse into
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1376-478: The public in Islington, at more than approximately one hundred clubs, leisure centres , parks, community centres , and other venues. 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 to King's Cross Station . The borough is home to top-flight professional football club Arsenal , whose sixty-thousand capacity stadium
1419-489: The river ran to the east of Upper Street, and much of its course is now covered and forms a linear park through the area. The Regent'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
1462-438: 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, including Essex Road , were known as streets by the medieval period, possibly indicating a Roman origin, but little physical evidence remains. What is known is that the Great North Road from Aldersgate came into use in
1505-462: The spiritual home of Britain's left-wing intelligentsia." The Granita Pact between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair is said to have been made at a now defunct restaurant on Upper Street. The African National Congress 's headquarters in exile was based on Penton Street. It was the target of a bomb attack in 1982 . The completion of the Victoria line and redevelopment of Angel tube station created
1548-566: Was Collins'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 of Essex 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
1591-676: Was 75 ft high and the arched glass roof spanned 125 ft. It was built for the annual Smithfield Show in December of that year but was popular for other purposes, including recitals and the Royal 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. It was requisitioned for use by the Mount Pleasant sorting office during World War II and never re-opened. The main hall has now been incorporated into
1634-789: Was constructed in 1916 in a Queen Anne style. The Carlton Cinema was at Nos. 161-169. It was built in 1930 in an art deco style by George Coles, using an Egyptian style facade. It was subsequently used as a bingo hall, and then a place of worship. The building is Grade II* listed . Essex Road railway station is halfway along the road. It opened on 14 February 1904 as part of the Great Northern & City Railway from Moorgate to Finsbury Park . Services are operated by Great Northern. Citations Sources 51°32′33″N 0°05′45″W / 51.5426°N 0.0959°W / 51.5426; -0.0959 Islington Islington ( / ˈ ɪ z l ɪ ŋ t ən / IZ -ling-tən )
1677-662: 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
1720-494: Was founded in 1836 by John Perkins on a 15 acres (6.1 ha) site to the east of Essex Road and north of what is now Northchurch Road. It was not successful, and the site lay derelict for some years. After the Caledonian Market was established elsewhere in Islington, the old market area was laid out with new streets. The New River crossed Essex Road where it met Colebrooke Row in a 45 metres (148 ft) tunnel. The river
1763-438: Was piped in 1861. Fisher House stood at the junction of Essex Road and Cross Street. It was constructed in the 17th century as a residential mansion. It later became an asylum before being demolished in 1845. The Old Queen's Head, a pub, contains a plaster ceiling and chimneypiece constructed in the 16th century. The Lower Street Meeting House was founded in 1744 at what is now the junction of Essex Road and Greenman Street. It
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1806-400: Was the first Dissenter chapel to be constructed in Islington. It subsequently became The Green Man, a pub. Samuel Ridley's floorcloth factory was built in 1812 on what was open fields around the north end of Essex Road. It became Probyn's bottling factory in 1893, and was later redeveloped as council offices in the 1970s. The South Library is on the corner of Essex Road and Cross Street. It
1849-553: Was two guineas a year. After the library was sold off in 1872, the building was sold or leased in 1874 to the Wellington Club , which occupied it until 1886. In 1885 the hall was used for concerts, balls, and public meetings. The Salvation 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
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