Islington

Islington stretches from Finsbury Park in the north, via Highbury and Holloway, down to Clerkenwell. The borough is the birthplace of cultural icons like actor Kathy Burke and musician Little Simz. And its history has long been influenced by radical thinkers – plus the local water supply.

The River Fleet flowed through Clerkenwell down to the Thames. And the area had multiple springs – Sadler’s Wells Theatre was originally the site of a mineral water spa.

In 1613 the New River opened, which became an important source of water for 400 years. The Regent’s Canal arrived 200 years later, connecting Islington to the Thames, Camden and beyond.

In 1777 the preacher John Wesley established his Methodist chapel and mission on City Road. Opposite is Bunhill Fields where religious dissenters including William Blake and John Bunyan are buried. Another local radical was Vladimir Lenin, who worked at Clerkenwell Green in 1902–1903.

Islington’s architecture blends elegant Georgian and Victorian squares and streets, distinctive 1930s council estates and the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal FC’s home ground.