Canonbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canonbury is a place in the London Borough of Islington in the north of London. It is roughly in the area between Essex Road, Upper Street and Cross Street and either side of St Paul's Road. Its roots go back as far as the 14th century, but development of modern-day Canonbury began in the early 19th century.[1] Post war expansion (from 1950s-1970s) saw a further wave of development to what is now a typically diverse cultural and socio-economic inner London area. East Canonbury is the south-eastern corner of the district, bordering on the Regents Canal. Parts of this area were transferred to the district from the London Borough of Hackney in a boundary adjustment (along the line of the northern tow-path of the canal), in 1993.[2]
In the north-west of the area is the New River Estate (formerly the Marquess Estate), a 1,200 dwelling council estate, completed in 1976 on 26 acres, and designed by Darbourne & Darke.[1] A dark red brick, traffic free estate, it was praised as an example of municipal architecture, but achieved a bad reputation and has since been extensively redeveloped to improve security for residents. Much of it has recently been redeveloped following the change of name.
Contents |
[edit] Notable residents
- Thomas Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal, lived in Canonbury Tower from 1533. His residency ended abruptly in 1541 when he was beheaded by King Henry VIII.
- Sir Francis Bacon, King James I's Lord Chancellor, lived in Canonbury Tower, 1616-1626.
- William Babell, musician, died here
- George Orwell, writer, lived at 27 Canonbury Square
- Evelyn Waugh, writer, lived at 17 Canonbury Square
- Alan Davies, actor/comedian, spending his life hoping to one day live in Canonbury, where he now lives.
[edit] Literary and artistic connections
George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh lived in Canonbury Square each quite early in their literary careers. Charles Dickens wrote a Christmas Story about a lamplighter in Canonbury, which features the Tower. Lesley Forbes, the travel and detective story writer, and Gavin Menzies, who has argued cogently that China launched an expedition which travelled the world in 1421, both live in the area.
Stella Rimington sometime head of MI5 lived at two addresses either side of the New River, but does not longer do so, and Cate Blanchett is a former resident.
[edit] Places of interest
- Canonbury Tower - Built in the 16th century, the tower has been occupied by many historical figures, including Francis Bacon and Thomas Cromwell. It is currently used as a Masonic research centre.
- Canonbury Square - An attractive square, bisected by Canonbury Road. Many significant figures from the arts and literary worlds have lived on the square, including George Orwell, Evelyn Waugh and Samuel Phelps. The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art is nearby.
- New River Walk - The New River, an aqueduct built by Sir Hugh Middelton to supply fresh water to London, was completed in 1613. The walk is in two parts, with a break at Willowbridge. The southern section received an early National Lottery grant, and has a back-pumping scheme which simulates the water flow of the original aqueduct.
- Canonbury Grove - is a road running parallel to part of New River Walk, made up of typical attractive 2 and 3 storey early C19 terraces.
[edit] Groups in Canonbury
- The Tower theatre company - based at Canonbury Tower until 2003
- Greenpeace UK - offices based at Canonbury Villas.
[edit] Politics
- The local MP is Labour politician Emily Thornberry (her full constituency is Islington South and Finsbury). The Islington councillors representing Canonbury are Barbara Smith, Lucy Watt and Paula Belford (all Liberal Democrat).
[edit] Transport and locale
[edit] Nearest places
- Finsbury
- Barnsbury
- Islington
- Dalston
- De Beauvoir Town
- Highbury
- Holloway
- Hoxton
- Mildmay
- Newington Green
[edit] Nearest railway stations
[edit] Nearest tube stations
- Angel tube station
- Highbury & Islington tube station
- Holloway Road tube station 500 meters away.
- Old Street tube station
- Dalston Junction (opens 2010)
- Haggerston (opens 2010)
[edit] Nearest bus routes
| Bus Route | 4 | 19 | 21 | 30 | 38 | 43 | 56 | 67 | 73 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus Route | 76 | 141 | 149 | 242 | 243 | 271 | 277 | 341 | 476 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b 'Islington: Growth: Canonbury', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 19-20 accessed: 3 May 2007
- ^ Statutory Instrument 1993 No. 1417 accessed 3 May 2007
[edit] External links
- Canonbury tower
- Tower Theatre Company
- BBC WW2 People's War - Joan Windsor's WW2 experiences (including bombing raid on Essex Road)
- The Canonbury Society
- Angel Walks: Literary and Historical Strolls, hosts a regular Sunday walk through Canonbury
|
||||||||||||||||||||
