Inventory Site Record

St Paul's Shrubbery is a small park entirely overlooked by the backs of houses on land owned by the Marquess of Northampton and leased to the New Crown public house, owned by the Cannon Brewery Co. Ltd. Part of the site was originally laid out as tennis courts and let out to a club; in 1928 the gardens were provided for the use of tenants of the houses overlooking the site, who paid an annual charge of £1.

Site location:

entrances from St Paul's Road, Northampton Park

Postcode:

N1

What 3 Words:

silk.pose.every

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Islington

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

8am - dusk

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Children's playground, sandpit, tarmac ball court with football goals and basketball hoops

Events:

Public transport:

Rail/London Overground/Tube (Victoria): Highbury & Islington then bus. London Overground: Canonbury. Bus: 30, 277, 73, 341, 38, 56, 476.

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/06/2017

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.islington.gov.uk/services/parks-environment/parks/your_parks/greenspace_az

The lease stipulated that the garden was to be 'maintained as a pleasure garden or recreation ground' and was due to expire in 2011. The gardens today are publicly accessible and contain areas of shrubbery and grass with numerous trees including mature horse chestnut, false acacia, lime, cherry and sycamore. In 1990 there was controversy over the threatened felling of a large horse chestnut with protestors chaining themselves to the tree; the court decision saved the tree by stipulating pruning rather than felling. Recreational facilities until recently included a sunken football pitch.

Sources consulted:

Report of the Royal Commission for London Squares, 1928; Michael Waite, John Archer, 'Nature Conservation in Islington', Ecology Handbook 19 (London Ecology Unit, 1992).

Grid ref:

TQ325849 (532570,184900)

Size in hectares:

0.45

Site ownership:

LB Islington

Site management:

Greenspace; Friends of St Paul's Shrubbery

Date(s):

C19th

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

CA

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None