Introduction
Section 1
Compton Terrace Gardens
Canonbury Square
Battishill Street Gardens
Milner Square
Gibson Square
Cloudesley Square
Lonsdale Square
Thornhill Crescent
Barnsbury Wood
Barnsbury Square
Mountfort Crescent
Culpeper Community Garden
Angel Station
Section 2
Myddelton Square
Claremont Square
Percy Circus
Lloyd Square
Wilmington Square Gardens
New River Head
Nautilus Garden
Introduction
Directions
The full walk is about 7km (4 miles) long and
takes about two to three hours to complete, depending upon the time
spent in gardens.
The walk starts at Highbury & Islington
underground and rail station and ends at Angel underground station. For
a shorter walk, parts of the route can also be started and finished at Angel .
All the gardens are accessible to wheelchairs and open to the
public during daylight hours, unless otherwise stated.
Please be aware of your personal safety and security when
walking. Use designated road crossings where possible.
Description
This walk explores some of Islington's many and
varied squares and other garden spaces. The 18th-century village of
Islington was once a hub of dairy farming, supplying much of London's
milk. It was a place of healthy recreation for city-dwellers, with its
clean air and the fresh water spas which developed around the New
River, built in 1609 to 1613 to bring fresh water from Hertfordshire to
London. In the early 19th century, as more houses were needed, country
estates were broken up and the second wave of London's great network of
residential garden squares took shape.
Compton Terrace Gardens
Directions
On leaving Highbury & Islington station, turn
right and walk to the traffic lights. Cross Upper Street, turn right
and then left into Compton Terrace. Enter Compton Terrace Gardens
through the gate on the right.
Description
Compton Terrace was designed by Henry Leroux in
1805 as a row of villas either side of a Union Chapel, and completed in
1830. In 1823, a management committee was set up, and the 'paddock or
grass plot' in front of the villas dressed as a 'pleasure ground'. The
Union Chapel Congregational Church was built in 1876-77 by James
Cubitt, replacing the earlier chapel of 1806. The terrace and gardens
were part of the Marquess of Northampton's estate until the 1920s, when
ownership passed to Islington Borough Council.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Canonbury Square
Directions
Leave the gardens via the gate at the far end, and turn left
into Canonbury Lane. Carry on across Compton Avenue, into
Canonbury Square. Pass through the first part of the gardens, then
cross the main road at the traffic
lights, entering the square by the gate on the right.
Description
Laid out in 1800, Canonbury Square was the
earliest of the Islington squares, and was also developed by Henry
Leroux, together with Richard Laycock, on land owned by the Marquess of
Northampton. The 4th Marquess of Northampton opened the square gardens
to the public in 1884, and in 1888 it was conveyed to Islington Borough
Council. The layout of the gardens changed in the 1950s, when it was
described as 'London's most beautiful square' by the Evening Standard .
The square is surrounded by reproduction railings, the originals having
been lost during World War II. The planting was improved by Loire
Valley Wines in 2006, with roses, lavender and a small vineyard at its
centre. Famous former residents include writers Evelyn Waugh and George
Orwell, and artists Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Battishill Street Gardens
Directions
Leaving the square by the same gate, walk south along
Canonbury Road. Bear right (crossing Sable Street) into Halton Road.
Turn right down Richmond Grove and continue along the pedestrian route
into Upper Street. Turn right and cross at the zebra crossing outside
Islington Town Hall. Turn left and walk along Upper Street towards
Barnsbury Street. On the corner is a small community garden with
evergreen planting.
Continue along Upper Street and turn right into Waterloo
Terrace. Continue into Battishill Street Gardens .
Description
The gardens were opened by poet laureate Sir
John Betjeman in 1975. In the far corner is a paved area with seating,
which features a stone frieze by Musgrove Watson, who also designed the
bronze reliefs at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. The
frieze was originally made for the Hall of Commerce in Threadneedle
Street in 1842. To the north of the gardens is Waterloo Terrace, built
on land which was once part of the botanic garden of Dr William
Pitcairn, President of the Royal College of Physicians from 1775 to
1785.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Milner Square
Directions
Leave the gardens via the steps past the frieze into Napier
Terrace and turn left. For a route without steps, continue along
Battishill Street into Almeida Street. Turn right at Almeida Street and
continue through a pedestrian passage between the houses into
Milner Square
Description
Milner Square and Gibson Square (to the south)
were part of the estate laid out from 1823 for Thomas Milner Gibson,
who leased the land from the Lord of Barnsbury Manor, William Tufnell.
Gibson was heir to a fortune made from plantations in Trinidad, and
later became President of the Board of Trade. The original plan for
Milner Square by architect Francis Edwards was never carried out, but
was replaced in 1839 with a neo-classical design by architects Roumieu
and Gough. Some elements of the buildings were lost in the 1930s, with
the removal of projecting porches and decorative ironwork, which
blocked light into the basements of the houses, many of which had
become flats. The square became run down and was restored as council
housing by Islington Council in 1973.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Gibson Square
Directions
From the passage where you entered the square, continue
straight on, turn left into Milner Place, and continue into Gibson
Square . Walk to the right around the square to the entrance gate on
the left.
Description
Gibson Square, the first of two squares built
as part of the Milner Gibson Estate, was laid out from 1832 to 1839 by
architect Francis Edwards, a pupil of Sir John Soane. The garden was
originally open to residents only, but in the 1930s it had become
rundown and was surrendered to Islington Council for upkeep. During WW2
the garden was dug up for air raid shelters and later replanted. In
1963, a proposed ventilation shaft for the new Victoria Line, in the
form of a 50-foot concrete structure, was staunchly opposed by
residents. This resulted in the simulated classical temple with domed
roof which stands in the garden today, designed to be in harmony with
its surroundings. The work was carried out in the early 1970s, when
London Transport also restored the garden and replaced its railings.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Cloudesley Square
Directions
Walk diagonally through the garden and leave by the gate on
the opposite side. Turn right, and right again into Theberton Street.
At the end, turn left into Liverpool Road, cross at the zebra crossing
and continue into Cloudesley Square .
Description
Cloudesley Square was begun in 1825 by
carpenter John Emmett, who leased land from the Cloudesley Estate and
built along the Liverpool Road from 1824 to 1826. A hexagonal railed garden
at the centre of the square surrounds Holy Trinity Church by Sir
Charles Barry, built 1826-29, the third of his Islington churches. The
square is named after 16th-century landowner Richard Cloudesley, who
gave land to the church. The church's stained glass east window of 1828
shows Cloudesley kneeling. Holy Trinity was the district church until
the 1850s, when it was replaced by St Andrew's at Thornhill Crescent.
In 1980 it was leased by the Pentecostal Sect as the Celestial Church
of Christ, at which time the railings were also restored.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Lonsdale Square
Directions
Walk to the right and right into Stonefield Street, crossing
Richmond Avenue into Lonsdale Square . Walk to the right and
enter the garden by the gate on the left.
Description
Lonsdale Square was built 1838–45 by Richard
Cromwell Carpenter, surveyor to the Drapers' Company Estate. In 1690
the Drapers' Company had inherited the land, known as 'Gosseyfield' and
once used to pen cattle on the way to Smithfield Market.
Unlike most of Islington's squares, the garden remained private until
the 1960s, when they were offered to Islington Borough Council for the
nominal sum of £50. The railings, removed in WW2, were replaced in the early 1970s, when the garden was restored.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Thornhill Crescent
Directions
Leave the garden by the opposite gate, turn right, and walk
out of the square into Barnsbury Street. Turn left, and left into
Thornhill Road. Cross the road, turn left and then right into
Ripplevale Grove. At the end, turn right into Hemingford Road and left
into Bridgeman Road, which leads to Thornhill Square and
Thornhill Crescent .
Description
The Thornhill Estate was laid out by estate
surveyor Joseph Kay and a number of speculative builders from 1846 to
1852 on land which had been mostly used for dairy farming. Thornhill
Square, the largest square in Islington, dates from 1847. Early
residents of the square were well-off professionals and the garden was
originally private. The railings, which date from 1852, survived WW2,
but the area had declined and in 1946 Captain Noel Thornhill gave the
gardens to the council for public use. They were newly laid out in 1953
as part of Coronation Year improvements.
Thornhill Crescent was begun in 1849. St Andrew's Church
(1852-54) was built at a cost of £6,500 by Francis B Newman and John
Johnson, whose design won a competition to build it.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Barnsbury Wood
Directions
After exploring the square and crescent gardens, go round
Thornhill Crescent and into Crescent Street. On the right is the
entrance to Barnsbury Wood (open Tuesdays 2-4pm).
Description
Barnsbury Wood is the smallest local nature
reserve in London. The triangular area covered by the wood was
originally the garden of St Andrew's Vicarage, at 7 Huntingdon Street,
where George Thornhill lived. The vicarage became a private school,
then flats, but from the early 20th century the garden was abandoned
and became woodland. In 1977 a group of local residents campaigned to
save the area from housing development. In 1981, the Barnsbury Wood
Co-operative again fought to save the wood from development, and had it
designated for educational purposes. In 1996, the wood was granted
Local Nature Reserve status, and is the largest area of woodland in the
borough.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Barnsbury Square
Directions
Continue along Crescent Street and right into Huntingdon
Street. Turn left into Hemingford Road, cross at the zebra crossing,
turn right and then left into Belitha Villas. At the end, turn right
into Thornhill Road. Barnsbury Square is a short way down on the right.
Description
Barnsbury was a medieval manor, and a moated
farm once stood on the site of the current square. The name is derived
from that of Ralph de Berners, whose family owned the manor until the
early 16th century. In the early 19th century, the lord of the manor,
William Tufnell began to lease land for development to various
speculative builders. The square was central to the Bishop Estate,
developed from 1834 mainly by Thomas Whowell, who built and lived in
Mountfort Crescent from 1841. The square gardens were laid out as
'ornamental pleasure grounds' for the private use of residents. In 1889
the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association (MPGA) purchased the lease
and opened the gardens to the public, but ownership disputes after the
lease expired in 1909 led to decline and damage over the next decade.
The gardens were finally conveyed to Islington Council by deed poll in
1933, restored with funds from the MPGA and reopened to the public in
1934. It was redesigned in the 1960s and 70s with raised beds, a small
pavilion and new railings.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Mountfort Crescent
Directions
Take the second turning into the Barnsbury Square, enter through the gate on the
right and walk across the square to the gate opposite. Turn left and
continue to Mountfort Crescent .
Description
Mountfort Crescent was built in 1834-47 as part of the Bishop Estate
and comprises pairs of bow-fronted villas set around a central garden.
It occupies the ground of what used to be Reed Moatfield, in which was a moated site,
so described in 1756. It is named after Mountfort House.
The architect John Carr McLellan lived at No. 3 from 1883 to 1888.
In 1928 the garden was described as a 'small area enclosed by light railings
owned by freeholders of surrounding houses, who maintain the garden.'
The garden is no longer railed and has several notable trees.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Culpeper Community Garden
Directions
Return to Thornhill Road, turn right and continue on. The
Albion pub on the left has accessible toilets. Continue on into
Cloudesley Road. After the junction with Copenhagen Street, cross the
road and the entrance to Culpeper Community Garden is on the right, just after a former pub. To avoid the steps, continue along Cloudesley
Road, and enter via the gate in the railings on the right.
Description
Named after the 17th-century herbalist Nicholas
Culpeper, this secluded garden contains 46 different plots tended by
local people and groups, growing a wealth of flowers, fruit and
vegetables. There are also a communal lawn, ponds, rose pergola and
wildlife areas. Open daily to the public, the project encourages the
involvement of many disadvantaged groups, as well as children and young
people.
Angel Station
No photo available.
Directions
Leave Culpeper via the upper gate onto Cloudesley Road,
opposite the Islington pub, turn right and cross Tolpuddle Street at the zebra crossing. Cross the
Sainsbury's car park into Chapel Market (accessible toilet between the
two). Turn left and continue to Upper Street.
To end the walk here, cross at the traffic lights to Angel
underground station. To continue the walk, turn right into Islington High Street
and go to the traffic lights at Pentonville Road.
Myddelton Square
Directions
To begin the walk at Angel underground station , turn
left and walk along Upper Street. Cross Upper Street and then
Pentonville Road at the traffic lights and walk straight on into St
John Street. Turn right into Chadwell Street and continue to
Myddelton Square .
Description
Laid out between 1824 and 1827, the square is
part of the New River Estate and named after Sir Hugh Myddelton, who
was responsible for building the New River in the early 17th century.
The square and St Mark's Church (1827) were designed by William
Chadwell Mylne, surveyor to the New River Company from 1811. The church
was gutted and the north side of the square destroyed in the 1940s, as
a result of WW2 bombing, and rebuilt in replica by the New River
Company. The gardens contain many mature trees, seating and raised rose
beds. There is a children's playground beside the church.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Claremont Square
Directions
Leave the square at the top right hand corner. Walk along
Mylne Street into Claremont Square (not accessible to public).
On the right is Claremont Close.
Description
Claremont Close was the last square to be
built by the New River Company, with eight blocks of flats erected from
1935 to 1936 in domestic revival style around a central garden of
cherry trees and standard roses. The site previously contained livery
stables, as well as being used to contain cattle en route to Smithfield
Market. The site also suffered bomb damage during WW2.
Claremont Square was developed between 1821 and 1828 around
the old Upper Pond of the New River Company, built in 1709. The
reservoir was covered and turfed in 1852 following the Metropolis Water
Act which outlawed open areas of standing water in London. This covered
storage reservoir is still owned and in use by Thames Water. The square
has its original 19th-century railings.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Percy Circus
Directions
On the other side of Claremont Square, cross Amwell Street
and walk straight ahead into Cruickshank Street. Follow the road, which
bears left. On the right is Bevin Court, built 1952-5 by Skinner,
Bailey & Lubetkin on the site of the bombed Holford Square. At the
end of Holford Street, turn right into Great Percy Street, and continue
into Percy Circus . To the right is the entrance to
Holford Gardens .
Description
Percy Circus (1841-43) was, like Myddelton
Square, laid out by William Chadwell Mylne. It is unusual for its
polygonal shape and because it is built on a steep slope. There is a
central circular terrace with benches, accessible via steps and a ramp,
surrounded by mature trees. The railings are original.
Holford Gardens are on the site of Holford Square (1841-44),
which was part of the New River Estate and laid out with ornamental
gardens. Victorian residents of the square included the painter and
engraver Myles Birket Foster, and Edmund Evans, engraver of Kate
Greenaway's works.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Lloyd Square
Directions
Leave Percy Circus via Prideaux Place. At the end of the
road, turn left into Wharton Street and walk up the hill to Lloyd
Square (private – open for Open Garden Squares Weekend).
Description
Lloyd Square was laid out around.1833 by father
and son team, John and William Booth for the Lloyd Baker family, which
owned the estate until the mid-20th century. The original layout of
paths remains, with trees around the perimeter and a central flowerbed
surrounded by smaller beds, planted with shrub roses and perennials.
The houses around the square, also designed by the Booths, have
distinctive pedimented façades. A garden committee run by residents has
managed the garden since 1917, and there has been much recent
renovation, including the railings (which are original), paths and
planting.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Wilmington Square Gardens
Directions
Walk around the square, taking care on the uneven pavement
and into Lloyd Baker Street. Cross at the zebra crossing and through
the pedestrian passage straight ahead to St Helena Street. Carry
straight on down Fernsbury Street, passing Greenaway House on the
right, to Margery Street. Cross at the zebra crossing and walk straight
ahead to enter Wilmington Square Gardens through the gates on
the right.
Description
Wilmington Square was laid out in the 1820s by
builder John Wilson across 16 acres of the Spa Fields Estate, which
belonged to the Marquess of Northampton. There is a pedestrian walkway
instead of a road along the north side because Wilson ran out of money.
In 1895 the gardens were given to Finsbury Vestry, which planted
flowers and installed seating, opening them for public use. There is a
late-19th-century pavilion and drinking fountain, numerous trees and
conifers, roses and ornamental shrubs.
Further information on LGT Inventory
New River Head
Directions
Leaving the square by the same gate, walk straight ahead up
Merlin Street. Cross Amwell Street at the zebra crossing, turn right
and immediately left into Hardwick Street. On the left near the
junction with Rosebery Avenue is the private communal garden of
New River Head , former headquarters of the Metropolitan Water
Board, now a residential development. Turn left and continue along
Rosebery Avenue, past another private communal garden belonging to the
Laboratory Building (1936-38) in Modern Movement style. Rose beds and a
large fountain are visible through the railings. Sadlers Wells Theatre,
ahead of you, has a restaurant, bars and accessible toilets. Turn left
into Arlington Way and left again into Myddelton Passage. At the end of
the passage, turn left through the second gate in the wall (if open) to reach a
viewing platform overlooking the New River Head development.
Description
The New River was an aqueduct, built between
1609 and 1613 by City banker and MP Sir Hugh Myddelton. The river was
the main source of fresh water from Hertfordshire to north London and
the City until around 1990. The water flowed into the Round Pond at New
River Head, where a water house controlled supply to surrounding
houses. A further reservoir, the Upper Pond, was constructed in 1709
and later developed as Claremont Square. From the 1680s, natural
springs around the reservoirs were developed as commercial spas for
their medicinal properties. The water house was demolished to make way
for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Water Board, which took over
from the New River Company in 1904. The grade II listed building, built
in 1919 on part of the Inner Pond, is now in private residential use
(converted 1997-8), and its garden occupies the site of the Outer Pond.
Further information on LGT Inventory
Nautilus Garden
Directions
Leaving the viewing platform, turn right out of the gate and
go through the adjacent gate (if open) down a ramp into the Nautilus Garden .
Return to Myddelton Passage and continue on into Myddelton
Square. From here, retrace your steps to return to Angel
underground station.
Description
The former engine and pump houses of the New
River Company form a backdrop to this pretty garden, which features a
fountain, pergola and roses.
