Canonbury

Canonbury
OS grid reference	TQ325845
London borough	Islington
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	N1
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Islington South and Finsbury
London Assembly	North East

Canonbury is a residential district 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. In 1253 land in the area was granted to the Canons of St Bartholomew’s Priory, Smithfield and became known at Canonbury. The area continued predominantly as open land until it was developed as a suburb in the early 19th century. In common with similar inner London areas, it suffered decline when the construction of railways in the 1860’s enabled commuting into the city from further afield. The gentrification of the area from the 1950's included new developments to replace war-damaged properties in Canonbury Park North and South as well as restoration of older buildings.

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.

In the east is the New River Estate (formerly the Marquess Estate), a 1,200 dwelling council estate, completed in 1976 on 26 acres (110,000 m²), and designed by Darbourne & Darke. 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.

Notable residents

• Thomas Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal, lived in Canonbury Square 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
• Ephraim Chambers, encyclopaedist, lodged at Canonbury Tower
• George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith, actors and writers, lived at 5 Canonbury Place
• George Orwell, writer, lived at 27b Canonbury Square
• Evelyn Waugh, writer, lived at 17a Canonbury Square
• Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, painters and designers, lived at 26a Canonbury Square
• Professor Sir Basil Spence, architect, lived at 1 Canonbury Place
• Dame Flora Robson, actor, lived in Alwyn Villas
• Ted and Barbara Castle, politicians, lived in John Spencer Square
• Alan Davies, actor/comedian
• Cate Blanchett, actor lived at 7 Canonbury Grove
• Dame Stella Rimington, head of MI5, lived in Canonbury Grove and Alwyne Road

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.

Places of interest

File:Canonbury twr.JPG

Canonbury Tower, Islington, January 2006

• 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.

Groups in Canonbury

• The Tower Theatre Company - based at Canonbury Tower until 2003
• Greenpeace UK - offices based at Canonbury Villas.

Politics

File:Marquess est.JPG

Sickert Court and part of the Marquess Estate January 2006

• 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).

Transport and locale

Nearest places

• Finsbury
• Barnsbury
• Islington
• Dalston
• De Beauvoir Town
• Highbury
• Holloway
• Hoxton
• Mildmay
• Newington Green

Nearest railway stations

• Essex Road
• Canonbury
• Highbury & Islington
• Drayton Park
• Dalston Kingsland

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)

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

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