Highbury

Last updated

Highbury
Highbury House.jpg
Highbury House, c. 1800
Greater London UK location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Highbury
Location within Greater London
Population26,664 (2011 Census. Highbury East and West Wards) [1]
OS grid reference TQ319854
London borough
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district N5
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°33′07″N0°05′49″W / 51.552°N 0.097°W / 51.552; -0.097

Highbury is an area in North London and located in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury was owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.

Contents

The manor house was situated by what is now the east side of Hornsey Road, near the junction with Seven Sisters Road. After the manor decayed, a new manor house was built in 1271 (see below) to the south-east; to differentiate it from the original manor and because it was on a hill, it was called Highbury, from which the area takes its name.

The site for Highbury Manor was possibly used by a Roman garrison as a summer camp. During the construction of a new Highbury House in 1781, tiles were found that could have been Roman or Norman; however, these have been lost.

Highbury Manor

Ownership of Highbury eventually passed to Alicia de Barrow, who in 1271 gave it to the Priory of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitallers in England. The wealthy Lord Prior built Highbury manor as a substantial stone country lodging with a grange and barn.

In 1381, during the Peasants' Revolt, Jack Straw led a mob of 20,000 rioters who "so offended by the wealth and haughtiness" of the Knights Hospitallers destroyed the manor house. The Lord Prior at the time, Robert Hales, who had taken refuge in the Tower of London, was captured and beheaded on Tower Hill. Jack Straw and some of his followers used the site as a temporary headquarters; consequently the derelict manor became known for the next 500 years as Jack Straw's Castle. This should not be confused with the better known Jack Straw's Castle, formerly a pub and now residential flats at Whitestone Ponds, Hampstead, which was named after the semi-legendary leader of the revolt.

Highbury House

Highbury Clock is located just north of Highbury Fields, near the junction of Highbury Barn and Highbury Hill. It was presented in 1897 in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria. Highbury Clock-1.jpg
Highbury Clock is located just north of Highbury Fields, near the junction of Highbury Barn and Highbury Hill. It was presented in 1897 in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria.

The Manor of Highbury remained the possession of the Knights of St John until it was confiscated by Henry VIII in 1540. The land then stayed as crown property until Parliament began selling it in the 17th century.

John Dawes, a real estate developer,[ citation needed ] acquired the site of Jack Straw's Castle together with 247 acres (1.00 km2) of surrounding land. In 1781 he built Highbury House at a cost of £10,000 on the spot where Highbury Manor had stood. Over the next 30 years the house was extended by new owners, firstly Alexander Aubert and then John Bentley, to include a large observatory and lavish gardens.

The grounds around Highbury House started to be sold off in 1794. By 1894 Highbury House and its remaining grounds became a school. Finally in 1938 Highbury House was demolished and is now the site of Eton House flats (on Leigh Road), built by the Old Etonian Housing Association in 1939.

Highbury Barn

Highbury Barn, 1819 Highbury Barn.jpg
Highbury Barn, 1819

After the Manor house had been destroyed in 1381, the grange and barn remained on the east side of the track that ran south to Hopping Lane, now St Paul's Road, roughly on the line of Highbury Park / Highbury Grove (the A1201). In 1740 a small ale and cake house was opened in the Barn, Highbury.

In 1770 William Willoughby took over Highbury Barn and greatly increased its popularity. He expanded its size and facilities, taking over land and buildings from the farm next door, reaching beyond what is now Kelvin Road and created a bowling green, trap-ball grounds and gardens. It could cater for company dinners of 2,000 people, concerts and dancing and became one of the most popular venues in London.

In 1854 events at the annual balls in the grounds of the Barn included the aeronaut Charles Green's balloon ascent. By 1865 there was a huge dancing platform, a rebuilt theatre, high-wire acts, pantomime, music hall and the original Siamese twins. The Barn became the victim of its own success. After a riot led by students from Bart's Hospital in 1869, locals complained about the Barn's increasingly riotous and bawdy clientele. This led to a court case and in 1871 authorities revoked the Barn's dancing licence.

Residential growth

By 1794 Highbury consisted of Highbury House and Highbury Hill House, Highbury Barn and the gated terraces of Highbury Terrace and Highbury Place, which had been built on land leased by John Dawes. Highbury may have stayed this way, as the plan was to create a 250 acres (1.0 km2) park – Albert Park – between St Paul's Road/Balls Pond Road and the Seven Sisters Road. Instead a 27.5 acre (111,000 m2) site, which is now Highbury Fields was saved in 1869 and the 115 acre (465,000 m2) Finsbury Park were created. The rest of the area was developed.

The greater part of the development of the area occurred in two phases; until the 1870s many large Italianate villas were built, mostly in the southern part of Highbury. After this time, development went high-density with close packed mostly terraced houses being built, mainly in the north of Highbury. Available land continued to be in-filled with more housing until 1918, but little else changed until after World War II.

A need for a place for Catholic residents of Highbury to worship in the 1920s led to the commissioning of St Joan of Arc's church, thought to be the first dedicated to the saint canonised in 1920, [2] on a site on Kelross Road where the church hall is now located. [2] The church was soon expanded, but the influx of Catholic residents after the war led to a need for a new, larger church. [3] The new church, also dedicated to St Joan of Arc, and designed by Stanley Kerr Bate, opened on 23 September 1962 on Highbury Park. [3]

St Joan of Arc Parish Church, Highbury St Joan of Arc Parish Church, Highbury.jpg
St Joan of Arc Parish Church, Highbury

Highbury was bombed during the Blitz and again by V-1 flying bombs. On 27 June 1944, a V-1 destroyed Highbury Corner, killing 26 people and injuring 150. Highbury Corner had an impressive station and hotel which were damaged in this attack but its main building remained in use until demolished in the 1960s during the building of the Victoria Line. The original westbound platform buildings remain on the opposite side of Holloway Road, as does a small part of the original entrance to the left of the present station entrance. A red plaque, mounted on a building wall overlooking the roundabout, commemorates this event.

After the Second World War large-scale rebuilding in parts of Highbury replaced bombed buildings and provided new municipal housing. Some villas that had not been modernised were demolished to make way for yet more municipal housing; some buildings had to be listed to protect them. Following the property boom in the early 1980s, there has been some gentrification in the area [4] and the council has begun selling some of the grand villas to private developers who have the finances to restore them, e.g. in 2004 Islington council sold four buildings on Highbury New Park to developers for £1 million each.

The Highbury Community Association (HCA) was formed in 1997. Since then, the HCA has grown to represent residents and businesses in Highbury, Lower Holloway and Finsbury Park. The HCA campaigns on many different aspects of living and working in this area of North Islington in London.

Arsenal Stadium

The Clock End, Arsenal Stadium in 2005; since demolished Arsenal Stadium interior Clock End.jpg
The Clock End, Arsenal Stadium in 2005; since demolished

In 1913 Woolwich Arsenal F.C. moved north to Highbury, dropping Woolwich from its name. Their chairman Sir Henry Norris took a 20-year lease on part of the grounds of St John's Hall for £20,000. The new Arsenal Stadium (also called Highbury) was built there. St John's Hall, originally called Highbury College (of Divinity), was built in 1825 on what is now Aubert Park and was a grand ionic-style building, reminiscent of the British Museum. St John's Hall burnt down in 1946 and was replaced by a block of flats.

The club prospered and by 1925 had purchased the freehold. Arsenal's subsequent success made Highbury well known, albeit initially with depressing effect on nearby housing. In 2006 the club moved to Ashburton Grove on the west side of Drayton Park in Highbury. The old stadium was converted into a luxury housing complex known as Highbury Square, with the two listed main stands being converted into apartments, ensuring their original exteriors remained almost entirely preserved. The unlisted North Bank and Clock End stands have been demolished to make way for entirely new apartment blocks. The pitch has been converted into a garden, with private gym and swimming pool located underneath it. Today, property in the area around the old Highbury stadium is highly sought after, and prices for apartments within the stadium start at £300k.

Highbury in the arts

For 40 years from 1965, Highbury New Park was home to Wessex Studios. Created by the Beatles producer Sir George Martin (who grew up on Drayton Park in Highbury), the studios saw the recording of some of the best-known albums created by bands including Queen, Genesis, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash. The building is now a block of residential apartments called "The Recording Studio" and located at 106, Highbury New Park. (Refs: George Martin speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs; The Independent, 3 November 2004; the "Queen – Days of our Lives" documentary screened by BBC4 in April 2012.)

Highbury was also home to Highbury Studios, a film/TV/recording studio further along the same street, at 65A Highbury New Park; these studios had a training school next door in a disused church hall. Built initially as a music conservatoire in 1890, the site became a recording studio in 1926 for the Piccadilly label. In 1933, they became the Highbury (film) Studios and in 1945 they were acquired by the Rank Organisation. Due to economic difficulties, Rank closed the studios down and they were demolished in 1960. Athenaeum Court, a block of flats, now occupies the site.

As of September 2019, Highbury is home to the London Screen Academy (LSA), a state-funded sixth form college located on Highbury Grove opposite Christ Church. LSA is dedicated to training young people of all backgrounds in behind-the-camera skills. LSA's founders include Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films, Lisa Bryer of Cowboy Films, David Heyman of Heyday Films, and Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson of Eon Productions.

The following books and films feature parts of Highbury:

Highbury is the setting of Andrea Levy's autobiographical novel, Every Light in the House Burnin'.

Geography

A map showing the Highbury ward of Islington Metropolitan Borough as it appeared in 1916 Islington Met. B Ward Map 1916.svg
A map showing the Highbury ward of Islington Metropolitan Borough as it appeared in 1916

Highbury is situated 4.4 miles (7.1 km) north of Charing Cross. Its area is approximately 500 acres (2.0 km2).[ citation needed ]

Rail and tube stations

Nearest rail and tube stations:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Islington</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Islington is a London borough which forms part of Inner London, England. Islington has an estimated population of 215,667. It was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, by the amalgamation of the metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clerkenwell</span> Area of central London

Clerkenwell is an area of central London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finsbury</span> District of Central London

Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the southeastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holloway, London</span> Human settlement in England

Holloway is an inner-city district of the London Borough of Islington, England, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north of Charing Cross, which follows the line of the Holloway Road (A1). At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head commercial area which sits between the more residential Upper Holloway and Lower Holloway neighbourhoods. Holloway has a multicultural population and includes the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal F.C.. Until 2016, it was the site of Holloway Prison, the largest women's prison in Europe. Before 1965, it was in the historic county of Middlesex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufnell Park</span> Human settlement in England

Tufnell Park is an area in north London, England, in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islington</span> District of London, England

Islington is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy High Street, Upper Street, Essex Road, and Southgate Road to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arsenal tube station</span> London Underground station

Arsenal is a London Underground station located in Highbury, London. It is on the Piccadilly line, between Holloway Road and Finsbury Park stations, in Travelcard Zone 2. Originally known as Gillespie Road, it was renamed in 1932 after Arsenal Football Club, who at the time played at the nearby Highbury Stadium. It is the only tube station named directly after a football club. Although Highbury Stadium closed in 2006, the station retains its name and is still used by spectators attending matches at Arsenal's nearby Emirates Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highbury & Islington station</span> London Underground and railway station

Highbury & Islington is a London Underground and National Rail interchange station in the London Borough of Islington, north London. It is served by the London Underground's Victoria line and the Great Northern's Northern City Line, as well as the London Overground's East and North London Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Islington</span> Former local authority of London, England

Islington was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. It was an ancient parish within the county of Middlesex, and formed part of The Metropolis from 1855. The parish was transferred to the County of London in 1889 and became a metropolitan borough in 1900. It was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury to form the London Borough of Islington in Greater London in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holloway Road</span> North London shopping street

Holloway Road is a road in London, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) in length. It is one of the main shopping streets in North London, and carries the A1 road as it passes through Holloway, in the London Borough of Islington. The road starts in Archway, near Archway Underground station, then heads south-east, past Upper Holloway railway station, Whittington Park, past the North London campus of London Metropolitan University near Nag's Head, past Holloway Road Underground station, and the main campus of the university, and then becomes Highbury Corner, near Highbury & Islington station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drayton Park railway station</span> National Rail station in London, England

Drayton Park is a National Rail station in Highbury, in the London Borough of Islington. It is on the Northern City Line between Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park stations, 2 miles 56 chains (4.3 km) down the line from Moorgate; it is in Travelcard Zone 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool Road</span>

Liverpool Road is a street in Islington, North London. It covers a distance of 1+14 miles (2.0 km) between Islington High Street and Holloway Road, running roughly parallel to Upper Street through the area of Barnsbury. It contains several attractive terraces of Georgian houses and Victorian villas, many of which are listed buildings. There are a number of pubs, small businesses and restaurants along its route, as well as some secluded garden squares. The vast majority of the street is residential, with a bustling shopping and business area at the southern, Angel, end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islington North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Islington North is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1983 by Jeremy Corbyn, who was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2015 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finsbury Pavement</span>

Finsbury Pavement is a short length of street in England connecting Moorgate with City Road in the London Borough of Islington. It forms a part of the London Inner Ring Road, and before the introduction of the ring of steel around the City of London it formed a major through-route towards London Bridge and south London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Street</span>

Upper Street is the main street of the Islington district of inner north London, and carries the A1 road. It begins at the junction of the A1 and Liverpool Road, continuing on from Islington High Street which runs from the crossroads at Pentonville Road/City Road and runs roughly northwards from outside the main entrance to Angel Underground station, then past the Business Design Centre, then splits at Islington Green, then past The Screen On The Green cinema, past Islington Town Hall, ending at Highbury & Islington tube station on Highbury corner, where the A1 carries on as Holloway Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Islington</span>

The London Borough of Islington is short of large parks and open spaces, given its status in recent decades as a desirable place of residence. In fact, Islington has the lowest ratio of open space to built-up areas of any London borough. The largest continuous open space in the borough, at 11.75 hectares, is Highbury Fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Buses route 4</span> London bus route

London Buses route 4 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Archway and Blackfriars stations, it is operated by Metroline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finsbury Park (area)</span> Area in north London, England

Finsbury Park is an area in north London, England, which grew up around an important railway interchange near the convergence of the Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney.

The advance of late Victorian urbanisation during the last twenty years of the 19th century swept away the 18th and early 19th-century houses, their grounds and the farmland. By 1900 Harringay was completely urbanised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalston Synagogue</span> Jewish synagogue in North London 1885-1970

The Dalston Synagogue was a Jewish place of worship in the London Borough of Islington, North London, from about 1885 to 1970. Jews fleeing the pogroms of the Russian Empire, and those beginning to leave the East End of London and move northwards towards Stoke Newington and Stamford Hill established a congregation in the neighbourhood by 1876. The Victorian Gothic building was erected in Poets Road in 1885, a street just outside the boundaries of Dalston, and became one of the leading members of the United Synagogues.

References

  1. Highbury East and West Wards. Census 2011
  2. 1 2 Marina Warner on Emily Davison (4 July 2013). "Death in Plain Sight". London Review of Books. 35 (13). Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Roman Catholic Church of St Joan of Arc". Roman Catholic Church of St Joan of Arc. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  4. "Highbury onto a winner, Telegraph.co.uk 24 November 2004"
  5. The rescue man. Jonathan Cape. 2009. ISBN   9780224087285.