Canonbury

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 as 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 1860s enabled commuting into the city from further afield. The gentrification of the area from the 1950s 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 acquired a bad reputation and has since been extensively redeveloped to improve security for residents.

Literary and artistic connections

George Orwell moved to 27b Canonbury Square in the autumn of 1944 - he and his wife having been bombed out of their previous flat, in Mortimer Crescent, on 28 June 1944. Evelyn Waugh lived at 17a Canonbury Square from 1928 to 1930. Charles Dickens wrote a Christmas story about a lamplighter in Canonbury, which features the Tower. Leslie Forbes, the travel and detective story writer, and amateur historian Gavin Menzies both live in the area.

Places of interest

• Canonbury Tower - The manor house of Canonbury was constructed by William Bolton of St Bartholomew’s Priory between 1509 and 1532. At the dissolution it was granted to Thomas Cromwell. In the 1590s the manor house was rebuilt by Sir John Spencer, Lord Mayor of the City of London, including the construction of its tower. The tower has been occupied by many historical figures, including Francis Bacon and Oliver Goldsmith. The Tower Theatre Company was based here from 1953 to 2003. It is currently used as a Masonic research centre.
• Canonbury Square - An attractive square, developed between 1805 and 1830, it includes a variety of distinct styles. In 1812, when few properties had been built, the New North Road turnpike, now known as Canonbury Road, was constructed and bisects the square. 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 in Canonbury Square.
• New River Walk - The New River, an aqueduct built by Sir Hugh Myddelton 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 - a road running parallel to part of New River Walk, made up of typical attractive 2 and 3 storey early 19th century terraces.

Churches

• St Paul's Church, Canonbury, is a fine building that has become somewhat dilapidated; it is used as a social centre and twinned with St Jude's church nearby.
• St Stephen's Church, Church of England

Groups in Canonbury

• Greenpeace UK - offices based at Canonbury Villas.
• The Canonbury Society [1] aims to conserve the special character of Canonbury by monitoring development
• Islington & Stoke Newington (T.S Quail) Sea Cadet Unit
• The Islington Society [2] was founded in 1960 to safeguard and improve the quality of life in Islington. It focuses on the built environment and public transport, but also takes a special interest in public services and open spaces.

Politics

• The local MP is Labour politician Emily Thornberry (her full constituency is Islington South and Finsbury). The Islington councillors representing Canonbury are Alex Diner, Clare Jeapes and Nick Wayne (Labour).

Transport and locale

Nearest railway stations

• Essex Road
• Canonbury
• Highbury & Islington

Nearest tube stations

• Angel tube station
• Highbury & Islington tube station
• Dalston Junction

Nearest bus routes

Education

The North Bridge House Senior School & Sixth Form is located in Canonbury.

Notable residents

• Thomas Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal, lived in Canonbury Tower from 1533 until his execution in 1540 by order of King Henry VIII
• Sir Francis Bacon, King James I's Lord Chancellor, lived in Canonbury Tower, 1616-1626
• William Babell, musician, died here in 1723
• Ephraim Chambers, encyclopaedist, lodged at Canonbury Tower
• George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith, actors and writers, lived at 5 Canonbury Place
• John Newbery, publisher of children's literature, lived in Canonbury House
• Molly Hughes, educator and author, chronicled her childhood in Canonbury in A London Child of the 1870s.
• 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 and worked at 1 Canonbury Place from 1956 until his death in 1976. He is commemorated with a blue plaque
• Dame Flora Robson, actress, lived in Alwyn Villas
• Louis Macneice, poet, lived at 52 Canonbury Park South from 1947 to 1952 and is commemorated with a blue plaque
• Ted and Barbara Castle, politicians, lived in John Spencer Square
• Alan Davies, actor/comedian
• Spider Stacy, founding member of the Pogues
• Harry Randall, music hall and pantomime comedian lived at 4 Canonbury Grove and 2 Alwyne Place
• Cate Blanchett, actress lived at 7 Canonbury Grove
• Chester P, UK hip-hop artist, member of Task Force and M.U.D. Family
• Dame Stella Rimington, head of MI5, lived at 7 Canonbury Grove, in Alwyne Road and in Alwyne Place
• Sir John Mummery PC, DL, a Lord Justice of Appeal
• Sir Nicholas Barrington, ex UK High Commissioner to Pakistan
• William Greaves, co-founder of Capital Kids' Cricket lived at 13 Canonbury Grove
• Charlie Weaver, member and front man of Lonsdale Boys Club
• Sir John Tusa, broadcaster and arts administrator
• Kenneth Griffith, actor, producer, presenter and historian, lived at 8 Alwyne Place, which he named Spion Kop
• Keira Knightley and her husband James Righton moved into Canonbury in 2014

References

External links

• Canonbury Masonic Research Centre
• Tower Theatre Company
• BBC WW2 People's War - Joan Windsor's WW2 experiences (including bombing raid on Essex Road)
• The Canonbury Society