A new book spills the beans on some of the lesser-known sights of Islington and Clerkenwell.
If your knowledge of Islington doesn't stretch much further than the bars and restaurants of Upper Street, then Secret Islington and Clerkenwell by Lucy McMurdo is the book for you.
Divided into themes rather than areas, the book looks at monastic houses, immigrant communities, water provision, architecture and design, poverty and crime, radicals and revolutionaries, charities and philanthropists, and — something Islington has long been noted for — entertainment. All this with an eye for the quirky, unusual or lesser-spotted that you'd expect from a Blue Badge guide.
Below, we've picked out 10 favourite facts from the book, with a few of the 100 or so images.
10 Things you might not know about Islington and Clerkenwell
1. St Luke’s was known as 'lousy Luke's' as locals thought that the creature on the brass weathervane on top of the spire was a louse, not a dragon.
2. The classical-style brick 'temple' found in the central gardens in Gibson Square is actually a ventilation shaft for the Victoria underground line running beneath the square. London Underground's original proposal for a concrete structure was met with such enormous opposition from local residents that Quinlan Terry was commissioned to design a more acceptable alternative.
3. The annual July Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been a most important date in the calendar of the Italian Church of St Peter's since it opened in the 1860s. Moreover, its colourful procession is believed to be the first Roman Catholic celebration to have taken place in London's streets since the time of the Reformation in the 1530s.
4. It is estimated that following the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948 more than 85% of nurses at the Whittington Hospital came from Ireland.
5. Irish Fenians attempted to blow up the House of Detention in 1867 to rescue two of their number, Burke and Casey. The explosion failed to release the prisoners but caused 26 deaths, much damage to surrounding buildings and left its scars on the prison's walls (still visible today). Michael Barrett, found guilty of the act, was convicted and hanged for the offence at Newgate Gaol in 1868, the last public execution to be carried out there.
6. The remarkably ornate façade of the Fox and Anchor pub on Charterhouse Street owes its design to William J. Neatby, the artist responsible for the exquisite interior of Harrods Food Hall.
7. While exiled in Clerkenwell in 1902-03 the Russian leader Lenin operated out of Twentieth Century Press's premises, at No. 37A Clerkenwell Green, to produce his revolutionary newspaper, Iskra (The Spark), which was then smuggled into Russia. His office on the first floor of the building can be visited when the Marx Memorial Library is open. Check opening times here.
8. The author William Makepeace Thackeray used his experiences at Charterhouse School as the model for 'Slaughterhouse' in his famous masterpiece Vanity Fair.
9. The present-day Starbucks at No. 7 Islington High Street fills the site of what was one of Islington's most luxurious cinemas when it opened in 1913 as the Angel Picture Theatre. Easily identified by its tall, impressive green domed tower, its interior was extremely plush and had an auditorium decorated with pillars and a superb plasterwork ceiling. The cinema, with a capacity of 1,463 seats, was the venue for Islington's first talkie movies and remained in operation until 1972, after which most of it was demolished apart from the tower.
10. Islington Spa was the most fashionable venue in the 1730s and was even frequented by George II's daughters, Princesses Amelia and Caroline. Despite the supposedly foul smelling and tasting spa water, as many as 1,600 people a day would come to take the waters here, keen to mingle with the rich and famous and to enjoy the entertainment that included freak shows, dancing, music and firework displays.
Secret Islington and Clerkenwell by Lucy McMudro is out now from Amberley.
Note: As well as the publisher link, we've also included an affiliate link to Bookshop.org, which will source your copy from an independent bookshop (and throw us a few pennies of commission).
