A City Guide to Highbury and Islington
A City Guide to Highbury and Islington
Home of Arsenal Football Club, Jeremy Corbyn, Douglas Adams, and Emirates Stadium, Islington and Highbury certainly have quite a lot of fame to claim among the London boroughs outside of central London. However, Highbury and Islington aren’t just for footballers and Labourites, the borough is also a fantastic place to set up a home in as well.
Boasting vibrant shops, cafes, clubs and art scenes, it won’t take you very long at all for you to fall in love with this charming patch of the City.
The Borough Itself
There are no two ways about it. Highbury and Islington is a damn pretty place to live. It has some of the best preserved Victorian architecture around, and you’ll soon find yourself ogling at the five-story Edwardian townhouses that line the elegant streets and boulevards. It’s not all old buildings either, there’s some pretty modern architecture to be seen too, although it seems the area has done its best to preserve the timeless layout of the streets and buildings.
If Islington is famed for anything, beyond all the famous names linked to the area and the ever impressive Arsenal football club, it’s probably the restaurants. Highbury and Islington arguably have some of the densest concentrations of eateries to be found within the United Kingdom, and you know you’ve become a native to the area the moment you’ve put on five or six pounds.
There’s always somewhere new to eat in the area, and if you’re one whose motto is very much “Live to eat” then you’ll be right at home.
It’s not all food that can draw you to the borough either. Highbury and Islington also have a jumping club scene and an excellent nightlife. Sure, it’s not quite as jam-packed and glitzy as some parts of London can be, but there’s plenty to do when dusk falls and lots to see before then and all.
Likewise, as expected from a seat with Jeremy Corbyn as one of its representatives, there’s a thriving progressive culture within the town. Islington boasts one of the first feminist bookstores, a strong punk community, and left-wing politicos can be found all over the place.
Rents and Prices
Now we come to the kicker. Just how expensive are Islington and Highbury these days?
There’s no sugar-coating this. Islington is a very attractive neighbourhood with the highest population density of any London borough, and the usual metric of supply vs demand is in full effect here. For a one-bedroom apartment within the borough, you’ll be looking at £1200 p/m minimum for the vast majority of properties, and it really just goes up from there. Yeah, Adam Smith’s ghost really has it out for you on this one.
While you can find some cheaper deals, these are few and far between. Don’t expect too many wallet-saving bargains.
Your best bet if you want to live in Islington is to look at a house share within the area. This will help cut the rent by quite a healthy margin, reducing the otherwise eye-watering rents to a much more manageable £300-£500 a month range.
What to See and Do
You’d be quite remiss if you were just looking at Highbury and Islington as a place to sleep. It’s also a great place to be and do as well.
As with all good boroughs, each section of Islington has its own unique quirks and character. For example, South Gate Road is most definitely the “middle class” section of town. There are no high street chains, no heavy traffic, and no cutting corners. It offers some of the best quality cafes, pubs and restaurants in the area, as well as some really relaxing gardens.
In a word, it’s dead posh, guv.
If you’re looking for something a bit more grounded and down-to-earth, then Caledonian Road is probably more your cup of tea. Don’t be put off by its foreboding history as the correctional and disciplinary centre of town, it’s really become much more cheerful in recent decades. Caledonian Road is a multicultural melting pot, and residents can expect to find cheap-but-cheerful businesses selling all sorts of global cuisine, making it one of the more authentically Londonish parts of the area.
The place is a favourite among students, champagne socialists, immigrant communities, and honest working-class types, and it thrums within the atmosphere of the town.
If you’re on Caledonian Road, also be sure to check out the London Canal Museum, located within a former collection of 19th-century warehouses on the water. It gives a pretty nifty insight into the role that London’s waterways played in the formation of the city and its economy, including the little-known ice trade that once thrived between the UK and Norway.
What? You thought the ice harvesting scene from Frozen was just Disney being whimsical?
Those of you looking for more traditional Saturday night entertainment may want to drop by Club du Fromage, which hosts live music weekly and offers a great chance to get blitzed and dance (or bob, anyway) to some really banging tunes. Otherwise, Islington has a thriving theatrical scene too, as one would expect from a student-popular borough dominated by Labour types. The Play That Goes Wrong started in the New Red Lion Theatre on St John Street and Pleasance offers prices for tickets so cheap you’d wonder what the catch was (there aren’t any).
Where to Eat
We’ve already mentioned that Islington attracts restaurants like moths to a candle, although when things sizzle and pop it’s much more pleasurable for those involved. Some of the choicest places to satisfy your appetite include:
Addis
An Ethiopian-themed restaurant found on Caledonian Road, the restaurant offers East African inspired dishes such as Fotolia (whole beans cooked with slices of carrot and spices), Doro wot (chicken cooked with hot pepper and spices sauce), and awaze tibs (lamb cubes well fried with onion, Ethiopian pepper and spices).
Meat Liquor
If you’re looking for something that screams “I’m so counter-cultural that I have studs in my gauges in my piercings!” then you probably want to sit down and have a glass of water until your head clears.
For the rest of you, consider a trip down to MeatLiquor on Welbeck Street. The long, trailing queue outside online lets you know that this club-cum-burger joint is well worth the visit, with a bouncer on the door to stamp hands so no one can skip the queue. Inside, the walls are covered in punkish graffiti, slogans, posters and signs under very dark, moody lighting. The colour scheme leans heavily towards black, white and red, and the staff are typically tattooed.
The real draw is the food. While there is some great Southern-style cuisine on offer, such as crunchy “bingo wings” served with some spicy Louisiana hot sauce, the burgers are positively to die for. The buns are delicate and fluffy, the meat is juicy and pink, and the sauces make the whole thing explode in your mouth like a ripe tomato.
Go for the funky, punk-rock décor. Go three more times that week for the burger, fries, and an unforgettable cocktail.
Drink, Shop and Do
One more on Caledonian Street – Drink, Shop and Do is a very charming café decorated in a stylishly girly chic with a definite early 90’s theme. It’s fun and doesn’t take itself at all seriously, and it is popular not just for a quick bite and cup of tea during the day, but also parties and get-togethers in the evening. It’s especially popular as a venue for hen dos.
This is really a place for a light lunch rather than fine dining. The menu consists of usual tearoom items such as sandwiches, cakes, salads, and cheese boards. There is a very good selection of teas available, and the baked foods are all fresh and proudly displayed on the counter. During the evening alcohol drinks are also served, often with punny names, there’s usually live music to be had as well.
Regardless of whether you want a fun night out with friends, or a quick breather while you’re out in the town, the Drink, Shop and Do is lots of fun.
Transport
Islington is easily accessible by the London Underground and Overground routes, being serviced by the Piccadilly, Victoria, and London Overground lines. These links provide quick access to the City, as well as adjacent boroughs, which can give plenty of cover for work and pleasure.
There’s also the usual coverage provided by the London bus routes, with the number 43 offering 24 hours service down the main Islington roads and terminating at London Bridge.
Otherwise, Islington is very easy to walk or bike around, which offers a much better opportunity to explore the many side streets and beautiful terraced houses that form the borough. So don’t be afraid to avoid the cramped quarters of the Tube or the buses and stretch your legs if you just wanted a local excursion.
We’ve given you the scoop and the lowdown – think the area could be for you? Check out our selection of rooms for rent in Islington to find your next home in the neighbourhood.
