Forty years ago I looked at a small house in Islington for sale.
It had an alarming bulge in an outside wall and the vendor disarmingly admitted a mortgage was out of the question. Although it was close to “work”, Angel tube station is only on the Northern Line, dubbed the misery line in those days. In those days I didn’t think of walking or cycling. My friends lived in west London, I went west at weekends and a mortgage was a requisite, so it was a non-starter. This week I went to Canonbury, a little north of Islington. Forty years ago it was perfect architecturally, cheap compared to the badly built terraced houses crammed into west london, but in all other respects mad, bad and dangerous.
Now it is architecturally intact (thanks to The Canonbury Society), served by the Victoria Line (Highbury & Islington station), has independent shops and restaurants, the Almeida theatre on the doorstep and an Everyman art house cinema. Moreover, there’s a Waitrose concealed up a side street. Of course property prices have gone up commensurately. It is gentrified but a bit funky too.
While the Victoria Line brought prosperity to property owners in Canonbury in the latter half of the 20th century, a Local Act of Parliament in 1812 brought ruin. “An Act for making a Public Carriage Road from the present Turnpike Road, near the South End of Highbury Place, Islington to Haberdashers Walk, in the Parish of Saint Leonard, Shoreditch, in the County of Middlesex.” This was the New North Road turnpike (now Canonbury Road) and the increased traffic bankrupted at least one developer, namely Henry Leroux.
Henry Leroux leased land around Canonbury Square from the 9th Earl of Northampton in 1805 (he became the 1st Marquess of Northampton in 1812). The Northampton connection is still evident: Compton Terrace and The Compton Arms, for example. Although Leroux went bankrupt his buildings are his legacy and I went to Canonbury this week to visit one – 39 A, Canonbury Square, formerly called Northampton Lodge.
(to be continued)