Straddling the border of Finsbury Park and Holloway, this North Islington neighbourhood is perfectly located amongst some of North London’s most vibrant and accommodating areas. The busy main shopping street of Seven Sisters Road flows through the centre of the area and the even busier Holloway Road sits just to the south. Arsenal is unquestionably the local team – the huge 59,867-seater Emirates Stadium and the surrounding luxury flats take up a large proportion of the neighbourhood’s south – and many of the nearby pubs reflect the area’s love of football, especially on match days, when the local atmosphere is tangibly electric. Branching off from the main roads are some surprisingly quiet residential streets consisting mainly of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, most of which have been split up into reasonably priced maisonettes and flats, as well as some streets of post-war purpose built blocks of flats. The historically multicultural population is supported by many diverse amenities including local cafes and bars, and the area’s popularity with students and artists gives this underappreciated neighbour of Stroud Green and Highbury a creative and dynamic feel that is second to none.

Located right beside Holloway Road, the area was involved in the medieval transport of cattle from the North down to Smithfield, leading to the road’s disintegration and subsequent rebuilding by The Bishop of London in the 14th century. The area was predominantly rural apart from a few points to stop off at for the cattle drivers but, like much of north London, experienced rapid commercial and residential expansion at the turn of the 20th century with the introduction of the railways. The area was badly damaged during the Second World War due to its proximity to the East Coast main line, but the housing stock was mostly restored. The biggest development in the area’s history has been the construction of the new Arsenal stadium in 2002 in Ashburton Grove, which consisted at the time of a rubbish processing plant and industrial estate. The development was met with mixed emotions from locals, but the improvements made to local services and the 2,300 new homes and 1,800 new jobs that the stadium would provide won residents over, and the stadium was finally opened in the summer of 2006.

The notorious murderer, William Charles Lindsay, lived and ran a newsagents shop at 56 Isledon Road between 1912 and 1914. When the business began to fail he took the drastic measure to murder his entire family in order, bizarrely, to save some money. Lindsay only succeeded in killing his wife and was very quickly arrested and tried at the Old Baily, where he was found to be insane and committed to Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital.

The area is home to one of the UK’s most highly respected drama schools, Fourth Monkey Theatre Company. Founded in 2010 the school provides a modern alternative to the traditional conservatoire training and they have been praised for their interesting approaches to theatre productions, winning multiple awards in the process.

Whether you’re an Arsenal fan or not, it is hard to deny that the monuments surrounding the stadium are rather impressive. The most famous is the eight huge murals surrounding the stadium, each depicting four Arsenal legends linking arms, which includes England heroes Ian Wright, David Seaman, and Tony Adams, as well as Premier League greats Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera, Dennis Bergkamp, and Robert Pires. More recently, in 2017, bronze statues of Ken Friar, Herbert Chapman, Adams, Henry, and Bergkamp were unveiled at the five entry points to the stadium.

Some of the locals dislike the nearly 60,000 fans that descend on the area for Arsenal home games, making noise, packing out the pubs, and dropping litter, and campaigned in the past against the relocation of the stadium to the area. However, one local shop owner suggested that not only does the stadium bring in a great deal of custom for those looking to pick up a snack on the way to the game, but also that it really creates a sense of community centred around the club and creates a magical atmosphere on a summery Saturday.

One of the most significant developments, for both the community and infrastructure of the area, is the expansion of the Emirates Stadium, which is set to take place in the coming years. The club wishes to increase their seating capacity by nearly 1000 to ensure that more fans get to experience the games, as even in 2008 the waiting list for season tickets stood at 40,000. The area has recently seen the expansion and regeneration of Finsbury Park Station, which reopened earlier in 2022. Slightly further east, Peabody Developers have recently acquired the site of the former HM Prison Holloway as it stands on 10 acres of land prime for regeneration. In 2019 it was agreed that 985 new homes will be built on the site as well as a 1.4 acre public park, retail space, and a Women’s Centre. These added facilities, as well as a provision stipulating that over 50% of housing should be affordable, were secured by Islington Council. The building between 457 and 463 Holloway Road is also being transformed from office space into a selection of new residential properties.