This cosmopolitan urban neighbourhood is a convenient and increasingly desirable part of north London. Largely residential, the surprisingly attractive streets are made up of predominantly Victorian style terraces, with a number of housing estates scattered amongst them. The area’s famous ethnic diversity is reflected in the mix of independent businesses along Blackstock Road, Green Lanes, and Seven Sisters Road, which all provide the local population with numerous conveniences. Finsbury Park itself takes up the majority of the area. Covering a massive 115 acres, it draws sporty types, who utilise the running track, tennis courts, and outdoor gym, and just those who wish to take advantage of the grass when the weather’s nice. Finsbury Park, Manor House, and Arsenal underground stations make the neighbourhood one of the best connected in north London. Though if you’re planning to use them you should keep an eye on the football schedule, as the nearby Emirates Stadium draws tens of thousands of Arsenal fans to the area to watch the beloved local team.

Much of the area fell into what is known as Brownswood, a former local manor that dates back to the 13th century. It was part of Hornsey Wood until a pleasure gardens called Finsbury Park was created in the 1860s, to accommodate the residents of the overcrowded inner-city constituency of Finsbury near Shoreditch. At the same time the neighbouring area was becoming more residential, with the building of middle- class terrace houses, and better connected with the opening of Finsbury Park station in 1861, and later the arrival of the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway in 1904. The area became popular with cinema-goers when the Astoria was opened in the 1930s, drawing young, artsy individuals to the area, a trend that still continues. The houses became subdivided and overcrowded as the population increased and much of it was replaced with council flats in the middle of the 20th century, many of which remain today.

The aforementioned Astoria Theatre, which opened in 1930, became a music venue in the 1960s. It was host to a number of famous acts, including the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, The Who, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Queen, and many more. It was even the location where Jimi Hendrix first set fire to his guitar on stage!

The neighbourhood has a reputation as being quite rough around the edges, with crime rates higher than the London average. At the same time, house prices are increasing rapidly, pricing many out of their communities. The station is also very difficult to navigate, because of its ad hoc development, prompting some residents to suggest that it should be totally scrapped and rebuilt.

The largest upcoming development in this postcode is easily Woodberry Down, which will sit on the eastern edge of Finsbury Park in the area around Woodberry Wetlands. This project is planned to consist of over 5,500 new homes, forming one of Europe’s biggest single-site estate regeneration projects. Work initially began on this new neighbourhood in 2009, however, there is still a lot of work left to do as the final phase of construction is not expected to be completed until 2035. More immediately, the residential development between 392 and 394 Seven Sisters Road is expected to be completed soon. The proposed project is much smaller in scale, comprising just 25 apartments.