Friends of Islington Museum

Islington Museum

Explore Islington’s stories of the people, the places and the ideas that created our borough. The Friends of Islington Museum support the museum in all its activities!

Get involved to learn about the borough’s hidden histories, explore our collections and learn about what makes Islington such a fascinating place to live, work, and play.

Islington Museum

Visit to explore Islington’s story through free exhibitions and programming.

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Current Exhibition

Our Islington: Art of the Borough
Celebrating Islington’s artists, with chances to add your own creations. 12/09/24 – 12/01/24
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Islington Archives

Visit to do hands-on exploration of our archive of 100,000+ documents related to the borough.

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Islington Heritage Projects

Learn about how we are conserving Islington’s heritage and bringing art to the borough.

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  • London’s Hidden Waterway: Regent’s Canal

    Once described as ‘London’s Hidden Waterway’, 2020 celebrates the bicentenary of the Regent’s Canal’s full opening on 1 August 1820. The canal played an integral role in Islington, and north London, serving the local industries and businesses for nearly 150 years. Although passing through a well-populated area, much of the Regent’s Canal was hidden in…

  • Islington Refugee Services and Support

    Islington as a Place of Refuge – Tour Stop 8 Significance: Islington Refugee Services and Support Islington has long been a place where migrants and refugees have settled. The borough is central, accommodation has often been cheap and there is a history of tolerance – Finsbury was the first UK constituency to elect a South…

  • Holloway Prison

    Islington as a Place of Refuge – Tour Stop 7 Significance: Location of interned German Jewish ‘enemy aliens’ Holloway Prison operated from 1852-2016, exclusively holding female and young offenders from 1903. Thousands of women were imprisoned there over its history. The story of women behind bars has long held the public imagination and many well-known…

  • ANC Print Shop

    Islington as a Place of Refuge – Tour Stop 4 Significance: Where anti-apartheid material was produced Apartheid was official policy of institutional racism and segregation in South Africa between 1948 and 1994. It was a system designed to disempower black South Africans and ensure the white population remained in power. In the face of brutal…

  • The Victoria

    Islington as a Place of Refuge – Tour Stop 6 Significance: Pub hosting Irish music performances Over the past three centuries Islington became a new home for thousands of Irish economic migrants, who brought with them many cultural traditions and the melodic sounds of Irish music. In the 20th Century, it was common to hear…