Tag: Blog Post
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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…
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More Changes Over Time: Regent’s Canal
Much of the Regent’s Canal has changed over 200 years. The following images compare scenes from around the canal at different points in history. Wenlock Basin was at the cutting edge of telecommunications in 1846, when the Gutta Percha (a tree gum like rubber) Company made thetwenty nine miles of…
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A Timeline of the Regent’s Canal
Since opening on 1 August 1820, the Regent’s Canal has been a waterway for industry, sport and leisure. Take a look below at how the canal has developed over its two-century history. This timeline is from Barging Through Islington: 200 Years of the Regent’s Canal, an exhibition exploring the two…
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Hollywood by the Canal: A brief history of Islington and Gainsborough Studios
One hundred years ago, in November 1920, Islington film studios trade-screened its first movie, The Great Day. While the film was not a critical success, it marked the beginning of a distinguished 30-year production run. For those three decades Islington Studios, and then as Gainsborough Studios, produced some of Britain’s…
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The Keskidee Centre
Islington as a Place of Refuge – Tour Stop 2 Significance: first dedicated arts centre in Britain for the Afro-Carribean community The Keskidee Centre was envisioned by Oscar Abrams, a Guyanese architect and cultural activist, in the 1970’s. A centre providing educational, social and cultural activities for a disadvantaged and primarily West…
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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,…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
Friends of Islington Museum 