Friends of Islington Museum

Tag: Local History

  • Hitler’s Guy Fawkes Day Surprise: The Archway V2 Rocket Attack 1944

    Where three residential roads in Archway, Islington, north London, meet is the site of a tragic loss of civilian life during the Second World War (1939-45).  A plaque commemorating the event can be seen at Giesbach Road Open Space, Giesbach Road, Islington N19 3EH.  The aftermath of the V2 Rocket…

  • Blitzed Islington: Islington and the London Blitz (1940-41)

    The 80th anniversary of the start of the London Blitz (7 September 1940 – 10/11 May 1941), during the Second World War, is being remembered nationally from Monday 7 September 2020. On ‘Black Saturday’ 7 September 1940, at around 4pm, and lasting for two hours, nearly 1000 German bombers and…

  • Islington and the Last Night of The Blitz (10/11 May 1941)

    On 11 May 1941, after eight months and five days of constant threat and terror, the nationwide Blitz came to an end. Up to this point, approximately 41,000 tons of bombs had been dropped in total, with 18,291 tons falling on London alone. Around 41,000 people had been killed, 21,500…

  • The Blitz Period in Islington (1940-41)

    THE “BLITZ” PERIOD – SEPTEMBER TO JULY 1941 By W. Eric Adams (Islington Town Clerk and ARP Controller) The 80th anniversary of the start of the London Blitz (7 September 1940 – 10/11 May 1941), during the Second World War, is being remembered nationally from Monday 7 September 2020. This…

  • How Islington Greeted VJ Day 1945

    The 75th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan), marking the end of the Second World War, is being commemorated nationally on Saturday 15 August 2020. Millions of people across the world celebrated the Allied victory over Japan in August and September 1945, including Londoners and the residents of Islington…

  • London’s Hidden Waterway: Regent’s Canal

    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…

  • Hollywood by the Canal: A brief history of Islington and Gainsborough Studios

    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…

  • 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. Horses patiently waited for boats pulled through the tunnel by a steam powered tug. A horse can carry thirty times more weight on water than over…

  • More Changes Over Time: Regent’s Canal

    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…

  • Regent’s Canal Photo Quiz

    Regent’s Canal Photo Quiz

    Test your knowledge of the Regent’s Canal with this photo quiz! Want to know the answers? Take a peak below: This quiz is from Barging Through Islington: 200 Years of the Regent’s Canal, an exhibition exploring the two century history of the Regent’s Canal.