Islington Serviced Offices to Rent | Islington Offices to Let

Islington, North London Commercial Offices to Rent & Serviced Offices to Let in Islington, London, N1

Islington, somewhat confusingly, is the central district of the large inner London Borough of Islington.  Islington developed as a linear and sprawling village along the Great North Road and is bounded by Liverpool Road to the west and New North Road to the southeast.  Its northernmost point is in the area of Highbury and the main north-south high street, Upper Street, splits at Highbury Corner to Holloway Road to the west and St. Paul's Road to the east.  The Islington district is now often extended to include the areas close to Upper Street such as Barnsbury, Canonbury and De Beauvoir Town.  The area around the London Underground tube station, The Angel, is considered by many to be a district in its own right.

The name Islington, as recorded in early 11th century derives from the Saxon Giseldone and later became Gislandune, which meant 'Gisla's Hill'.  The name then later evolved into Isledon, which remained in use well into the 17th century at which time the modern form of Islington became the norm.  Islington developed as a sprawling linear village along the Great North Road and some roads on the edge of the area, including Essex Road were known as streets by the medieval period, possibly indicating a Roman connection but little physical evidence remains to back up this assertion.  However, what is evident is that the Great North Road from Aldersgate in the City of London came into use in the 14th century, connecting with a new turnpike (toll road) up Highgate Hill to provide onward access northwards.  This turnpike followed the line of modern Upper Street, with a tollgate at The Angel marking the boundary of the village. The Back Road, now the modern Liverpool Road, was primarily a drovers' road where cattle would be rested before the final leg of their journey to Smithfield Market in the City of London.  Pens and sheds were erected along this road to accommodate the animals.

In the 16^th century, the village of Islington and the wider area with its access to The City and Westminster became a popular residential area for wealthy and prominent people.  However, the local inns and hostelries showed the other side of life and harboured many fugitives from the law and religious persecution.

Islington had long supplied the City of London with water from the many springs that lay at the foot of its hill - including Sadler’s Wells and Clerkenwell but by the 17th century these traditional sources were inadequate and plans were laid to construct a new waterway.  Fresh water from the source of the River Lee in Hertfordshire was bought to New River Head, below Islington in Finsbury and was opened in September 1613.  The course of the river ran to the east of Upper Street, and much of its course is now covered and forms a linear park through the area.  A statue of the constructor, Sir Hugh Mydlleton still stands where Upper Street meets Essex Road.  The availability of water made Islington a place for growing vegetables to feed London in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Islington also became a popular resort for Londoners and many public houses were founded to serve the needs of both visitors and travellers on the turnpike. 56 ale-house keepers in Upper Street were recorded in 1716 also offering pleasure and tea gardens; archery, skittle alleys and bowling.  By the 18th century, music and dancing were on the menu, together with billiards, firework displays and balloon ascents.  One such venue, now a Victorian building, with a theatre, has remained on the same site, since 1543.  By the 19th century, many music halls and theatres were established around Islington Green. Islington has continued with this theatrical tradition and is today home to the very successful Almeida Theatre.

Another 19th century landmark is The Royal Agricultural Hall on the Liverpool Road built for the annual Smithfield Show.  The hall was 75 ft high, and the arched glass roof spanned 125 ft and was popular for recitals and the Royal Tournament.  It was the primary exhibition site for London until the 20th century, and the largest building of its kind, holding up to 50,000 people.  During the Second World War, it was requisitioned for use by the Mount Pleasant Sorting Office and never re-opened. The main hall now forms part of the Business Design Centre.

The 19th century also saw the construction of the Regents Canal to carry cargo from Limehouse into the wider canal system.  The stretch that flows through Islington is for much of its length underground confined to an 886 metres (2,907 ft) tunnel that runs from Colebrook Row, just east of the Angel, to emerge at Muriel Street, not far from Caledonian Road. There is no towpath in the tunnel, and bargees had to walk their barges through, braced against the roof.  The area of the canal east of the tunnel and north of the City Road became dominated by warehousing and industry surrounding the large City Road Basin and the Wenlock Basin.  The buildings that have survived here are now largely residential or small work units and this stretch boasts one of the few old canal pubs with an entrance actually on the towpath, The Narrowboat.  Commercial use of the canal has declined since the 1960's.

Some development took place to accommodate the popularity of nearby Sadler's Wells, which became a resort in the 16th century, but the 19th century saw the greatest expansion in housing, soon to cover the whole parish.  This rapid expansion was partly due to the introduction of horse-drawn omnibuses in 1830 and the ease of access to the City of London.  Large well-built houses and fashionable squares, attracted clerks, artisans and professionals to the district.  However, this was counterbalanced by an influx of inner city poor who were displaced by slum clearances in inner London to build the new railway stations and goods yards. They settled in Islington, turning houses into multi-occupancy and this combined with vast improvements and developments in transport  reduced Islington's attraction for the better off as it became "unfashionable".  The area fell into a long decline. Much damage was inflicted on the borough’s housing stock during the Second World War and by the mid-20th century, the area had become largely run down and was a byword for urban poverty.  Some of the worst terraced housing was cleared alongside some regeneration but Islington continued to be both the most dense (least open space), and the borough with the highest level of overcrowding.  However, from the 1960's, the area was revitalised as middle class families attracted by the closeness to the City of London rediscovered the Georgian terraces and many of the houses were rehabilitated, with the area becoming newly fashionable.  Among these new residents were a number of the central figures in the New Labour Movement and Islington became widely regarded as the spiritual home of Britain’s left wing intelligentsia as well as home to many famous faces in the arts and the media.

The nearest London Underground Station to Islington is The Angel but the area can also be accessed by stations at Old Street and King's Cross together with its mainline connections.  Essex Road is a National Rail station and is served by First Capital Connect.  Highbury & Islington station both a London Underground Station and part of National Rail and only 10 minutes walk from the Arsenal Emirates Stadium. The area is also well served with bus routes, with a major bus interchange located near Angel tube station.

Islington is perhaps most notable for its houses, shops and pubs.  Many whole terraces are Grade II listed including much of  Liverpool Road and Islington High Street and Upper Street.  In addition, there are multiple listed streets such as Camden Passage famous for its antique market and restaurants.  The completion of the Victoria Line and redevelopment of Angel Tube station created the conditions for developers to build blocks of small flats, popular with young professionals, intensifying the residential use of the area as well as the commercial with office accommodation offering work environments to suit all business needs.  The inns of the 17th century have now been replaced with busy public houses and trendy wine bars. Sadly, small independent retail units are increasingly priced out of the area, and are replaced by high street chains. Islington remains a place in constant flux. 

Islington has a reputation to maintain and possesses a certain glamorous charm and notoriety which makes it a sought after area to both live and work attracting many media and design businesses as well as professional offices. The area has much to offer in terms of location and facilities including many flexible serviced offices to rent in Islington; offices to let and virtual offices which are often housed in refurbished buildings as well as sympathetic new builds.  For assistance in securing the most competitively priced deal on Islington office space to let  in this vibrant and unique inner city of North London please contact your Islington's leading flexible office broker via http://www.freeofficesearch.co.uk or telephone our London Headquarters on 020 7788 1030.