Holloway Road
Encyclopedia
Holloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
, in the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
. The road starts at the Archway, near Archway tube station
Archway tube station
Archway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
, then heads south-east, past Upper Holloway railway station
Upper Holloway railway station
Upper Holloway railway station is in Holloway, North London, near Archway . It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, between and . It is operated by London Overground, and the service is usually one train every 20 to 30 minutes in each direction...
, Whittington Park
Whittington Park
Whittington Park is a public park in Upper Holloway, North London. Like the nearby Whittington Hospital, it is named after Dick Whittington, and a large topiary cat, in reference to Whittington's legendary pet, stands at the Holloway Road entrance...
, past the North London campus of London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
near Nag's Head
Nag's Head, London
Nag's Head, Holloway is a locality within the Holloway district in the London Borough of Islington. It was originally named after the Nag's Head public house on the Holloway Road . The pub was once renamed the "Mustang Diner". It changed to "O'Neills" when it was bought by a pub chain of that name...
, past Holloway Road tube station
Holloway Road tube station
Holloway Road is a station on the London Underground. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Caledonian Road and Arsenal stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2. The station opened on 15 December 1906....
, and the main campus of the university, and then becomes Highbury Corner, near Highbury & Islington station
Highbury & Islington station
Highbury & Islington station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is served by the Victoria line, London Overground's East and North London Lines and First Capital Connect's Northern City Line....
.
The famous record producer Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, responsible amongst other things for Telstar by The Tornados
The Tornados
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
, a massive UK and US no. 1 record in 1962, lived, worked, and committed suicide at 304 Holloway Road, where he is commemorated by a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
that is actually black!
Name
The origins of the name are disputed; some believe that it derives from "hollow" due to the dip in the road from the cattle that made their way along the route to the cattle markets in London, whilst some believe it derives from "hallowHallow
To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form hallowed, as used in The Lord's Prayer, means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered.-Etymology:...
" and refers to the road's historic significance as part of the pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
route to Walsingham
Walsingham
Walsingham is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is famed for its religious shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary and as a major pilgrimage centre...
. No documentary evidence can be found to support either derivation.
History
The earliest record giving the name of the road as The Holloway dates from 1307. The main stretch of Holloway Road runs through the site of the villages of Tollington and Stroud. The exact time of their founding is not known, but the earliest record of them dates from 1000. The names ceased to be used by the late 17th century, but are still preserved in the local place names "Tollington Park" and "Stroud Green"; since that time, the area has been known as HollowayHolloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
.
Description
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
(formerly Northern Polytechnic Institute, the Polytechnic—then University—of North London), and includes the Orion Building, designed by Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind, is an American architect, artist, and set designer of Polish-Jewish descent. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect...
, which can be seen along the central stretch of Holloway Road, and of the headquarters of the National Union of Students and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
. Most of the shops are clustered in the Nag's Head
Nag's Head, London
Nag's Head, Holloway is a locality within the Holloway district in the London Borough of Islington. It was originally named after the Nag's Head public house on the Holloway Road . The pub was once renamed the "Mustang Diner". It changed to "O'Neills" when it was bought by a pub chain of that name...
area, near the junction with Seven Sisters Road
Seven Sisters Road
Seven Sisters Road is a road in north London, England which runs within the boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Haringey. It is an extension of Camden Road, running from Holloway Road at the Nags Head crossroads then on to another crossroads with Blackstock Road and Stroud Green Road...
. North of the Seven Sisters Road is the Nambucca
Nambucca (venue)
Nambucca is a live music venue in Holloway Road in London. Since being rebuilt following a fire it now houses 2 rooms, a front bar area and a rear venue...
pub and music venue, which burned down in 2008 and reopened two years later.
Archway
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
to cross the current A1 route. The A1 heads north along the relatively recently built Archway Road. The construction of the interchange left a few buildings isolated in the centre of the roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
, including the Archway Tavern, which appears on the cover of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies
Muswell Hillbillies
Muswell Hillbillies is the ninth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1971. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew up and the band formed in the early 1960s.The album centred on...
.
Churches
St Mary Magdalene Church, Holloway Road
St Mary Magdalene Church is an Anglican church on Holloway Road in north London. It is located in St Mary Magdalene Gardens opposite Islington Central Library and is the parish church of the Parish of St Mary Magdalene and St David...
is situated in St Mary Magdalene Gardens
St Mary Magdalene Gardens
St Mary Magdalene Gardens on Holloway Road in Islington, London, are the old burial ground of St Mary Magdalene Church. Some tomb stones still bear witness to these early times...
near the southern end of the road. Built by William Wickings in 1814, it is one of the best preserved early 19th century churches in London. Charles Barry, Jr.
Charles Barry, Jr.
Charles Barry, Jr. was an English architect of the mid-late 19th century, and eldest son of Sir Charles Barry. Like his younger brother and fellow architect Edward Middleton Barry, Charles Jr. designed numerous buildings in London. He is particularly associated with works in the south London...
's St John's Church is a leading example of Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
architecture and dominates the northern end of the road.
Railway stations
As one of London's primary transport routes during the 19th century railway boom, Holloway Road contains a number of railway stations.Highbury Corner is the site of Highbury & Islington station
Highbury & Islington station
Highbury & Islington station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is served by the Victoria line, London Overground's East and North London Lines and First Capital Connect's Northern City Line....
, one of London's most important transport interchanges. The Victoria Line
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
, Great Northern & City Railway (now part of First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
) and the London Overground North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
converge at this location. It is also the northern terminus of the London Overground East London Line
East London Line
The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London...
.
The huge station building was badly damaged by a V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
in 1944 and never rebuilt. The remainder of the building was demolished in 1966 in preparation for the construction of the Victoria Line; the only surface building is a small entrance hall, set back from the main road and hidden from view behind a post office.
Holloway Road tube station
Holloway Road is a station on the London Underground. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Caledonian Road and Arsenal stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2. The station opened on 15 December 1906....
opened with the Piccadilly Line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
in 1906, next door to an existing Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
main line station built in 1852. The main line station closed in 1915. Although Holloway Road is the nearest station to the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
, trains do not stop here on match days due to concerns about overcrowding.
Upper Holloway railway station
Upper Holloway railway station
Upper Holloway railway station is in Holloway, North London, near Archway . It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, between and . It is operated by London Overground, and the service is usually one train every 20 to 30 minutes in each direction...
was built in 1868 as part of the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway
Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway
thumb|right|Map dated 1914, showing the line as "Tottenhm & Hampstead Jnt"The Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway was a railway line in north London, formed by an Act of Parliament of 28 July 1862, and was effectively part of an attempt by the Great Eastern Railway to obtain a west end terminus,...
. It is served by trains on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line
Gospel Oak to Barking line
The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London as part of the London Overground network. It is sometimes known as the Goblin , although this is a nickname rather than an official title...
, which now forms part of the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
network.
Archway tube station
Archway tube station
Archway tube station is a London Underground station in north London, underneath the Archway Tower, at the intersection of Holloway Road, Highgate Hill and Junction Road in the area known as Archway....
is not actually situated on Holloway Road, but approximately 10 m off the main road on Junction Road
Junction Road
Junction Road is a road in north London between Archway tube station and Tufnell Park tube station ....
, underneath the architecturally striking Archway Tower
Archway Tower
The Archway Tower, at 2 Junction Road, Archway, London, is a office building built over Archway tube station and was completed in 1963. Local opinion is divided on the tower, some finding it architecturally unattractive, while others welcome the fact that it brings employment to the area, as well...
. Originally known as "Highgate", it was the original northern terminus of the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway
Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway
The Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway , also known as the Hampstead tube, was a railway company established in 1891 that constructed a deep-level underground "tube" railway in London. Construction of the CCE&HR was delayed for more than a decade whilst funding was sought...
and until 1940 was the northern terminus of the Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
.
Popular culture
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, responsible amongst other things for Telstar by The Tornados
The Tornados
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
, a massive UK and US no. 1 record in 1962, and the highly influential 1959 album I Hear a New World
I Hear a New World
I Hear a New World - an Outer Space Music Fantasy is a concept album devised and composed by Joe Meek and performed by The Blue Men in 1959. It was partially released in 1960 and completely released in 1991 by RPM Records...
, lived, worked, and committed suicide at 304 Holloway Road, where he is commemorated by an unofficial blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
(actually black). Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
singer John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
(Johnny Rotten) claims to have been born and raised in side-street Benwell Road, although no documentary evidence survives of this. The road also features heavily as the home of a fictionalised Meek in Jake Arnott
Jake Arnott
Jake Arnott is a British novelist, author of The Long Firm and other novels. Most of his works are crime novels, and include homosexual characters...
's The Long Firm trilogy, and was the setting for George
George Grossmith
George Grossmith was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades...
and Weedon Grossmith
Weedon Grossmith
Walter Weedon Grossmith , better known as Weedon Grossmith, was an English writer, painter, actor and playwright, best known as co-author of The Diary of a Nobody with his famous brother, music hall comedian and Gilbert and Sullivan star, George Grossmith...
's Diary of a Nobody
Diary of a Nobody
The Diary of a Nobody, an English comic novel written by George Grossmith and his brother Weedon Grossmith with illustrations by Weedon, first appeared in the magazine Punch in 1888 – 89, and was first printed in book form in 1892...
.
A row of Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
houses, numbers 726–732, opposite Upper Holloway railway station
Upper Holloway railway station
Upper Holloway railway station is in Holloway, North London, near Archway . It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, between and . It is operated by London Overground, and the service is usually one train every 20 to 30 minutes in each direction...
, stands at the described location of the fictional Brickfield Terrace in Diary of a Nobody
Diary of a Nobody
The Diary of a Nobody, an English comic novel written by George Grossmith and his brother Weedon Grossmith with illustrations by Weedon, first appeared in the magazine Punch in 1888 – 89, and was first printed in book form in 1892...
. The architecture is typical for buildings on this stretch of the road.