Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Vol 7 No 2 Summer 2017 incorporating Islington History Journal Find the story of your street The definitive guide to Islington’s places is made free online Green plaque for heroic police officer l Postal Museum to open this summer l ‘Crunchingly wrong’ extension rejected l Growing up in Mildmay Park in the 1930s l An abandoned railway station l The pub on the canal l Housing hundreds of railway horses l Islington and the Spanish Civil War l Books and reviews l Events and exhibitions l Letters and your questions About the society Our committee What we do: talks, walks and more Contribute to this and contacts heIslington journal: stories and President Archaeology&History pictures sought AlecForshaw TSocietyishereto Vice president investigate,learnandcelebrate Wewelcomearticlesonlocal MaryCosh theheritagethatislefttous. history,aswellasyour Chair Weorganiselectures,walks research,memoriesandold AndrewGardner, andotherevents,and photographs. [email protected] publishthisquarterly Aone-pagearticleneeds Secretary journal.Wehold10 about500words,andthe MorganBarber-Rogers meetingsayear,usuallyat maximumlengthis1,000 secretary@islingtonhistory. IslingtonTownHall. words(pleasedonotsubmit org.uk Thesocietywassetupin articlespublishedelsewhere). Membership, publications and 1975andisrunentirelyby Welikepictures–pleasecheck events volunteers.Ifyou’dliketo wecanusethemwithout CatherineBrighty, getinvolved,pleasecontact infringinganyone’scopyright. 8 WynyattStreet,EC1V7HU, ourchairmanAndrew Thejournalispublishedin 02078331541,catherine. Gardner(detailsleft). www.facebook.com/ printandonlineinpdfform. [email protected] 8www.islingtonhistory.org.uk groups/islingtonhistory.org.uk Deadlinefortheautumn Treasurer issueis1August. PhilipAnderson, phlpandrsn6@btopenworld. Journal back issues and extra copies Ever wondered…? com Doyouhaveanyqueriesabout Academic adviser Journaldistributionis Islington’shistory,streetsor LesterHillman,former overseenbyCatherine buildings?Sendtheminfor visitingprofessor,London Brighty(detailsleft). ourtirelessresearcherMichael MetropolitanUniversity Contactherformore Readingandotherreadersto Journal editor copies,backissues,ifyou answer.Pleasenotewedonot ChristyLawrance movehouseandabout keepanarchiveorcarryout Committee members membership.Backissues familyresearch. MichaelHarper canalsobedownloaded lSeeLetters,page6 DerekSeeley viaourwebsiteatwww. SamirSingh islingtonhistory.org.uk Copyright Copyrightofeverythingin $ (photocopiesacceptable) thisjournallieswiththe Join the Islington Archaeology & History Society creatorunlessotherwise stated.Whileitcanbedifficult Membershipperyearis:£12single;£15jointatsameaddress;concessionssingle£8/joint£10; totracecopyrightownership corporate£25;overseas£20;life:£125(renewalformssentoutwhendue) ofarchivematerials,wemake everyefforttodoso. I/Wewouldlikesingle/joint/concession/jointconcession/corporatemembershipandenclose achequepayableto“IslingtonArchaeology&HistorySociety”for....................... Editor ChristyLawrance,christy@ Name(s)..................................................................................................................................... islingtonhistory.org.uk, c/o6Northview,TufnellPark Address...................................................................................................................................... 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ISSN2046-8245 Pleasereturnthisform(photocopiesacceptable)to:CatherineBrighty,IslingtonArchaeology &HistorySociety,8WynyattStreet,LondonEC1V7HU PrintedbyPrintSet,15 Palmer Wewillnotgiveyourdetailstothirdpartiesunlessrequiredtobylaw Place,London, Cover: National Library of Scotland N78DH,www.printset.co.uk 2 JournaloftheIslingtonArchaeology&HistorySociety Summer2017 Vol7 No2 Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Incorporating Islington History Journal Vol 7 No 2 Summer 2017 Research into Islington just got a lot easier any people approach the society because they are Mresearching where their Contents ancestors lived or worked, or because a curious building piques their interest. So we welcome that the definitive guide News 4 to Islington’s places has been made freely Green plaque for heroic police officer, history of Islington’s streets goes online, available online by Islington Council’s Postal Museum to open this summer, and “crunchingly wrong” extension rejected heritage service (see page 4). Eric A Willats’ Streets with a Story: the Book of Islington, Yourlettersandquestions 6 published in 1986, lists roads, streets, An ancient well in a haunted basement, a highway robbery, concertina and buildings and open spaces, old, new and piano makers, Barnbury’s syphon factory, and a mystery parade ground gone. It is “the culmination of a huge is identified amount of research not available anywhere else”, according to one Amazon reviewer. GrowingupinMildmayPark 10 There is clearly demand – printed A time of airships, gas lighting, trams and police on point duty copies are “as rare as hens’ teeth”, the same reviewer says. Anabandonedrailwaystation 11 Many readers will have watched The long-gone Mildmay Park station Islington change over the past 30 years – or may have something to add to the Thepubonthecanal 12 original entries. It’s now up to us to pass The Narrowboat from its industrial beginnings this knowledge to the Local History Centre to build on Willats’ legacy. Housinghundredsofrailwayhorses 14 The stables over the Copenhagen tunnel Alessoninlisting Plans for a badly designed extension to a IslingtonandtheSpanishCivilWar 16 listed 19th century terrace were rejected The stories of some Islington residents who joined a mass movement to fight by Islington Council recently. fascism in Spain This IAHS objected and some society members attended the planning meeting. Publications 18 Officers had intended to grant The anti-slavery movement in Britain, Benjamin Franklin in London, and Britain’s permission without it going to social history through its census committee, which they do for small applications – it only got a hearing with Reviews 20 councillors because enough people wrote Crossrail dig unearths 8,000 years of London history, 30 years of upheaval during in and objected. the Russian Revolution, and how society viewed gay lives in the 20th century The councillors gave the officers – and some of us attending – quite a crash Eventsandexhibitions 24 course in listing and its implications. Days and evenings out Hopefully, this result means attempts to change heritage buildings will be more Directory 28 carefully considered in future. Societies, museums and resources Christy Lawrance IslingtonArchaeology&HistorySocietyevents 31 Editor See us at a fair or join a walk Journal of the Islington Archaeology & History Society Summer 2017 Vol 7 No 2 3 news In brief A-Z listing of Islington’s streets and their King’s Cross pub wins history put online for free conservation award TheScottishStoresInKing’s Thedefinitiveguideto Sincethebookcameout, “Heritagestaffwillverify CrosshaswontheCampaign Islington’sroads,streets, muchhaschanged,soheritage submitteddataand,ona forRealAle’sconservation buildingsandopenspaces,old staffareaskingforlocal regularbasis,anupdated award.ThegradeIIlistedpub andnew,hasbeenmadefreely peopletohelpupdateit. versionwillbepublished wasdesignedbyWylsonand availableonline. MarkAston,localhistory online. Longin1900-01.Itsthreebars Streets with a Story: the manager,said:“Newbuildings “Sopleasesendinyour havebeen“impressively Book of Islington,researched haveappearedwhileothers historicalfacts,figures,events conserved”,saidCamra.“The andcompliedbyformer havebeenconsignedto andincidentsforanyIslington Jacobethan-styledwoodwork IslingtonlibrarianEricA historytomakewayfornew street,parkandopenspace hasbeensympathetically Willats,listsover1,100streets, developmentsandschemes. etcthatyouandothersfind restored,ashavethecoloured squares,places,terraces, “Itishopedthat,withhelp mayinterestingorare lithographsofhuntingscenes blocksofflatsandtenements fromresearchersandthe important,andhelpbuildan byCecilAldinof1900.” inalphabeticalorder,withthe generalpublic,Streets with a ongoinghistoryofyour datetheywerefirstoccupied. Storywillalsocontinueto borough–Islingtonandits Nominate a Victorian Vanishedcourts,alleyways, develop,likethestreetsof streetsandstories.” endangered building terracesandbackwatersofthe Islingtonthemselves. Sendyourinformationto: past–somewithintriguing “TobuilduponEric’s [email protected] The VictorianSocietywantsto nameslikeFrogLane,The originalworkandtocontinue withthesubject:“Streetswith hearaboutbuildingsthatmay LandofNodandCupid’s totellthestoryofIslington’s astory”. indangerforitsTop10 Alley–arealsolisted. development,weinvitepeople lStreets with a Story: the Book BuildingsatRisk.Thesociety Itincludesarchitectural tosubmitinformation–facts of Islingtoncanbe saysitwantstohearaboutas features,buildingsofinterest, bothnewandoldthathave downloadedfromhttp:// manythreatenedVictorian andresidentsofnote.