The Microhood: Upper Street, Islington

What’s it got that we love?
It’s hard to believe that Upper Street was once just a hard-working Islington artery. Now that has all changed: this is one of the most elegant thoroughfares in north London.

In one miraculous mile, from Angel Underground station to Highbury Corner, you can find enough smart shops, restaurants and pubs to detain you for hours – along with theatres, concert venues and the town hall, which is scattered with wedding confetti at weekends. This is the beating heart of Islington.

Upper Street was once a drovers’ road. Cattle were supplanted by clothiers as London expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries. Areas such as Canonbury and Barnsbury became smart inner suburbs with terraces of handsome houses, punctuated by pretty pubs. That’s why the N1 postcode has a special magic. 

“We are so central,” says Paul Williams, head of residential sales at Savills Islington. “I think of Islington, the West End and the City as a triangle – we’re at the apex, and you can walk to the other points so easily. The architecture is wonderful, too, particularly the Georgian squares.” 

How’s the shopping?
Excellent. A mixed bag of emporia makes Upper Street an “alternative to the West End”. Independent hotspots are thriving, including design stores Aria and Twentytwentyone for midcentury-modern classics, Gill Wing for jewellery and After Noah for vintage furniture and an “old curiosity shop” atmosphere, Williams says.

For an afternoon of browsing, head to Camden Passage, a pretty alley where Upper Street meets Essex Road. Go late in the week, grab coffee and Austrian-style cake at Kipferl – “It’s absolutely delicious,” says Williams – or artisanal British cheese at Pistachio & Pickle, then dive into the antiques market. 

And the dining?
Where to start? Upper Street is a global laboratory for food and drink, so it’s hard to choose. Preto is a great Brazilian steakhouse; Tenshi does excellent sushi; and Frederick’s is where the smart set have been dining since 1969. “It’s my favourite restaurant in London, and has been for 35 years,” says Williams. “It’s reasonably priced, light and airy, with a lovely garden where you can eat in the summer.” There’s a glorious cluster of restaurants at the corner of Theberton Street, too, including Le Sacré Coeur, favoured by Williams’s team for steak baguettes at lunchtime.

The local pubs include classics such as the Island Queen on Noel Road, the Drapers Arms on Barnsbury Street and the King’s Head on Upper Street, with the King’s Head Theatre, a local stalwart, in the new Islington Square development behind.

Williams recommends the “tiny” Compton Arms off Canonbury Lane. “It’s said to be where George Orwell wrote The Moon Under Water in 1946 – in which he describes his ideal pub.”

There are two significant concert venues: Islington Assembly Hall and the Grade I listed Union Chapel, a late-19th-century gem that has hosted giants from Patti Smith to Elton John. “There’s also a world-class independent theatre, the Almeida,” says Williams. “I go to every production.” 

For walks, try the garden squares off Upper Street and leafy Highbury Fields, at its top end. But the area’s finest passeggiata is Regent’s Canal, with a host of waterside bars.

Where to buy?
Two high spots are Canonbury, east of Upper Street’s northern reaches, and Barnsbury, to the west. “If I could buy anywhere,” says Williams, “I’d choose Highbury Terrace. We currently have a wonderful Georgian townhouse there, overlooking Highbury Fields.” For more compact period homes, look east towards De Beauvoir Town. Once people are in N1, they tend to stay. “It’s a forever place,” says Williams.

PAUL WILLIAMS, HEAD OF RESIDENTIAL SALES, ISLINGTON
PWilliams@savills.com

Additional reporting by Mia Aimaro Ogden

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