Archway is an area of north
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in the
London Borough of IslingtonThe 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.- Etymology :Islington...
.
The name derives from the arch built between
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
and
HornseyHornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
in 1896. A tunnel was originally planned for the
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
bypass (to join the Great North Road by avoiding the steep Highgate Hill road and narrow roads of Highgate village) but this failed due to repeated collapses. Instead, a large cutting was recommended by John Rennie and a high, multi-arched road bridge constructed across this.
Archway is an area of north
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in the
London Borough of IslingtonThe 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.- Etymology :Islington...
.
Name
The name derives from the arch built between
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
and
HornseyHornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
in 1896. A tunnel was originally planned for the
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
bypass (to join the Great North Road by avoiding the steep Highgate Hill road and narrow roads of Highgate village) but this failed due to repeated collapses. Instead, a large cutting was recommended by John Rennie and a high, multi-arched road bridge constructed across this. The first bridge, constructed in the early nineteenth century, was designed by
John NashJohn Nash was an Anglo-Welsh architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Early life:Born in Lambeth, London, as the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with architect Sir Robert Taylor, but his own career was initially unsuccessful and short-lived...
. The original 1813 bridge was demolished in 1901; the current bridge, known locally as '
Suicide bridgeA suicide bridge is a bridge used frequently to commit suicide, most typically by jumping off and into the water below ....
', dates from 1897. The road over the bridge is
HornseyHornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
Lane and it connects the villages of
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
and
Crouch EndCrouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west....
.
Until quite recently, Archway did not designate a specific area. Most people referred either to
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
,
IslingtonIslington is the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district in London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
or
Upper HollowayUpper Holloway is a district in the London Borough of Islington, London. The name has fallen out of common use and the area is generally regarded as being a part of Archway. The use of 'Upper Holloway' is most often used for Upper Holloway railway station...
, a name that is now used for little besides the nearby
railway stationUpper Holloway railway station is in Holloway, North London, near Archway . It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, between Gospel Oak and Crouch Hill. It is operated by London Overground, and the service is usually one train every 20 to 30 minutes in each direction...
and the post office. The term
ArchwayArchway is an area of north London in the London Borough of Islington.-Name:The name derives from the arch built between Highgate and Hornsey in 1896. A tunnel was originally planned for the Highgate bypass but this failed due to repeated collapses...
became popularised as a result of Londoners' tendency to indicate their local area by reference to the nearest
Underground StationArchway 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....
, even though the latter was called
HighgateHighgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
station until 1939 (and subsequently Highgate(Archway) and Archway(Highgate)).
History
Highgate Hill, the road from Archway to Highgate village, was the route of the first cable car to be built in Europe. It operated between 1884 and 1909.
It is said that it was at Archway that Dick Whittington heard the Bow Bells ringing and returned back to London.
Sites of interest
Prominent buildings in the area include the
Whittington hospitalThe Whittington Hospital is a British hospital in Archway, Islington, London. It is named after Richard Whittington, and its logo incorporates Whittington's legendary cat....
, at Highgate Hill, named after
Richard WhittingtonSir Richard Whittington was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was Lord Mayor of London and a Member of Parliament...
; the Archway Tavern, a noted music venue, where the photograph for the cover of the Kinks album
Muswell HillbilliesMuswell Hillbillies is an 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.-Musical styles:The album is a...
is said to have been taken; and the
Archway TowerThe 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...
, which forms the most visible landmark in the area. Outside the hospital is a small statue of
Whittington's CatDick Whittington and His Cat is a British folk tale that has often been used as the basis for stage pantomimes and other adaptations. It tells of a poor boy in the 14th century who becomes a wealthy merchant and eventually the Lord Mayor of London because of the ratting abilities of his cat...
.
Notable residents
James HarringtonJames Harrington was an English political theorist of classical republicanism, best known for his controversial work, The Commonwealth of Oceana .-Early life:...
, author of 'Oceania' lived on Highgate Hill, as did the poet and M.P. for Hull
Andrew MarvellAndrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
. Historian E.H. Carr lived on Gladsmuir Road as a child.
Karl MarxKarl Heinrich Marx was a Germanphilosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist and revolutionary, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism...
,
Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer was an English philosopher, prominent classical liberal political theorist, and sociological theorist of the Victorian era....
and
Claudia JonesClaudia Jones was born in Belmont, Port of Spain, Trinidad. She was a feminist, Black Nationalist, political activist, community leader, journalist, and communist in the U.S....
are buried up the road at Highgate cemetery.
Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer and songwriter born and raised in London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English lineage....
was born in Archway and grew up here. Other noted residents include
Arabella WeirArabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer.The daughter of former British ambassador Sir Michael Weir, she is famous for her roles in The Fast Show which made her very successful and for writing a number of books including the international best seller Does My Bum Look Big In This?...
,
Alan PlaterAlan Frederick Plater, CBE is an English playwright and screenwriter, who has worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s....
,
James HeartfieldJames Heartfield writes and lectures on economic regeneration. A former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party he is one of the most prominent members of the network of libertarian thinkers which created a number of organisations including Audacity.org, which Heartfield is director...
and, formerly, the sculptor
Rachel WhitereadRachel Whiteread, CBE is a British artist, best known for her sculptures, which typically take the form of casts, and first woman to win the Turner Prize....
, whose most famous work 'Ghost' - now in the
National Gallery of ArtThe National Gallery of Art is a national art museum, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The museum was established in 1938 by the United States Congress, with funds for construction and a substantial art collection donated by Andrew W. Mellon plus major art works donated by Lessing J...
in Washington DC - consists of a plaster cast of a room in the house at 486 Archway Road. Actor and author
Bill BaileyBill Bailey is an English stand-up comedian, musician and actor, Bailey is a best known for his appearances on Have I Got News for You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI and Black Books....
(the narrator in Mel Brooks's Haunted Honeymoon) lives in Archway, as does actor, historian and True Crime author, Geoffrey Howse. Members of
The Jesus and Mary ChainThe Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
also lived in Archway, as did
The Boo RadleysThe Boo Radleys were a British alternative rock band of the 1990s who were associated with the shoegazing and Britpop movements. They were formed in Wallasey, Cheshire, England in 1988, with singer/guitarist Sice, guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, bassist Timothy Brown and drummer Steve Hewitt...
.
- Reggie Yates
Reginald Yates is a British actor, television presenter and radio DJ of Ghanaian descent.-Early career:...
- Radio & Television personality
- Niomi Mclean Dailey, AKA Ms Dynamite - UK Rapper and Singer
Nearby places
- Dartmouth Park
Dartmouth Park is a district of north London in the London Borough of Camden, on the slope of the hill that rises up to Highgate from Kentish Town.-History:...
- Highgate
Highgate is a village in North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath. Highgate rises to an altitude of at Highgate Wood and at North Hill.-Overview:...
- Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:Kentish Town is first recorded during the reign of King John as kentisston...
- Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross.Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :...
- Tufnell Park
Tufnell Park is an area of north London, England which straddles the border of the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Camden.-Origins:...
- Holloway
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located 4.6 miles north-west-north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road...
- Archway Road
- Junction Road
Junction Road is a road in north London between Archway tube station and Tufnell Park tube station ....
- Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west....
Nearest stations
The nearest
London Underground station is
Archway tube stationArchway 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....
on the
Northern lineThe Northern line is an underground railway in London, United Kingdom that is coloured black on the London Underground Tube map. The line's two branches carry 206.734 million passengers per year—the highest on the London Underground system. For most of its length it is built as a deep-level...
.
The nearest
London Overground stationLondon Overground is a commuter rail service in London, UK, the brand applied by Transport for London to the services on four railway lines: the Watford DC Line, the North London Line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.The name has been used since 2007, when TfL took over...
is
Upper HollowayUpper Holloway railway station is in Holloway, North London, near Archway . It is on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, between Gospel Oak and Crouch Hill. It is operated by London Overground, and the service is usually one train every 20 to 30 minutes in each direction...