Islington history

Everyone has a story. James Cambridge’s university project saw him hunting old photos of Islington (from 1975-1982) and then merge them with modern shots of the same location. The resulting Islington Series are a gripping mix of magical realism and time travel. You might have heard this type of photography mix-up…
Everyone has a story. Most blogs want to go viral, but to celebrate the 100th interview with people who live or work in Islington, islingtonfacesblog.com took to the stage. The show was at the King’s Head Theatre. The plan was to entertain, bring more members of the community into Islington’s oldest pub…
Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story.  Who knew Islington boasted several Pearly families or what Pearlies even do? Super-fast Cockney wit, a love of London and a great photographic smile are key skills for London’s Pearlies. But as the Pearly King of Finsbury John Walters explains there’s a lot more to being…
Mark Aston: Islington Museum & Local History Centre Manager Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story. Any idea what you do if you want to find out more about your Islington roots – either your family or the places you know in the borough? Or maybe you want to know more about Tufnell Park, Clerkenwell or the people who’ve lived in Islington…
Michael Hayle: house detective Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story.  How much do you know about the people who lived in your house years ago? Or do you have any idea what the area looked like before the builders arrived? Convalescence enabled Michael Hayle to uncover everybody who’d ever lived in the Victorian-built Plimsoll…
Cyril Mann: painter & sculptor Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story.  Painter and sculptor Cyril Mann (1911-1980) battled for a much wider public recognition during his life. But now his name and sun-filled paintings are starting to become better known thanks to local people honouring him with an Islington People’s Plaque in his memory on a…
Miles Brown: garage boss Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story.   Three generations of the same family have run Brownings Garage just off Amwell Street. They’ve never advertised and don’t use a website, but business is booming in the newly refurbed garage. So, what’s business like for the grandson of the original garage mechanic, the well-named…
Joan Lock: crime writer Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story.  So far during 2013, crime writer Joan Lock has had two books published – a Victorian crime novel, Dead Born, and a non-fiction book about The Princess Alice Disaster. Later this year she is to have a book re-released. She has also been a winner in a…
Marco Wouters: flower seller Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story. Belgian-born Marco Wouters has been running Angel Flowers opposite Islington Green for 20 years.  He knows who loves who, who is saying sorry and which houses have been visited by a new baby. But amongst the 87 varieties of flowers for sale there’s also a…
Everyone on Islington Faces Blog has a story. Founder and director of Zippos Circus, Martin Burton, sprinkles his fabulous tales of big top life with some tidbits about Islington clowns. Interview by Nicola Baird. “I spent a year in intensive care after a fire eating accident,” admits the unflappable Martin Burton, 59, “so…