Barnsbury
Barnsbury is an area of north London in the London Borough of Islington. It is postally London N1.
The name is a corruption of villa de Iseldon Berners (1274),[1] being so called after the Berners family, who gained ownership of the lands after the Norman Conquest and were powerful medieval manorial lords, owning a large part of Islington.The area of Barnsbury was predominantly rural until the late 18th century.
By the end of the 18th century, however, Barnsbury, like other parts of Islington, was being regarded as attractive part-rural suburbs by the comparatively wealthy wanting to move out of the cramped City of London and industrial Clerkenwell. The area is close to the City, and had strong local trade in its position as the first staging post for travellers making the journey from London to the north, and with considerable agricultural traffic and cattle driving to the nearby Smithfield cattle market in the City.
Famous residents
- Samuel Barnett, actor
- Tony Blair, Prime Minister lived at 1 Richmond Crescent.
- Benjamin Britten, composer lived at 99 Offord Road.
- Kenneth Cranham, actor.
- Chris Farlowe, singer lived in Offord Road.
- Sir Ian Holm, actor lived in Belitha Villas.
- Sir Peter Pears, singer lived in Offord Road.
- Thomas H. Shepherd, artist and printmaker lived in Batchelor Street.
- Walter Sickert, artist lived at 14 Barnsbury Park.
- VHS, a fictional character featured in the comedy series The Mighty Boosh, claimed to own a factory in Barnsbury.
- Simon Rattle, conductor, has a residence in Lonsdale Square.
- Colin Roberts, music journalist and DJ, lives on Offord Road.
Nearby areas
- Islington and Canonbury to the east
- Highbury to the north-east
- Holloway to the north-west
- Kings Cross to the south-west
- Clerkenwell to the south
Nearest stations
- Angel tube station
- Caledonian Road tube station
- Highbury and Islington tube station
- Caledonian Road & Barnsbury railway station
References
- ^ Mills, D., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2000)
