Holloway, London

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
Holloway

OS grid reference:	TQ295869


Administration
London borough:	Islington
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Middlesex (1889)
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	N7
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:
London Assembly:	North East
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

Holloway is an area in North London in the London Borough of Islington and follows the line of the A1 road. It actually comprises three districts of Islington, in order from northwest to southeast (please see these for more detailed information):

Archway (sometimes known as Upper Holloway)
Nag's Head (which could be regarded as Holloway Proper)
Lower Holloway

The name derives from the fact that this ancient route through the area was the main cattle driving route from the North into London's cattle market, Smithfield. As with similar ancient cattle driving routes, the way became sunken leading to the name Holloway, a sunken road. Even in Roman times it was the main route to the North and Scotland and much of the Holloway Road has a Roman base to it. Holloway Road is one of the nearest parts of the A1 to its start in London.

Until the 19th century the area was predominantly rural, but as London expanded in the second half of the 19th century it became built-up. By the 1960s much of Holloway was covered with run down late Victorian terraced housing, and the area had a reputation as a dour district with many larger properties used for light industrial purposes. Today Holloway is still one of the poorer parts of Islington, and it has, until recently, missed out on the gentrification that has occurred in many of the other areas of Islington. However, there are signs that gentrification has at last arrived, particularly in the Mercers Road/Tavistock Terrace conservation area. Holloway is often best known for its prison, HMP Holloway in Parkhurst Road, which was first built in 1852, originally housing both male and female prisoners, but since 1902 it has housed only women and is the UK's major female prison. Prisoners that have been held at the original prison include Mary Pankhurst, Isabella Glyn and Oscar Wilde. At the 2001 census, the population of Holloway was 11,214, of those 47% male and 53% female.

1 Nearest places:
2 Famous residents:
3 Ashburton Grove

[edit] Nearest places:

[edit] Famous residents:

John Betjeman, poet laureate, lived at 329 Holloway Road
James Collinson, artist and co-founder of the pre-Raphaelite movement lived at 15 St John's Grove
Charlie George, the legendary Arsenal footballer, grew up in this area and attended Holloway School.
Edward Lear, poet and illustrator was born in Bowman's Place.
John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols lived in Benwell Road.
Charles Pooter, diarist.
William Heath Robinson, cartoonist, was born in Hornsey Rise in 1872 and moved to Benwell Road in 1878. He later lived in Cathcart Hill.

[edit] Ashburton Grove

Image:Emirates Stadium 09.jpg Arsenal Football Club have moved, after 93 years at Highbury, to a new stadium at Ashburton Grove in Holloway. It was informally known as Ashburton Grove until a naming rights deal with the airline Emirates was announced, and that name is still used by some people. The stadium opened in the summer of 2006, and has an all-seated capacity of 60,000, making it the second biggest stadium in the Premiership after Old Trafford and the third biggest in London after Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadium. The overall cost of the project was £390 million.