London is full of fascinating and picturesque places to see and visit. However, there are many secret places in London that tourists and even most Londoners are unaware of. This book reveals many of London’s secrets that deserve to be discovered and explored.
The Islington Spur promenade
The fourth and easternmost spur, the Islington Spur, is aligned in a more south-easterly direction than its neighbours. Leaving Highgate along Dartmouth Park Road, it forms a saddle in the vicinity of Tufnell Park tube station. Here the railway runs through the Cathcart Hill/Spencer Rise area. The spur then rises again, its crest followed by Brecknock Road, up to Caledonian Park (48 metres/158 ft).
Here, the old Caledonian Market Clock Tower (1855-1939) forms a landmark visible for miles around. The headwaters of the rivers on either side of the spur once again cut in here, creating another narrow saddle or col, and this time it is the main east coast line from King’s Cross that seizes the opportunity to tunnel. By contrast, Caledonian Road bravely climbs above.
The branch turns east for about 1 kilometer (half a mile) and then, in the Barnsbury Street area of Islington, resumes its southerly drift for over 1.6 kilometers (1 mile), dropping less than 6 meters ( 20 feet) over this entire distance. The descent to the lower terrace begins at Claremont Square on Pentonville Road. This is where we take the second of our spur walks.
This circular walk through some of London’s most elegant but lesser-known streets and squares explores both a prominent snout on the spur and the edge of the 100-foot (30-meter) terrace. It includes a spectacular view of the BT Tower and, at its furthest point, an excellent pub called Albion.
START END: Underground Angel (Northern Line)
LENGTH: 3 kilometers (2 miles)
WEATHER: 1 1⁄2 hours
REFRESHMENTS: The Albion pub; otherwise all sorts of places around Angel metro station at the start/finish point
MONUMENTS: The Camden Passage Antique Market (Wednesdays and Saturdays) is literally a stone’s throw from the Angel tube station
NOTE: Views are mainly to the west, so it’s best to walk in the morning with the sun behind you.
Turn left from the Angel metro station and walk to the crossroads. Turn right and stand on the corner in front of Banco Cooperativo. It’s not quite at the start of the spur here (the ground rises towards it to the right) but looking to the left you can see the drop off to the east and further down St John Street you can see the ground level starting to drop at terrace level 15 meters (50 feet) from the city.
On a bike, you can commute from here pretty much to Smithfield Market, a distance of almost 1 mile (1.6 kilometres). Cross Pentonville Road and walk on the right hand side of St John Street. At Chadwell Street turn right. At Myddelton Square, turn left around St Mark’s Church and continue to River Street. All the time the ground is constantly tilting downhill to the left.