Highbury Fields

Islington’s largest green space is a popular haunt for locals, particularly in sunny weather when many gather here for picnics or to simply soak up the sun’s rays. Recreation is provided in the form of tennis courts, an indoor pool and fitness centre. A café operates in the summer months. An Art Nouveau memorial at the southern end commemorates Islington residents who lost their lives in the Boer War.

The park has been a public space since 1885, when the Parish of St. Mary Islington and the Metropolitan Board of Works shared the cost of buying the land. Georgian and Victorian terraced houses surround the park, some of which have had renowned inhabitants such as the Impressionist painter Walter Sickert. Number 22 was also the home of Charles, the protagonist of Four Weddings and a Funeral, played by Hugh Grant.