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You know, I’ve lived on or near Holloway Rd all my three years in London – I lived right on it for a few months – and I’ve never really thought of it as a place to go; just as a route to somewhere else. Everyone talks about it as vaguely dangerous place, in that way which is basically code for “it’s poor and unpleasant.” A bloke at work – who is admittedly a self-professed Tory Snob – declared yesterday that it would do nothing but good if you stood at Archway, pointed a large flamethrower towards Highbury Corner, and pressed fire.
And yet, odd little things have been making me rethink it recently. At the weekend I was passing through on the 29, and I looked down the road as we crossed the Nag’s Head corner to see the blue Christmas lights stretching down the road. Now, the lights are crap, a dull-blue mess on every tree. But then it hit me, like a jolt: there are loads of trees. Every few metres, all the way down on both sides of the road. Suddenly, where previously I’d only seen a busy, run-down dual carriageway, I suddenly saw a tree-lined boulevard. My flatmate, who lived there for three years, confirms it looks quite lovely in spring.
Then, this morning, I found myself taking Holloway Rd partway to work, having taken a detour via a bike shop to fix a flat. As I whizzed (OK, trundled) down Hornsey Rd, I got my first proper view of the new Emirates Arsenal Stadium. It’s amazing; a real, 21st century sports stadium, like you see in any European city, but in the heart of north London. Behind it, I could see the strange new red-and-grey apartment buildings being developed as part of the Stadium deal. Then I scooted down a side road and came out onto Holloway, opposite several new flat developments. Now, ordinarily, new flat developments means dreary brick-heavy faux-industrial or faux-Edwardian blocks. But these are different: one has a network of interlocking coloured glass cubes on its frontage, another a large orange box offset from its side. I didn’t have time to take pictures, but it dawned on me that, free from the stricter planning rules of affluent Islington, developers were experimenting and playing in exciting ways.
And as I swung left, past London Met’s Libeskind-designed graduate centre, and scooted off down Liverpool Rd, it occurred to me that here, in my back yard, was some of the most cutting-edge modern architecture in London.
Which got me thinking – what else could I be missing? From Archway to Highbury Corner is probably less than a mile, but who knows what shopping, eating, drinking, and just plain sightseeing delights it could contain?
So, I’m going to find out. A whole day in January, devoted to exploring poor, maligned Holloway Rd. Anyone got anything I should check out, let me know.
See more progress on: Explore Holloway Rd
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10 responses so far ↓
1 rmg // Dec 21, 2006 at 5:44 pm
dont get mugged.
2 Josh // Dec 21, 2006 at 6:05 pm
no comment
3 Josh // Dec 24, 2006 at 11:43 pm
Actually, I will comment. I think the new keyworker blocks behind the tube station are revolting, a patronising folly shortly to be foisted on the unsuspecting hoards who will be forced to live in hurried, incongruous, ugly buildings sandwiched between a waste processing plant and the main GNER line out of London. You mentioned planning rules, but interestingly, areas of the west side of lower Holloway Road are listed (God knows why), so the prospect of Liberskind being let loose on N7 with another vanity project that wouldn’t get approved anywhere else in Europe are unlikely (I’m sorry, but I’ve been inside and it’s awful. I feel sorry for people who have to have lectures and seminars there).
And yet, I love it. From the logo of Holloway Cycles showing the evolution of humans from reptile to man to man-on-bike, to the Coronet, to the tackily opulent Odeon complete with permanently empty bar, to the ‘Mexican’, to the Swimmer, to El Molino to, hell, even the frickin’ Big Red. Only two people got murdered during my three year tenure (not including Archway and that one on a bus), and in return we get the best transport links you could ask for in zone 2, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Safeway/Morrisons within spitting distance, and just about enough dodgy offies to keep you happy. Swimming Pool at Highbury Corner end, Islington’s Central Library part way up, Nambucca (which seems to be ‘good’ these days) further up, and Laser Quest at Archway, plus another swimming pool WITH A SLIDE. Your day trip should definitely start and conclude with a quick dip.
To be honest, I can’t believe you didn’t notice any of this before Rav. Holloway Road has many features, but subtlety is not one of them.
And I cannot believe I’m writing this at 11.50 on Christmas Eve.
4 Rav // Dec 25, 2006 at 10:25 pm
I think we may be talking about different buildings; I don’t think I went by the tube station that day. I’m writing this at 10.27 on Christmas Day, so I win the Sad Contest.
5 Tom Wright // Dec 30, 2006 at 7:58 pm
Presumably everybody gets sentimental about places they’ve lived in.
Holloway Road is probably the most average zone 2 trunk artery in London, in all the best ways. And its obviously a bit nicer than most.
But most people reading the list of these things that Rav and Josh have posted will simply shrug. Surely?
Its just like a perfectly nice, average well-equipped town placed in the middle of North London. But, the strangeness of that aside, so what?
Why not spend a day somewhere you’ve never properly explored, somewhere south of the river maybe? Or Bath? or, for different reasons, Beeston, or Berkhampstead? I’ll join you.
Sorry to be the contrarian again, but this was a true contrarian’s post if ever there was one.
6 Rav Casley Gera // Jan 2, 2007 at 10:59 am
That’s just it - I’m not sure it *is* just another road - the wierdness of some of the new buildings, the mixture of new and scummy-old shops, and the faded art deconess of the Odeon - it’s *not* just Islington-North East, it’s something subtly different. I agree that some of the things Josh is describing are shrug-worthy - just estate-agent stuff, but some aren’t. I just think it has an interesting *mood* right now - it’s the familiar story of poor-area-plus-new-flats equals regeneration, but Holloway never really fit the description of your typically depressed, “vibrant” immigrant area, and there are some unusual elements to the regeneration (e.g. the architecture) now.
But I haven’t looked around properly yet; I might conclude it’s a shithole
7 Jmo // Jan 4, 2007 at 11:30 pm
PC weirdness
8 Josh // Jan 9, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Guilty as charged on the nostalgia front. Did I mention the man in the chemists opposite the libary is really friendly? He gave me some safety pins for free yesterday. Ah, Holloway Road.
9 RP // Jan 12, 2007 at 2:42 pm
If you look hard enough you’ll always find something to celebrate.
This guy’ll back you up:
http://www.chriskahl.com/music.html
10 Rav Casley Gera // Jan 12, 2007 at 4:54 pm
He talks about the Northern line! The fraud
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