London Neighbourhoods
Finsbury, UK
The district of Finsbury, forming the southeastern part of the London Borough of Islington, borders the City of London. Finsbury gave its name to two larger administrative areas: the Finsbury Division of the Ossulstone Hundred of Middlesex, from the 17th century until 1900, and from 1900 to 1965 the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury.
The area should not be confused with Finsbury Park, a public space roughly 3 miles (5 km) to the north, which gives its name to its surrounding mainly residential area. It lies immediately north of the City of London, and approximates to the part of the London Borough of Islington east of Goswell Road and south of City Road. It also includes a small area north of City Road, focused on the City Road Basin.
Plan and Book:
Finsbury: See and Do
Finsbury Town Hall and the Finsbury Estate lie further west, in Clerkenwell and are named after the former borough of Finsbury which included both Finsbury and Clerkenwell.
The churches of St Botolph without Aldersgate and St Giles-without-Cripplegate appear to have been built in the early decades of the twelfth century (possibly under the aegis of Matilda of Blessed Memory) and there was very little, if any, development north of the wall before that time. St Martins rights to the Soke were confirmed by the Empress Matilda (daughter of Matilda of Blessed Memory) around 1140. St Martins was permitted to enclose land there to prevent rubbish dumping in the area, but it is thought the Empress' principle intention was to promote planned development of a northern suburb.
From mid-12th century the Manor of Finsbury was owned by St Paul's cathedral and managed as a Prebendary Manor to provide a prebend (a stipend of money or goods) to support an ecclesiastic person such as a canon, or an institution. For a long time the prebendary income went to Holywell Priory in nearby Shoreditch, so the estate became known as the Prebend of Halliwell and Finsbury, though the Priory itself did not lie adjacent to the prebendary manor or form part of it.
In 1733, the growth of the local population, led to the part of St Giles-without-Cripplegate outside the city, the area which had been the Manor of Finsbury, being made an independent parish, known as St Luke's, after the parish church.
The Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury in the County of London was created in 1900, covering the area of Finsbury (also known as St Luke's) and Clerkenwell, with Finsbury Town Hall located on Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell. In 1938, Dr. Chuni Lal Katial was elected mayor of Finsbury, making him the first Asian mayor in the United Kingdom.
Before Harley Street rose to prominence, Finsbury was London's principal medical district. In the mid-19th century it was home to a large number of hospitals, but now only Moorfields Eye Hospital remains.
Famous Finsbury residents
• Charles Gordon, cricketer and grandson of the founder of Gordon's Gin, Alexander Gordon. He was a Londoner of Scottish descent, who opened a distillery in the Southwark area in 1769, later moving in 1786 to Clerkenwell. The Special London Dry Gin he developed proved successful, and its secret recipe remains unchanged to this day.
• Violet Kray, mother of the gangster Kray brothers. Twins Ronnie and Reggie were arrested at her flat in Braithwaite House, Finsbury, in connection with gangland crimes including murder and fraud on 8 May 1968.
• Eric Maxon (22 May 1882 – 1963), a Shakespearean and early film actor and member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for whom, for a period, he also designed the costumes. He died in Finsbury.
• Arthur Mullard (19 September 1910 – 11 December 1995), comic actor. Following military service and a brief boxing career, Mullard found work as a cockney character actor in film and TV comedy, notably in the series Romany Jones. His legacy was posthumously tarnished by allegations of domestic violence against his wife and child sexual abuse of his daughter.
• Dadabhai Naoroji (4 September 1825 – 30 June 1917), an Indian political leader, merchant, scholar and writer who served as 2nd, 9th, and 22nd President of the Indian National Congress from 1886 to 1887, 1893 to 1894 and 1906 to 1907. He was also a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, representing Finsbury Central between 1892 and 1895.
Points of interest
• St Luke Old Street (also known as Finsbury St Luke),completed in 1733 as the parish church, now used as a concert venue by the London Symphony Orchestra.
• Ironmonger Row Baths
• Whitecross Street Market
• Moorfields Eye Hospital
• Artillery Ground, an open space and historic cricket venue.
• Bunhill Fields, a former burial ground and open space.
• Finsbury Square
• King Square Gardens
• City Road Basin, a canal basin on the Regent's Canal.
• Golden Lane Estate
• Finsbury Circus, in Coleman Street Ward, in the City of London.