Description
The garden was the centre of an irregular circle of villas, which were built by 1863 on the Marquess of Northampton's Canonbury Estate. Originally named Canonbury Park Square, it was renamed Alwyne Square in 1879. The central garden was described in 1928 as having a low wall with iron railings, planted with grass, bushes and trees. Following bomb damage in WWII, the square was rebuilt in 1954 by the developers Western Ground Rents, designed by their surveyor Nash, and now consists of small blocks of flats, and rows of terraced houses. Only one of the original houses remains. The garden contains grass, with some mature horse chestnut trees, and is surrounded by modern railings.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Canonbury Park Square |
|---|---|
| Site location | Alwyne Square |
| Postcode | N1 |
| What3Words | ///chairs.vocal.steep |
| Type of Site | Garden Square |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private (visible from exterior) |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Canonbury. Bus: 30, 277 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1837 the builder Charles Hamor Hill had taken the lease of Canonbury Tower from the Marquess of Northampton, with a licence to build three roads in the open land between Hopping Lane, Canonbury Terrace and New River, to have the layout completed by 1845 and the houses completed by 1858. In December 1857 he got permission to build on the land adjacent to Canonbury Park North, one of his new roads. He sold the development to Henry Witten in 1859 who completed Canonbury Park Square in 1863. Its name was changed to Alwyne Square in 1879 probably to avoid confusion with Canonbury Square, Alwyne being one of the Marquess of Northampton's subsidiary family names. Originally there was one entrance from Canonbury Park North.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ321847 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.081 |
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1857-63; 1954 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Canonbury |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
John Spencer Square was laid out in 1963 with Prior Bolton Street, Grange Grove and St Mary's Grove as part of postwar rebuilding in the Canonbury area. The square overlooks the residents' communal garden, which has some mature trees but is otherwise rather featureless. It is named after Sir John Spencer who was Lord Mayor of London and had a country retreat at Canonbury in the early C17th; he is buried in St Helen's Bishopsgate. Former residents include Labour Party Cabinet Minister Barbara Castle and her husband Ted Castle (d.1979), journalist and GLC Alderman.
The Manor of Canonbury is so-called for its one-time ownership by the Priory of St Bartholomew, dating back to Henry III's reign. The manor was purchased in 1570 by Sir John Spencer and inherited by his daughter whose husband became Earl of Northampton in 1618, and whose family continues to own the property. Canonbury Tower adjoins the main Canonbury House, and was leased separately from the 1650s and both had a number of illustrious tenants. The Tower was used as the Tower Theatre from the 1960s to 2003, and is now managed by Canonbury Tower Charitable Trust. In the small garden is a mulberry tree said to be planted in the early C17th when Sir Francis Bacon was tenant.
New River Walk follows part of the former waterway of the New River, constructed in 1609-1613 to bring fresh water from springs in Hertfordshire to supply London's growing population. The section of the route through Islington is formed into a series of linear parks, preserved as a nature trail, although the continuous stretch of water in these gardens is actually formed by ponds landscaped to resemble the former river. It was first planted as a garden in the 1860s by the New River Company but remained open water until 1946. It was transferred to Islington Council in 1951, who undertook re-landscaping and opened the public gardens in 1954. Astey's Row Rock Gardens are at the southern end of the New River Walk where the river had been enclosed in pipes in 1892-93 when the area was built over. In the 1950s the pipes were removed and the rock gardens laid out by Vanstone's of Much Hadham. Additional re-landscaping took place in 1996-98, and the gardens were re-opened by Princess Alexandra on 18 June 1998.