Description
The churchyard of Christ Church Highbury is a triangular plot that forms the northern tip of Highbury Fields. Christ Church was built in 1848 by Thomas Allom of Balham, who was later surveyor of the Ladbroke Estate in North Kensington. The site along with £100 was donated by Henry Dawes, a descendent of John Dawes of Highbury Place and Canonbury. The churchyard is laid to grass, with shrubs around the perimeter, and surrounded by reproduction railings dating from c.1980. Trees include notable robinia, horse chestnut and sycamore. Opposite the church is a fine cast iron and granite clock tower, erected in 1897.
Practical Information
| Site location | Highbury Grove, Highbury Barn |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N5 1SA |
| What3Words | ///rings.rear.pretty |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Events in church |
| Public Transport | Rail/London Overground/Tube (Victoria): Highbury and Islington. London Overground: Canonbury. Bus: 4, 19, 236 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1872 the west front of the church was demolished and the building was extended by two bays in the same style as the original. The vicarage and its garden was enclosed at around this time, resulting in the loss of the fine view to the church from Highbury Fields (q.v.). During WWII the church was damaged by bombing, which destroyed the original stained glass. When the parishes of Christ Church, St John's and St Saviour's were amalgamated in the 1980s an extensive programme of repair and re-ordering was carried out, including rebuilding the top of the spire. In 1989 the extension was converted into two storeys of rooms for church and community use.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ318854 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | 1847-48 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Christ Church; Vicarage; Clock tower |
| 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 | Highbury Fields |
| 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
Formerly called Addington Mansions, this was one of the first groups of council flats by Islington Borough Council. Designed by E C P Monson and built in the early 1920s Taverner Estate is on the site of a number of earlier villas. The Taverner Estate consisted of 2 series of flats laid out as squares and was opened in July 1922 by the Mayor of Islington; a plaque on site records that it was named after Alderman Frederick John Addington, a Trade Unionist and Councillor until 1925. When it underwent modernisation from 1977, the estate was later renamed Taverner Estate after Louis Taverner, a landowner in the Highbury Grove area in the mid C19th. The eastern Taverner Square was completed in 1979 and the western Peckett Square in 1981, the latter named after George Peckett who was on the local Vestry in the 1860s and was involved in the creation of Finsbury Park. The two squares have trees, grass and some seating.
The site is an oblong enclosed area set back from the hilltop road beyond Highbury Barn, which forms the frontage to Highbury Park Terrace, a range of 20 elaborate Grecian terraced houses. The strip of garden is above pavement level behind a retaining wall and contains grass and a row of horse chestnuts. It is shown on Cruchley's map of 1829.
Until the mid C19th the land now Highbury Fields was privately owned and used for farming. In 1885 Islington Vestry and the Metropolitan Board of Works jointly acquired c.10.3 hectares for a public park. An earlier proposal to create a much larger ‘Albert Park' in Islington had failed to raise the necessary money to purchase the land and by the end of the 1850s much of the area was built over. In 1891 additional land to the north was purchased and added to the park. Initially public meetings and the playing of music were not permitted but this restriction was lifted in 1896. The Boer War Memorial was erected in 1905 in the south-west corner of the Fields. Highbury Fields is scattered with fine oak, horse chestnut and lime trees, with London planes along the boundaries of the park and its principal walks.