Description
Elthorne Park is a public park dating from when the area was being largely reconstructed post WWII. From the 1960s Islington Council began building new housing provision in the area, which included the Elthorne estate, built in the 1970s. Within the municipal park is a walled garden commemorating Nobel Peace Prize winner Philip Noel-Baker, which opened in 1984. The Peace Garden was designed by Steve Adams and echoes Modernism in style, with rectilinear components, including paving and a water feature. Two sculptures were installed in the park in 1985, one within the Peace Garden. The park has a conservation area with an avenue of silver birch trees, native hedgerow and a perennial meadow.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hazellville Road, Hornsey Rise, Sunnyside Road, Beaumont Rise |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N19 3NF |
| What3Words | ///mutual.crest.pirate |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted to most of the park. The Peace Garden is open in daytime hours. |
| Facilities | Children's play areas, floodlit football pitches, basketball court, outdoor gym equipment. |
| Public Transport | Rail: Crouch End. Tube: Archway. Bus: 91, 210. |
| Research Updated | 11 November 2021 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Philip Noel-Baker (1889-1982) was a Labour MP and renowned campaigner for disarmament, who was involved in establishing the League of Nations after WWI and the United Nations after WWII. As a young man he was an amateur athlete, winning a silver medal in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. He held ministerial posts in the coalition government during WWII and was later the minister responsible for organising the 1948 London Olympic Games. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1959 and in 1977 became a life peer as Baron Noel-Baker of the City of Derby, where he had served as MP. The walled Peace Garden was created in his memory and opened in 1984, designed by Steve Adams; its layout echoes Modernist ideas, with rectilinear paving, grass and planting and a water feature. The pool is overlooked by a sculpture by Kevin Atherton, entitled 'Upon Reflection', which was commissioned in c.1984 and unveiled in 1985. It comprised a bronze figure, a cast of the artist himself, standing at the edge of the pool, looking down contemplatively at his reflection in the water, the latter represented in bronze just below the surface of the water. The sculpture suffered vandalism and was removed to storage, leaving the empty plinth in the garden. It was partially reinstated in 2021 at a ceremony attended by Jeremy Corbyn, Islington North MP since 1983. It is hoped that one day the reflection will also be re-instated, completing the artist's original conception. Planting in the Peace Garden includes exotic flowers and shrubs, aromatic culinary herbs, as well as a white garden and a bog garden.
Also located in Elthorne Park, just outside the entrance to the Peace Garden, is another sculpture commissioned in c.1984 from Nigerian artist, Emmanuel Taiwo Jegede. Both artists' commissions were undertaken through Public Art Development Trust for Islington Council.
Adjacent to Elthorne Park, across Beaumont Rise, is Sunnyside Community Garden, which has been designed to support wildlife and has a small pond.
Also located in Elthorne Park, just outside the entrance to the Peace Garden, is another sculpture commissioned in c.1984 from Nigerian artist, Emmanuel Taiwo Jegede. Both artists' commissions were undertaken through Public Art Development Trust for Islington Council.
Adjacent to Elthorne Park, across Beaumont Rise, is Sunnyside Community Garden, which has been designed to support wildlife and has a small pond.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ299874 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.45 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace |
| Dates | 1970s |
| Designers | Steve Adams (Peace Garden, 1984) |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Crouch Hill Park is a new community park that opened in late 2012, but part of the site was once Crouch Hill Recreation Centre and its gardens, which existed from the 1920s. After it closed in 2004 it subsequently became derelict. Redevelopment of the site began in April 2011 and in addition to the public park, the site includes new buildings of Ashmount Primary School, CAPE Play and Youth Project and Bowlers Community Nursery, as well as improvements to the existing multi-use games area.
The Holly Park Estate was built in 1952 retaining original parkland trees from the earlier landscape, which include mature pedunculate and Turkey oak, beech and plane trees in the areas between blocks of flats. There are also thickets of holly and dog rose. The estate landscaping comprises grass, trees and paths that run through it, with a number of play areas provided.
Sussex Close is housing built by Islington Borough Council in 1950 and designed by architect E C P Monson. It comprises an 8-storey crescent enclosing a communal garden, which has lawn, shrubs and a number of trees, together with a playground.