Description
Highbury Roundabout was laid out in 1960-66, on land that had been devastated by a German bomb on 27 June 1944. It was previously the northern part of Compton Terrace and its communal garden, built between 1819-31. Surrounded by busy roads, the central area of the roundabout was planted with grass and a variety of trees of different species. A strip of garden adjacent to the roundabout at the north end of Compton Terrace commemorates those who were killed, injured or bereaved as a result of the 1944 bomb. Named Highbury Corner Garden it was created in winter 2008/09 as part of Islington Council's initiative, ‘Greening the Grey'.
Practical Information
| Site location | Highbury Corner, Islington |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N1 |
| What3Words | ///rails.deep.tops |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | visible from surrounding roads |
| Public Transport | Tube/London Overground: Highbury & Islington (Victoria). Bus: 4, 43,19, 30, 43, 271, 277, 393 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ316847 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace Division |
| Dates | 1960-66 |
| 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 |
| Conservation Area Name | whether in Upper Street North |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | 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
Compton Terrace Garden consists of two elongated enclosures that were originally for the private use of residents of the Terrace. The land was part of the Marquess of Northampton's considerable estate, the name Compton deriving from the C17th owners. Although not completed until 1831, Compton Terrace was planned in 1805 as a row of villas each side of the Union Chapel of 1806. By 1823 9 houses had been built north of the chapel and the lessees agreed to make a private road with a communal garden in front. Maintenance was later transferred to Islington Borough Council and the gardens opened as a public amenity. In 1944 a German bomb destroyed or badly damaged 12 of the 19 houses north of the Chapel and in the 1960s Highbury Roundabout was built over the area devastated by the bomb.
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.
Canonbury Square was developed in the early C19th on land owned by the Marquess of Northampton. Before the square was fully built it was divided by Canonbury Road and consequently had two garden enclosures, which were formed by c.1840. Initially private, the gardens were first opened to the public in 1884 and later conveyed by the Marquess to Islington Borough Council. The layout of the gardens changed in the 1950s, and in 2006 Loire Valley Wines Legacy Gardens enabled a major makeover, which included a small vineyard and rose bed in the west garden reflecting the planting of the vineyards in the Loire Valley.