Description
Once open fields whose hollows were filled with springs and ponds, the area became known as Spa Fields, a place of recreation and entertainment until the 1770s. The land was then purchased by the Countess of Huntingdon who built a Nonconformist Chapel here, now the site of the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, with adjacent burial ground. This closed in 1853, following which it was gravelled over and used partly as drill ground and partly as playground until 1886 when it was converted to a public garden, becoming the responsibility of the LCC.
Practical Information
| Site location | Northampton Road/Skinner Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC1 |
| What3Words | ///tulip.gender.spell |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's playground, tarmac ball court with football goal posts, tennis nets and basketball hoops |
| Public Transport | Rail: Farringdon. Tube: Farringdon (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle), Angel (Northern). Bus: 19, 38, 341 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This is the remains of the open fields whose hollows were filled with springs and ponds. Spa Fields were a place of recreation such as duck-hunting, and various entertainment until the 1770s. Ducking Pond House tavern with tea gardens was here until 1770 on which site The Pantheon was built, a 'place of amusement' which closed in 1776 when Spa Fields was purchased by the Countess of Huntingdon for Spa Fields Nonconformist Chapel, built in 1779; she also built herself a house on part of the old Pantheon gardens and lived here until her death. The chapel was taken over by the established church and the site later was built over by the Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer which overlooks the gardens today. The gardens are on the site of the former Nonconformist burial ground, which was formed in the 1780s on land leased from the Northampton Estate. Purportedly there were over 8000 burials here, 4 times its capacity and it closed for burials in 1853. The area was then gravelled and used partly as a drill ground for Territorials and partly as a playground for children. In 1886 it was converted to a public garden, and became the responsibility of the London County Council. Spa Fields had also been the scene of popular protest meetings during the depression and unemployment following Waterloo.
Near the gardens is the Finsbury Health Centre built by Lubetkin & Tecton in 1938, a revolutionary building at the time.
The gardens have some notable trees, rose gardens, shrubberies and meandering paths. In 2004 urban designers Parklife were commissioned to redesign and improve the gardens by Islington Council funded through the EC1 New Deal for Communities. The works included new landscaping, planting and seating, new areas for ball games and play, drinking fountains, picnic areas, new lighting and buildings. The park now has a lavender garden, herbaceous and shrub beds and an annual cornfield meadow. The park redesign received a London Planning Award in 2009.
Near the gardens is the Finsbury Health Centre built by Lubetkin & Tecton in 1938, a revolutionary building at the time.
The gardens have some notable trees, rose gardens, shrubberies and meandering paths. In 2004 urban designers Parklife were commissioned to redesign and improve the gardens by Islington Council funded through the EC1 New Deal for Communities. The works included new landscaping, planting and seating, new areas for ball games and play, drinking fountains, picnic areas, new lighting and buildings. The park now has a lavender garden, herbaceous and shrub beds and an annual cornfield meadow. The park redesign received a London Planning Award in 2009.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ314824 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.82 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace; Friends of Spa Fields |
| Dates | 1770s; 1886 |
| 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 | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local/strategic view corridor |
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
Wilmington Square was built in the 1820s on 16 acres of the Spa Fields Estate owned by the Spencer Compton family, Earls and later Marquesses of Northampton, who had long held land in the area. In 1886 Lord Compton, later 5th Marquess of Northampton, presented the central garden enclosure to the Finsbury Vestry for public use, which the MPGA offered to maintain for the benefit of the poor. It was laid out as an ornamental garden, with flower beds, trees, seats and a shelter, which remains in place today. A drinking fountain was erected by Charles Clements Walker JP in memory of his mother Agnes Walker who had lived in the parish.
St James Clerkenwell Church Garden is on the site of the former C12th St Mary's Nunnery run by Augustinian canonesses. When the Nunnery was dissolved in 1539 its church was converted into the Clerkenwell parish church of St James. The old church was rebuilt in 1625, later replaced by the current building in 1788-92. The steeple was rebuilt in 1849 and the church was later restored in 1882. Among those buried here are many of the 200 Islington Protestants martyred at Smithfield in the Reformation in the 1550s. The churchyard was laid out and opened as a public garden in 1890. The garden has notable London plane trees and is enclosed by C19th railings and piers. In 1987 part of the medieval cloisters from the former C12th nunnery were excavated in the churchyard garden.
This small triangular site known as St John's Island Site was donated for public use by deed gift in 1816, its maintenance later becoming the responsibility of Finsbury Borough Council. At one time enclosed by railings, by 1928 it was 'an asphalt area with a few trees'. Today there are mature plane trees, shrubs and a number of circular raised beds surrounded by low stone walls that incorporate seating.
