Description
New Wells were established at Spa Green in 1737 in competition with Sadler's Wells, and it became a popular spa, the spring flowed until the 1860s. The land was acquired by the LCC in 1891when Rosebery Avenue was laid out and the public gardens were created on 4 portions of land, part surplus from road building, and part exchanged with the New River Company. The war memorial at the east end was erected in 1921. The gardens changed when the Spa Green Estate was laid out in 1946.
Practical Information
| Site location | Rosebery Avenue |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC1 |
| What3Words | ///belt.lives.plus |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Public Transport | Tube: Angel (Northern). Bus: 4, 19, 38, 153, 341 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Islington Spa was called New Tunbridge Wells as the medicinal water was similar to that found in Tunbridge in 1694. It was claimed it could cure all manner of ailments including 'Hysterics, Vapours, Dropsies, Swellings of the Legs, Rheumatics, Scurvy, Jaundice, Want of Digestion, Gravel, Gout, Strangury, etc.'. In its heyday there were up to 1,600 daily visitors, including royalty, to the gardens, walks and coffee houses at Spa Green, and entertainments at one time included a miniature zoo and Merlin's Cave. The spring flowed until the 1860s although the area had begun to be built over from 1810. In 1891 land was acquired by the London County Council and Rosebery Avenue was laid out between 1889-92. The public gardens were created on 4 portions of land, the two northerly areas were surplus from the creation of Rosebery Avenue, the 2 southerly portions were exchanged with the New River Company, whose buildings and gardens are to the north at the former New River Head (q.v.). Three of the areas were laid out as gardens, with trees planted, and the fourth was paved, and the gardens were opened to the public in July 1895. Other LCC works included the new Town Hall and Fire Station.
The war memorial at the east end of the gardens was erected in 1921 and is by Thomas Rudge with a bronze angel on a granite pedestal. The gardens subsequently changed in 1946 when the Spa Green Estate was built to the south, designed by Skinner and Lubetkin, Tecton Architects (1946-50) around a small park. Spa Green Gardens have some notable plane trees as well as horse chestnut and false acacia, with stylish moderne paths and layout. On a site in the gardens opposite Sadler's Wells Theatre an Indian horse chestnut tree was planted on 17 May 1974 in memory of Lilian Baylis (1874-1937) by Hugh Jenkins, Arts Minister at the time. A well-known theatrical producer, Lilian Baylis had managed both the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres. Near the tree is a plaque erected by The Vic-Wells Association on the 50th anniversary of her death on 25 November 1987.
Within the gardens is an area with gravel (Finsbury Gravel) that may be related to a phase of deposition of the Lynch Hill Gravel close to the confluence of the rivers Lea and Thames.
The war memorial at the east end of the gardens was erected in 1921 and is by Thomas Rudge with a bronze angel on a granite pedestal. The gardens subsequently changed in 1946 when the Spa Green Estate was built to the south, designed by Skinner and Lubetkin, Tecton Architects (1946-50) around a small park. Spa Green Gardens have some notable plane trees as well as horse chestnut and false acacia, with stylish moderne paths and layout. On a site in the gardens opposite Sadler's Wells Theatre an Indian horse chestnut tree was planted on 17 May 1974 in memory of Lilian Baylis (1874-1937) by Hugh Jenkins, Arts Minister at the time. A well-known theatrical producer, Lilian Baylis had managed both the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells theatres. Near the tree is a plaque erected by The Vic-Wells Association on the 50th anniversary of her death on 25 November 1987.
Within the gardens is an area with gravel (Finsbury Gravel) that may be related to a phase of deposition of the Lynch Hill Gravel close to the confluence of the rivers Lea and Thames.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ315828 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.32 |
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace |
| Dates | 1780s, 1890s, 1946-50 |
| Listed Structures | LB: Well House, Spa Green Estate. LBII: War Memorial |
| 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 | New River |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| 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
The New River Head was the terminus of the New River, constructed in the early C17th to bring fresh water to London from Hertfordshire. Prior to this there were ponds on this site where fishing and duck shooting took place. The New River ended here in a small circular reservoir, the Round Pond, with a larger outer reservoir built in the early C18th. The reservoir was drained when the Metropolitan Water Board took over the New River Company in 1904 and by 1920 the MWB had built its new headquarters here, with the Laboratory Building added by 1938. After it became Thames Water, the headquarters moved to Reading and the buildings here were converted into private apartments. The formal gardens of the MWB became private communal gardens, their landscaping including fountains and rose gardens, now known as the Nautilus Garden. Remnants of the New River Head are at times visible from a viewing platform accessed via Myddelton Passage.
Myddelton Square is considered the chief adornment of the New River Estate and is named after Sir Hugh Myddelton who was responsible for building the New River to provide fresh water to London's growing population in the early C17th. The central garden contains some notable trees particularly on the perimeter, with an ornamental garden of raised beds, and now surrounded by new railings. Railed off within the area of the square is St Mark's Church.
Owen’s Field is a small park bounded by Owen’s Row and Owen Street, located in Clerkenwell. Originally fields, the land was part of Dame Alice Owen’s School from 1613 to 1976, when the school moved and the site became publicly accessible. The park is on an area that was a school playground, which separated Dame Alice Owen’s Girls’ School and Owen’s Boys’ School before becoming a park when houses were built around. The park has a single footpath that widens in the middle of the park, which is surrounded by grass and bushes. The sculpture ‘Edgerunner’ by artist Paul Neagu is located near the middle of the footpath, with a curving wooden bench separating the footpath from the sculpture.
