Description
St John's Church is a yellow-brick Commissioners Church built in 1826-28 as the parish church for Upper Holloway and designed by Charles Barry. Fine monuments in the church include that of Ann Sykes (d.1835) and her daughter Martha Venn (d.1840), which feature sculpted figures by Slevier of Faith and Charity. Closed for burial in 1855, the churchyard is now a garden surrounded by brick wall and has flowerbeds, lawn and trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Upper Holloway Parish Church; St John with St Peter's Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Holloway Road/St John's Grove |
| Postcode | N19 |
| What3Words | ///paper.flying.attend |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | closed, partly visible |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Upper Holloway. Tube: Archway (Northern) then bus. Bus: 17, 43. 271, |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The building of the church here was at the instigation of the vicar of Islington parish church of St Mary's (q.v.). The acre of land was donated by the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy and had been part of the Palmer Estate owned by the late Revd. James Palmer, vicar of St Bride's Church (q.v.). The first stone of the new church was laid on 24 May 1826 following a procession from St Mary's led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Burials took place in churchyard and in the crypt, where lead coffins remain today, but burials ceased following the Public Order Act of 20 May 1855 on the grounds of public health.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ296866 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.405 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | 1828 |
| Listed Structures | LB: St John's Church |
| 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 | CA |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| 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
Whittington Park started life in 1954 as a small public open space of under 1 acre, but it was not officially opened until August 1973 by which time it had grown to c.6 acres. It was opened by the then Mayor of Islington, Cllr Harry Reid. Festivities included a play with over 300 children taking part, a barbecue for 500 people and a disco in the evening. A time capsule, to be opened in 50 years' time, August 2023, was buried with a message to be read by future Islingtonians. Since 1973, the park has been extended to over 10 acres and provides numerous sport and play facilities. Horticultural features include rose and shrub beds, woodland and a war memorial is set into the grass near the park's boundary with Holloway Road.
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.
Although Royal Northern Gardens is a new park created in 2002 it is on the former site of the Royal Northern Hospital, which opened here in 1888. A new Casualty Department was opened in 1923 following WWI as a war memorial to the people from Islington who died during the war. The hospital later transferred to Whittington Hospital and most of the old buildings were demolished in 1997, and the site was developed for housing. A condition of planning permission was the creation of a new public open space, and this was laid out incorporating a war memorial wall that contained fragments of the old hospital masonry.