Description
Initially dedicated as Christ Church, the church was designed by S S Teulon in 1860 but completed by E P Loftus Brock in 1863, problems having arisen with the building. It was dedicated to St Silas in July 1867. The chancel was added in 1884. It has a small railed garden fronting Penton Street with a War Memorial with a path around it, with roses, grass and three trees including a yew and London plane.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St Silas Pentonville |
|---|---|
| Site location | Penton Street |
| Postcode | N1 9UL |
| What3Words | ///crest.stocks.actor |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Public Transport | Tube: Angel (Northern). Bus: 153, 174 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The parish was set up at the instigation of the vicar of St James Pentonville, Fr Courtenay, and land that had previously been a brewery was purchased and initially a temporary iron chapel was set up. It was replaced by a new church designed by S S Teulon, the foundation stone laid on 19 July 1860. However there were problems with the building, and the east end had to be rebuilt further back from the road. Fr Courtenay sued the architect and builder for using Kentish ragstone, which had proved too soft. A simpler building was completed by E P Loftus Brock and opened in 1863, originally dedicated as Christ Church. The dedication to St Silas took place when it was consecrated on 16 July 1867. St Silas, sometimes called Silvanus from the Greek word for 'wood', was one of the companions of St Paul and a relatively rare dedication for a church. St Silas Church is unusual in that it has embarked on a project to combine the need for a new roof with installation of solar panels, a scheme that was granted planning permission in 2009.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ310833 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.02 |
| Site Ownership | Church: Diocese of London |
| Site Management | LB Islington Greenspace |
| Dates | 1860s |
| Listed Structures | LB: St Silas with All Saints and St James |
| 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
Culpeper Community Garden is named after the C17th herbalist Nicholas Culpeper. It has been in existence since the 1980s and is situated adjacent to Culpeper Park, a small public park. The idea for the community garden arose in 1982 when Anthea Douglas, who was then teaching disadvantaged children, realised they needed a proper garden facility. She secured a grant from Islington Council before seeking out a suitable patch of derelict ground. The site she discovered was being considered for future development but as this was not scheduled to begin for some 10 years, it was agreed she could use it in the interim and it has been going ever since. Run on organic lines, the garden comprises a lawn, ponds, rose pergolas, ornamental beds, vegetable plots, seating and a wildlife area, with a greenhouse, small resource centre and tea hut for members. There are over 50 plots including raised beds for disabled gardeners, which provide small gardens for community groups, children, and for people living nearby without gardens. Tending the garden is a communal effort by garden members and volunteers.
Claremont Square was developed around the Upper Pond or 'New Reservoir' of the New River Company, which had been provided in 1708/9 as an extension of the New River Head to serve this area of Islington. The railed reservoir had garden walks around it that were only accessible to the privileged few. The terraced houses of Claremont Square were built when the New River Company began to develop their estate for housing in the 1820s. In the 1850s the reservoir was drained, covered and turfed over, the central area raised and enclosed by a high brick wall so that the former reservoir became a high flat-topped mound with steep sides.
The site used to be the burial ground of Pentonville Chapel, later known as St James's Episcopal Chapel, an additional burial ground for Clerkenwell parish church of St James. In the late C19th the burial ground was transformed into a public garden and later extended. Many of the headstones remain stacked against the north boundary wall of the old burial ground. It takes its name from the famous clown Joseph Grimaldi buried here in 1837 and whose railed grave remains in the park.