Isledon Village
Isledon Village, Islington
A 1990s mixed-tenure project with 211 dwellings, situated in south-west Finsbury Park
‘Isledon’ is an old form of ‘Islington’, although the estate is simply named after the road on which it is located. The seven-acre site formerly consisted of industrial buildings beside the railway.
Shops and stalls on nearby Fonthill Road specialise in affordable designer clothes and there were proposals to build a national fashion centre here. However, these were abandoned after Finsbury Park residents pressed for the site to be put a more locally oriented use.
Several housing associations collaborated to build flats and maisonettes in 1994 and a second, smaller phase of modular town houses was completed in 1999.
Community facilities include a doctor’s surgery, a self-built nursery, workspaces and open space with a children’s play area. A nursing home cares for elderly people and those with disabilities or mental health problems.
The village drew praise for its integrated approach to urban design. In The Buildings of England (London 4: North), Bridget Cherry writes, “The tall, flat-fronted three-storey terraces of two-storey houses with flats above and in the corner pavilions are equally urban in character, and display the inventive eclecticism characteristic of this firm [Hunt Thompson]. Neoclassical allusions but also picturesque variety introduced by monpoitch roofs and cut-away corners.” However, some critics disliked the ‘dead end’ layout.
Postal district: N7