London Guide
Islington
Since the 1960s and 1970s, Islington's picturesque but dilapidated Regency and early Victorian squares and terraces have been snapped up by professionals and City types. The impact of this gentrification, however, has been relatively minor on the borough as a whole, which stretches as far north as Highgate Hill, and remains one of the city's poorest. On the other hand, the main drag, Upper Street, has changed enormously: the arrival of its antique market – confusingly known as Camden Passage – running parallel on the east side, coincided with the new influx of cash-happy customers.
Islington's pubs and restaurants reflect the wealth of its new residents, but the area also boasts the long-established King's Head pub theatre, the Little Angel puppet theatre and the ever-popular Almeida plus several comedy and live-music venues. All of which makes Islington one of the liveliest areas of north London in the evening – a kind of off-West End