The Ancient Parish of Islington
Archway, Balls Pond, Barnsbury, Canonbury, Dartmouth Park Hill, Highbury, Holloway, Hornsey Rise, Islington, Lower Holloway, The Angel, Tollington, Tufnell Park and Upper Holloway are all places in the Ancient Parish of Islington, which was part of the Finsbury division of the Ossulstone hundred subdivision of the county of Middlesex. Civil Parishes took over from Ancient Parishes in the 1860s, followed by Urban District Councils in 1894 and then London Boroughs in 1965. Islington forms part of the London Borough of Islington. Islington is surrounded by the parishes of Middlesex parishes of Hornsey, Stoke Newington, Hackney, Shoreditch, St Luke Old Street, Clerkenwell and St Pancras.
The Society has produced a Parish Guide to Islington.
St Mary, Upper Street
St Mary’s is the ancient parish church of Islington. This church served the whole parish until 1814 when a chapel of ease was constructed, followed over time by 40 more churches to serve a rapidly expanding population. A church has existed on Upper Street since at least the 12th century: St Mary’s Church in Islington is mentioned in documents from 1163. The present church, though, only dates to 1954, after the building of 1754 was bombed during the Second World War. The churchyard was closed for burials in 1853 and is now laid out as a public garden.
Records of the parish of St Mary Islington include: baptisms (1557-1905); marriages (1557-1921) and burials (1558-1893) and are held at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MRY1.
All Saints, Caledonian Road, Battle Bridge, Kings Cross
All Saints parish was assigned in 1839, formed from part of the parish of Holy Trinity. Parts of All Saints parish were later assigned to St Andrew, Thornhill Square and St Silas, Penton Street, Clerkenwell. The parish was joined to St Silas in 1972. The church burnt down in 1975 and was demolished. The congregation moved in to what had been the church hall.
Records of All Saints including registers of baptisms (1839-1979) and marriages (1846-1977) are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/ALL1
All Saints, Tytherton Road, Tufnell Park
All Saints Church was originally a mission church opened by the church of St Matthew in 1881. A parish was assigned in 1886, taken from the parishes of St John, Upper Holloway, and St George, Tufnell Park. The church was closed in 1983 and the parish was united with St George’s, Tufnell Park to form the united parish of St George and All Saints, Tufnell Park. The building has now been converted into flats.
Records of the parish of All Saints include: baptisms (1885-1982) and marriages (1886-1983) and are held at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/ALL2.
Christ Church, Highbury Grove
Christ Church, Highbury Grove parish was formed in 1849 from part of St Mary’s. Parts of it were later assigned to St Augustine, Highbury, and St John, Highbury. The parish was united with St John, Highbury, in 1979 and with St Saviour, Aberdeen Park, in 1981. The church is still open.
Records of the parish of Christ Church, Highbury Grove, Islington, including registers of baptisms (1849-1931); marriages (1849-1929); maps of parish boundaries; financial records; and history of the Highbury Vale Schools are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/CTC.
Emmanuel, Hornsey Road
A parish was assigned in 1886, taken from parts of the parishes of St Mark, Tollington Park, St Paul, Upper Holloway and St Luke, West Holloway. The church is still open.
Records of the parish of Emmanuel, Hornsey Road, including registers of baptisms (1886-1931); marriages (1886-1945); Churchwardens' financial accounts; and parish magazines are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/EMM.
Holy Trinity, Cloudesley Square
A parish was assigned in 1830, taken from the parish of St Mary’s, Islington. Parts of the parish were later assigned to other churches: All Saints, Caledonian Road, in 1839; St Andrew, Thornhill Square, in 1854 and St Thomas, Barnsbury, in 1862. The parish was joined with St Andrew’s, Thornhill Square, in 1980 and the church was sold to the Celestial Church of Christ.
Records of the parish of Holy Trinity, Cloudesley Square, including registers of baptisms (1829-1978), marriages (1830-1837 and 1930-1977), burials (1829-1854), confirmations; papers relating to Holy Trinity School; parish magazines and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/TRI.
St Andrew, Thornhill Square, Barnsbury
The parish of St Andrew, Thornhill Square, Barnsbury, was established in 1854 from parts of the parishes of Holy Trinity and All Saints. Parts of the parish were later assigned to St Thomas, Barnsbury, and St Michael, although the latter was later restored. In 1953 the parish was united with St Thomas, Barnsbury, with St Matthias in 1956, and with Holy Trinity in 1980.
Records of the parish of St Andrew, Barnsbury, including registers of baptisms (1854-1960); marriages (1854-1972); minute books; cash books; and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/AND1.
St Andrew, Whitehall Park
This area of Islington was given a temporary brick church in Archway Road in 1886 which was subsequently used as the parish hall. The church was assigned a district in 1897.
Records of the parish of St Andrew, Whitehall Park, including registers of baptisms (1889-1976); banns (1932-1968); marriages (1898-1951); maps and plans of the parish; Vestry and Parochial Church Council minute books are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/AND2. This archive includes baptisms in the Holborn Union Infirmary 1917-1967.
St Anne, Poole’s Park, Holloway
This church was consecrated in 1870, its parish having been taken from part of St Mark, Tollington Park. St Thomas, Finsbury Park separated from St Anne in 1888 but baptisms from 1879-1882 for St Thomas are to be found in St Anne’s archive. The church was demolished in 1965.
Records of the parish of St Ann including registers of baptisms (1867-1963), Banns (1931-1963) and marriages (1871-1963) are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/ANN.
St Augustine, Highbury New Park
A parish was assigned to this church in 1871, taken from the parishes of Christ Church and St Paul’s. The church is still open.
Records of the parish of St Augustine, Highbury, including registers of baptisms (1871-1958); Banns (1871-1979); marriages (1871-1954); confirmations; records of the choir; papers relating to parish charities and societies; parish magazines and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/AUG.
St Barnabas, Hornsey Road
The parish was established in 1866, from parts of the parishes of St Mary, St James, Lower Holloway, St John, Upper Holloway, and St Mark. The church closed in 1945 and was subsequently demolished.
Records of the parish of St Barnabas, Hornsey Road, including registers of baptisms (1856-1945); banns (1945); marriages (1866-1945); and parish magazines are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/BAN.
St Bartholomew, Shepperton Road
The parish of St Bartholomew was established in 1865, taken from part of the parish of St Stephen, Canonbury Road. The parish merged with St Stephen’s in 1953. The church was demolished in 1970.
Records of the parish of St Bartholomew, Shepperton Road, including registers of baptisms (1877-1938); marriages (1917-1938); Church Council minute book; map of the parish and diary of an incumbent are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/BAT.
St Clement, Westbourne Road, Barnsbury
St Clement’s parish was formed in 1862 from St James, Lower Holloway. In 1977 St Clement united with St David, West Holloway to form the parish St David with St Clement. St Clement’s church, which is Grade II listed, was later converted into flats.
Records of the parish of St Clement, Barnsbury, including baptism registers (1857-1976); marriage registers (1865-1976), banns (1910-1977), confirmation registers (1931-1970) and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/CLE
St David, Westbourne Road, Barnsbury
The parish of St David was formed out of the parish of St Luke, West Holloway, in 1869. In 1977 it united with the parish of St Clement, Barnsbury, to form the parish of St David with St Clement. Declining numbers forced the closure of the church in 1984 but it was reopened in 2013 as ‘Hope Church’ in partnership with St Mary Magdalene, Holloway Road.
Records of the parish of St David, Barnsbury, including registers of baptisms (1869-1984); Banns (1935-1984); marriages (1869-1982); papers relating to parish charities and schools and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/DAV.
St Francis, North Road, West Holloway
Apparently built as a chapel of ease to St Luke, this building is now a school.
St George, Crayford Road, Tufnell Park
The church of St George was assigned a parish in 1863 after having previously been part of the Free Church of England. The church spent some time as a Shakespearean Theatre in the 1970s and is now owned by a Nigerian based church and known as The Rock Tower. The parish combined with All Saints, Tytherton Road in the 1990s and operates from a new church built in 1974 in Crayford Road, almost opposite the old St George.
Records of the parish of St George, Tufnell Park, including registers of baptisms (1858-1955) and marriages (1868-1963) are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/GEO.
This archive includes baptisms at Holloway Prison in 1887-8, 1909 and 1914.
St James, Victoria Road, Holloway
The parish of St James was established in 1839 as St James the Apostle, becoming plain St James in 1846. The parish united with St Mary Magdalene’s in 1954. Records of the parish of St James, Holloway, including registers of baptisms (1839-1946) marriages (1846-1946); Parochial Church Council minute books; and papers relating to church societies are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/JS1.
St James the Apostle, Prebend Street
St James the Apostle was founded by the City of London Clothworkers’ Company, as a replacement for Lambe’s chapel which had been on Wood Street Square in the City of London. A parish was formed in 1875, taking parts of the parishes of St Peter and St Philip.
Records of the parish of St James the Apostle, Prebend Street, including registers of baptisms (1876-2005); Banns (1941-1974); marriages (1875-19600; Parochial Church Council minutes; and reports are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/JSA.
St John, Highbury Park
The parish church was consecrated in 1881, its district being assigned out of the parish of Christ Church, Islington. The church was declared redundant in 1979 and subsequently demolished. The parish was united with Christ Church, Highbury Grove, which became known as Christ Church with St John.
Records of the parish of St John, Highbury Park, including registers of baptisms (1877-1978) marriages (1882-1978); confirmations; Vestry and Parochial Church Council minutes; parish magazines and newsletterspapers relating to the mission hall on Blackstock Road and the school room in Park Place are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/JN1.
St John the Baptist, Cleveland Road, Highbury
The parish of St John the Baptist was assigned in 1873. The church was declared redundant in 1971 and demolished in 1981.
Records of the parish of St John the Baptist, Cleveland Road, including registers of baptisms (1872-1966) marriages (1873-1967); confirmations; and minute books of the Parochial Church Council are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/JNB.
St John the Evangelist, Pemberton Gardens, Upper Holloway
St John’s parish was the first district parish created in the parish of Islington. It was formed in 1830 and served a wide area until the establishment of 14 daughter churches. It was united with St Peter’s Church, Dartmouth Park Hill in 1978 to become the parish of St Peter with St John, Upper Holloway.
Records of the parish of St John the Evangelist, Upper Holloway, including registers of baptisms (1830-1954); banns (1854-1902); marriages (1830-1952); burials (1829-1854); parish magazines and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/JNE.
St Jude, Mildmay Grove
The parish of St Jude was established in 1856 and the church is still open.
Records of the parish of Saint Jude include: baptisms (1855-1967) and marriages (1856-1960) and are held at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/JUD.
St Luke, Penn Road, West Holloway
A parish was assigned to St Luke in 1861 and, although in 1869 it was reduced in size, the church is still open.
Records of the parish of St Luke include: baptisms (1856-1961) and marriages (1861-1963) and are held at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/LUK.
St Mark, Tollington Park
The parish of St Mark, Tollington Park, was assigned out of the parish of St John, Upper Holloway, in 1854. Various parts of St Mark’s were later assigned to new parishes as they were created: St Mary, Hornsey Rise in 1865, St Barnabas, Hornsey Road in 1866, St Paul, Kingsdown Road in 1870, St Anne, Poole’s Park in 1871, Emmanuel, Hornsey Road in 1886 and St Saviour, Hanley Road in 1888. In 1964 St Mark’s parish was united with the parish of St Anne, Poole’s Park, to become the parish of St Mark with St Anne, Tollington Park.
Records of the parish of St Mark, Tollington Park, including registers of baptisms (1854-1977); banns (1918-1974); marriages (1854-1971); Vestry and Parochial Church Council minutes; papers relating to parish societies and schools; and parish magazines are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MRK.
St Mary, Ashley Road, Hornsey Rise
St Mary, Hornsey Rise parish was formed in 1865 from St Mark, Tollington Park. Parts were assigned to St Paul, Upper Holloway in 1870 and to St Stephen, Upper Holloway in 1881. In 1982 the parish was united with that of St Stephen, Elthorne Road to become St Mary Hornsey Rise with St Stephen.
Records of the parish of St Mary, Hornsey Rise, including registers of baptisms (1861-1950); Banns (1865-1974); marriages (1865-1944) and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MRY2.
St Mary Magdalene, Holloway Road
Built in 1814, as a Chapel of Ease to the parish church of St Mary Islington, the parish of St Mary Magdalene was formed in 1894. A part of the former neighbouring parish of St James was added in the 1950s and the name changed to St Mary Magdalene with St James. Since 2013 this has been ‘Hope Church’, in partnership with St David, Westbourne Road. The building is Grade II listed but on the ‘at risk’ register.
Records of the parish of St Mary Magdalene, Holloway Road, including registers of baptisms (1839-1965); Banns (1911-1970); marriages (1895-1980); burials (1895-1916); histories of the parish; and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MMG.
St Matthew, Essex Road
St Matthews began as a temporary chapel in 1836; a parish was assigned in 1851. It was joined with the parish of St Stephen, Canonbury in 1953 and in 1966 the church was demolished.
Records of the parish of St Matthew, Essex Road, including registers of baptisms (1843-1948); marriages (1851-1948); banns and confirmations; Vestry minutes, correspondence and other administrative papers are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MTW.
St Matthias, Caledonian Road
St Matthias’ Church was built as a chapel of ease to St Luke, West Holloway in 1868. It became a district parish in 1886. In 1956 the parish was united with St Andrew, Thornhill Square and St Matthias became a chapel of ease to St Andrew’s. The building was demolished around 1980.
Records of the parish of St Matthias, Caledonian Road, including registers of baptisms (1877-1975); marriages (1892-1955); confirmations; photographs of the church and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MTS.
St Michael, Bingfield Street
A parish was assigned to the Church of St Michael in 1864. This was united with St Andrew, Thornhill Square, in 1977; St Andrew’s became the parish church and St Michael’s church building was closed.
Records of the parish of St Michael, Bingfield Street, including registers of baptisms (1863-1973); banns (1865-1948); marriages (1864-1973); are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/MIC.
St Paul, Essex Road, Canonbury
The parish of St Paul was established in 1830. Parts of the parish were later transferred to other new churches and St Paul merged with St Jude in 1982.The building is now a school.
Records of the parish of St Paul, Canonbury, including registers of baptisms (1830-1980); banns (1902-1969); marriages (1831-1954) and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/PAU1.
St Paul, Kingsdown Road, Upper Holloway
St Paul’s parish was assigned in 1870. It was united with St Saviour’s, Stroud Green in 1953 and the church building was subsequently demolished.
Records of the parish of St Paul, Upper Holloway, including registers of baptisms (1870-1947); banns (1871-1947); marriages (1871-1947; parish magazines and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/PAU2.
This archive includes a register of baptisms which took place at the Royal Northern Hospital, Holloway from 1917-1928.
St Peter, Dartmouth Park Hill
St Peter’s parish was created out of the parish of St John, Upper Holloway in 1880. In 1978 St Peter was reunited with St John to become the parish of St Peter with St John, Upper Holloway.
Records of the parish of St Peter, Dartmouth Park Hill, including registers of baptisms (1874-1947); marriages (1881-1955) and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/PET1
St Peter, Devonia Road
The parish of St Peter was establSt Philip the Evangelist, Arlington Square
A parish was assigned to St Philip in 1858, part of which was transferred to St James, Prebend Street, in 1875. The church was closed in 1953 when the whole parish was united with St James, Prebend Street, and the building demolished.
Records of the parish of St Philip the Evangelist, Arlington Square, including registers of baptisms (1858-1953); Banns (1887-1946); marriages (1858-1953); parish magazines and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/PHE.
St Saviour, Aberdeen Park, Highbury
The church of St Saviour, Aberdeen Park, was closed in 1980 and the parish was united with Christ Church, Highbury Grove. The building, Grade I listed, is used by an arts education charity.
Records of the parish of St Saviour, Highbury, including registers of baptisms (1866-1976); marriages (1867-1975); confirmations and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/SAV1.
St Saviour, Hanley Road, Tollington Park
A parish was assigned to St Saviour in 1888, taken from parts of the parishes of St Mark, Tollington Park and St Mary, Hornsey Rise. The church was united with St Paul, Kingsdown Road, Upper Holloway in 1953 and is still open.
Records of the parish of St Saviour, Hanley Road, including registers of baptisms (1879-1928); banns (1943-1973); marriages (1888-1940) are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/SAV2.
St Stephen, Canonbury Road, Canonbury
The church of St Stephen was constructed around 1838 and a parish was assigned in 1839. The parish was united with St Bartholomew’s in 1939 and with St Matthew’s in 1953. The church is still used for worship.
Records of the parish of St Stephen, Canonbury Road, including registers of baptisms (1839-1947); marriages (1846-1958); Vestry and Parochial Church Council minute books; and papers relating to parish schools are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/STE1.
St Stephen, Elthorne Road, Upper Holloway
St Stephen, Elthorne Road originated as a mission church founded by St John, Upper Holloway in about 1877. The parish of St Stephen was formed in 1881 from St John, Upper Holloway and St Mary, Hornsey Rise. In 1982 the church was closed and the parish united with that of St Mary, Hornsey Rise. The Church was demolished in 1983.
Records of the parish of St Stephen, Elthorne Road, including registers of baptisms (1880-1980) banns (1938-1982); marriages (1881-1981); confirmations; Churchwardens’ accounts and more are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/STE2.
This archive also includes registers of baptisms at: the Islington Workhouse, St John’s Road; Islington Institution, St John’s Road 1932-1969: ‘Hillside’, post 1969 (these are the same institution).
St Thomas, Hemingford Road
The parish of St Thomas was formed in 1862 from parts of the parishes of St Andrew, Thornhill Square and Holy Trinity. In 1953 the parish was united with St Andrew and the church was closed and demolished.
Records of the parish of St Thomas, Hemingford Road, including registers of baptisms (1862-1946); marriages (1862-1946); and a parish magazine are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/TMS1.
St Thomas, St Thomas’s Road, Finsbury Park
This parish was established in 1888, taken from St Anne’s, Tollington Park, after mission services had been held for some 8 years in a nearby pub and then in a temporary iron chapel.
Records of the parish of St Thomas, Finsbury Park, including registers of baptisms (1882-1992); banns (1932-1963); marriages (1889-1965); confirmations; Parochial Church Council and Vestry meeting minutes and papers; Parochial Church Council correspondence; and papers relating to church societies are at London Metropolitan Archives, Ref: P83/TMS2.
Further records which include PCC minutes and more are currently uncatalogued.
Baptisms from 1879-1882 for the district of St Thomas are with the parish records of St Anne, Ref: P83/ANN/001/02-07.
Union Chapel, Upper Street
