Caledonian Road (London)
Encyclopedia
The Caledonian Road, in Islington
, North London
is a road, about one and half miles long, running north-south from Camden Road
near the junction with Holloway Road
to Pentonville Road in the south. It is often known colloquially as the "Cally" and forms the entirety of the A5203.
The street is mostly residential from Camden Road until Caledonian Road tube station
. There are many new residential developments around the station including student accommodation. Just south of the station is Pentonville Prison
near the bridge carrying the North London Line
. South of here, the road is mostly lined by a wide variety of shops and cafes including several Ethiopian restaurants. This area is quite poor compared to the north end and the shops serve both the council estates bordering the road and the more affluent Barnsbury area adjacent to the East. The road crosses Thornhill Bridge over the Regents Canal and south of here are more trendy shops and restaurants that have appeared in recent years because of the King's Cross developments. The road ends at Pentonville Road near King's Cross railway station and the border of Camden
. Housmans Bookshop, specialist radical book and magazine retailers, established in 1945, can be found here at No.5, as well as the offices of Peace News
.
by the Battle Bridge and Holloway Road Co. to link the New Road with Holloway Road (which is part of the Great North Road
), providing a new link to the West End
from the north. It was first known as Chalk Road but changed its name after the Royal Caledonian Asylum, for the children of poor exiled Scots, was built here in 1828. (This building has since been demolished. It occupied the site of local authority housing called the Caledonian Estate built 1900-7.)
The first residential buildings on Caledonian Road were Thornhill Terrace (Nos 106-146) built in 1832. Other terraces were built in the 1840s. Pentonville Prison was built on the road in 1842 immediately to the south of the Asylum. The Caledonian road was utilised by cattle drovers on their way to Smithfield
until 1852 when the Metropolitan Cattle Market
was transferred here by the City of London Corporation and became known as the Caledonian Market. Drovers' lodgings, five public houses, and two hotels were put up around the market, and the Corporation built a block of working-class dwellings c. 1865.
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
is a road, about one and half miles long, running north-south from Camden Road
Camden Road
Camden Road is a main road running from the junction of Camden Town and Camden Town tube station up to Holloway Road....
near the junction with Holloway Road
Holloway Road
Holloway Road is a road in London. It is one of the main shopping streets in North London, and carries the A1 road as it passes through Holloway, in the London Borough of Islington...
to Pentonville Road in the south. It is often known colloquially as the "Cally" and forms the entirety of the A5203.
The street is mostly residential from Camden Road until Caledonian Road tube station
Caledonian Road tube station
Caledonian Road is a station on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, between King's Cross St. Pancras and Holloway Road, and in Travelcard Zone 2. It was opened on 15 December 1906 by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway....
. There are many new residential developments around the station including student accommodation. Just south of the station is Pentonville Prison
Pentonville (HM Prison)
HM Prison Pentonville is a Category B/C men's prison, operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not actually within Pentonville itself, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury area of the London Borough of Islington, in inner-North London,...
near the bridge carrying the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
. South of here, the road is mostly lined by a wide variety of shops and cafes including several Ethiopian restaurants. This area is quite poor compared to the north end and the shops serve both the council estates bordering the road and the more affluent Barnsbury area adjacent to the East. The road crosses Thornhill Bridge over the Regents Canal and south of here are more trendy shops and restaurants that have appeared in recent years because of the King's Cross developments. The road ends at Pentonville Road near King's Cross railway station and the border of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
. Housmans Bookshop, specialist radical book and magazine retailers, established in 1945, can be found here at No.5, as well as the offices of Peace News
Peace News
Peace News is a pacifist magazine first published on 6 June 1936 to serve the peace movement in the United Kingdom. From later in 1936 to April 1961 it was the official paper of the Peace Pledge Union , and from 1990 to 2004 was co-published with War Resisters' International.-History:Peace News was...
.
History
It was privately built in 1826 as a toll roadToll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
by the Battle Bridge and Holloway Road Co. to link the New Road with Holloway Road (which is part of the Great North Road
Great North Road (Great Britain)
The Great North Road was a coaching route used by mail coaches between London, York and Edinburgh. The modern A1 mainly follows the Great North Road. The inns on the road, many of which survive, were staging posts on the coach routes, providing accommodation, stabling for the horses and...
), providing a new link to the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
from the north. It was first known as Chalk Road but changed its name after the Royal Caledonian Asylum, for the children of poor exiled Scots, was built here in 1828. (This building has since been demolished. It occupied the site of local authority housing called the Caledonian Estate built 1900-7.)
The first residential buildings on Caledonian Road were Thornhill Terrace (Nos 106-146) built in 1832. Other terraces were built in the 1840s. Pentonville Prison was built on the road in 1842 immediately to the south of the Asylum. The Caledonian road was utilised by cattle drovers on their way to Smithfield
Smithfield, London
Smithfield is an area of the City of London, in the ward of Farringdon Without. It is located in the north-west part of the City, and is mostly known for its centuries-old meat market, today the last surviving historical wholesale market in Central London...
until 1852 when the Metropolitan Cattle Market
Metropolitan Cattle Market
The Metropolitan Cattle Market in Islington, north London was built by the City of London Corporation and opened in June 1855 by Prince Albert...
was transferred here by the City of London Corporation and became known as the Caledonian Market. Drovers' lodgings, five public houses, and two hotels were put up around the market, and the Corporation built a block of working-class dwellings c. 1865.