GANG warfare, a royal visit and Islington’s first pizzeria are just a few of the memories of the borough to be published by a local history society.
A project by the Peabody Estate encouraging long-term residents to share their experiences of life in the area caught the attention of the Islington Archaeology and History Society which has agreed to publish some in its quarterly journal.
Rob Robertson, the project manager for Peabody, explained how the project came about: “I did a series of interviews with locals to mark the 150th anniversary of George Peabody’s [the Peabody Trust’s founder] death.
“They were mostly people of pensionable age. I just let them talk; the only theme I really had was ‘Islington now and then’.
“One exception was a young Asian man from the Priory Green estate. He told us that when he was young, there was tension between Asian and white gangs on the estate. So the Peabody Trust arranged a football match between them.
“While the tension was never completely gone, it got to the point where they were nodding at each other when they passed on the estate.”
The series of 10 interviews revealed the depth of change in Islington over the course of residents’ lifetimes.
“One gentleman I spoke to said there was hardly any racial diversity or immigration 70 years ago, and since then, small businesses have just disappeared,” Mr Robertson said.
Andy Gardner, chairman of the Islington Archaeology and History Society, believes the project reveals how firmly rooted families are in the area: “Perhaps more than any other borough, Islington was formed of several villages coming together.
“There is such a strong sense of community.”
Chris Sutcliffe – @chrismsutcliffe
