As East London becomes trendier and more desirable for new Londoners, estate agents are increasingly blurring the border between the city’s north and east. Estate agents Marsh & Parsons have even billed Islington “a case of north meets east”.
The aesthetic markers of a typical East London person are now so ubiquitous there are many social media accounts dedicated to sending up the visual “iconography” of its residents. One such marker is going for “coffee and a sweet treat”, which has led to queues out the door for some trendy cafes.
On a sunny Sunday morning at Pophams, a viral bakery on Prebend Street, the long queue for pastries is filled with people donning the typical “east London look” replete with tote bags, corduroy, and Doc Martens galore.
In the queue, Viv, who has lived in Islington for 10 years, said: “The borough has shifted in the demographic, for sure – [from middle-aged families] to older millennials.”
“That is when all the cafes started popping up,” she recalls. “I suppose it’s more desirable.”
George Pullen, a lettings negotiator at Winkworth estate agents in Highbury, says many people are searching for property in East London. “What I have seen more recently, when [clients] say East London, they include Islington, Angel, and Highbury.”
He explained the increasing desirability of East London: “Places like Hackney and Dalston are not the nicest places to live, but people see it as cool and trendy, close to nice bars and pubs, which Islington has as well.”
Simon, owner of the Antique Paper Company on Camden Passage, notices Islington is being accepted as East. “We have a lot of people that come in who are asking: ‘Have you got anything related to east London?’ They include Islington in that.”
He adds: “It seems to have kind of morphed into one big area…Places like Camden and up and west from there are north now.”
Julie Edwards, who has lived in Arlington Square for 20 years, says postcodes easily settle the matter. Islington is North London, she says firmly, “because it’s north of the City”.
Traditionally, North London is considered to be made up of the boroughs of Islington, Camden, Haringey, and Enfield. East London is Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Waltham Forest.
Can the North please have some cool establishments without people saying that it is east? Dalston onwards is east
Angel, a bartender in Islington
Linda, a stallholder on Camden Passage, moved to Islington during the first wave of gentrification. She feels strongly that “it is north London. I have been here since 1968 and it is still north.”
Since the redevelopment of Stratford for the 2012 London Olympics, East London has undergone a massive regeneration which made the area a much more attractive place to live and visit.
As you head towards the border between Islington and Hackney, it could be natural to assume that there is a general blur between the two areas. Newcomers can be forgiven for thinking the north-west London designation could be mirrored on the other side of town. But many locals feel strongly that there is a hard line between the two.
Several residents place the divide in De Beauvoir, which straddles both boroughs. Its recently opened ice cream and wine bar, The Dreamery, is perhaps a prime spot for an incoming clientele who have an East London ‘vibe’.
Angel, one of the bartenders, has noticed this blur of north and east. A lifelong Islingtonian, she sighs with exasperation when asked about the creep of ‘east’. “Can the North please have some cool establishments without people saying that it is east? Dalston onwards is east.”
She thinks it is mainly people who are not from London who label Islington ‘east’. Still, she is adamant: “It says it in the postcode. N1. North.”
That seems to be the general agreement at the moment, but for how much longer?
Clare Walsh is the beat reporter for St Mary's and St James'. She is passionate about keeping locals up to date on important stories. She is a freelance journalist, and has written for publications including Varsity and Cambridge Creatives.