Holloway Road is a road in London, in length. 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. The road starts in Archway, near Archway Underground station, then heads south-east, past Upper Holloway railway station, Whittington Park, past the North London campus of London Metropolitan University near Nag's Head, past Holloway Road Underground station, and the main campus of the university, and then becomes Highbury Corner, near Highbury & Islington station.
Name
The origins of the name are disputed; some believe that it derives from "hollow" due to the dip in the road from the cattle that made their way along the route to the cattle markets in London, whilst some believe it derives from "hallow" and refers to the road's historic significance as part of the pilgrimage route to Walsingham. No documentary evidence can be found to support either derivation.
History
The earliest record giving the name of the road as The Holloway dates from 1307. The main stretch of Holloway Road runs through the site of the villages of Tollington and Stroud. The exact time of their founding is not known, but the earliest record of them dates from 1000. The names ceased to be used by the late 17th century, but are still preserved in the local place names "Tollington Park" and "Stroud Green"; since that time, the area has been known as Holloway.
Description
Holloway Road is one of north London's shopping streets, containing major stores as well as numerous smaller shops. Holloway Road is the site of the main campus of the much-renamed London Metropolitan University (formerly Northern Polytechnic Institute, the Polytechnic of North London and University of North London), and includes the Orion Building, designed by Daniel Libeskind, which can be seen along the central stretch of Holloway Road, and of the headquarters of the National Union of Students and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Most of the shops are clustered in the Nag's Head area, near the junction with Seven Sisters Road. North of the Seven Sisters Road is the Nambucca pub and music venue, which burned down in 2008 and reopened two years later.
Archway
The northern point of Holloway Road is the complex interchange at Archway, where the A1 leaves the historic route of the Great North Road. The traditional Great North Road heads northwest up Highgate Hill (now the B519) before turning north at North Road, Highgate to cross the current A1 route. The A1 heads north along the relatively recently built Archway Road. The construction of the interchange left a few buildings isolated in the centre of the roundabout, including the Archway Tavern, which appears on the cover of The Kinks' 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies.
Churches
Holloway Road contains two significant London churches. St Mary Magdalene is situated in St Mary Magdalene Gardens near the southern end of the road. Built by William Wickings in 1814, it is one of the best preserved early 19th century churches in London. Charles Barry Jr.'s St John's Church is a leading example of Gothic Revival architecture and dominates the northern end of the road.
Railway stations
As one of London's primary transport routes during the 19th century railway boom, Holloway Road contains a number of railway stations. Highbury Corner is the site of Highbury & Islington station, one of London's most important transport interchanges. The Victoria line, Northern City Line, and the London Overground North London Line converge at this location. It is also the northern terminus of the London Overground East London Line.
The station building was badly damaged by a V-1 flying bomb in 1944 and never rebuilt. The remainder of the building was demolished in 1966 in preparation for the construction of the Victoria line; the only surface building is a small entrance hall, set back from the main road.
Holloway Road station opened with the Piccadilly line in 1906, next door to an existing Great Northern Railway main line station built in 1852. The main line station closed in 1915. Although Holloway Road is the nearest station to the Emirates Stadium, trains do not stop here on match days due to concerns about overcrowding.
Upper Holloway station was built in 1868 as part of the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Railway. It is served by trains on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, which now forms part of the London Overground network.