Introduction
This prospectus was commissioned by Islington Council‘s Local Economies Team and is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The document has been created by Office S&M Architects with support from Jamila Saha and additional community engagement carried out by Holloway Neighbourhood Group. A microsite, created by Adam Tarasewicz, has been developed to go with this document.
History of Nag's Head
Past
Celebrating Nag’s Head’s heritage, culture, and diversity
1800s
- 1812 — Nag’s Head was the birthplace of the artist and poet Edward Lear, born in Holloway in 1812.
- 1890s — Nag’s Head became a major shopping centre, with the Nag’s Head pub and Beale’s Restaurant at its heart.
- 1890s — Culture blossomed with the opening of entertainment venues like the Holloway Empire, Parkhurst Theatre and Marlborough Theatre, today replaced by AXO Islington, Holloway Arcade and the Marlborough Building.
- 1895 — James Selby acquired Treharnes and its two shops on Holloway Road.
1900s
- 1960s — Joe Meeks opens the pioneering Triumph Recording Studios at 304 Holloway Road
- 1970s — Nag’s Head Town Centre faced significant changes. Beale’s was demolished and replaced by Sainsbury’s,
- 1970s — Large-scale council housing redevelopments reshaped the area, with tower blocks and estates such as Harvist Estate and Bennett Court.
- 1971 — Mothers and children of Lorraine Estate campaigned for and created a new play space for local children, which is today Biddestone Park.
- 1972 — Responding to redevelopment, groups like the Holloway Tenant Co-Operative resisted displacement and preserved affordable housing.
- 1990s — Jones Brothers is closed and replaced by Resource for London.
- 1990s — Holloway became a setting in Nick Hornby’s novels, particularly "Fever Pitch."
2000s
- 2004 — The 2000s saw a revival, with the construction of the Graduate Centre at London Metropolitan University.
- 2006 — The opening of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium further transformed the area, spurring new residential and mixed-use developments on Hornsey Street and Caledonian Road, marking a new chapter in Nag’s Head’s evolution.
Engagement
We understand the importance of listening to and making local voices heard as local peopleare experts on the local area. As part of Nag’sHead Prospectus of Ideas, we set out to find what local businesses, residents and visitors think of the town centre and what would make it better for all, now and in the future.
What are the challenges that Nag's Head Town Centre is facing?
Being at the crossroads of Holloway Road (the A1) and Seven Sisters Road (A503), Nag’s Head Town Centre suffers from heavy road traffic that separates the area. This has created a disconnected and low sense of place among businesses, visitors and local people.
With few open or green spaces and dominant road traffic, there is little space for walking, wheeling and other public uses in the town centre. A general lack of pleasant spaces for people to dwell, limited public facilities like toilets and a low sense of safety due to challenges with crime and anti-social behaviour, tend to make many visits to Nag’s Head Town Centre brief. With retail at its heart and few free activities, spending time often means spending money in shops or on services.
Nag’s Head Town Centre is the meeting point of five Islington ward boundaries, meaning there is no single political oversight. With Holloway Road and Seven Sisters Road being red routes, Transport for London (TfL) manages and maintains the roads and their public pavements. This means the council has little control over the development of these roads. As Islington Council do not own any of the town centre’s commercial properties this makes it difficult to unlock spaces for alternative and meanwhile uses.
The town centre also faces economic challenges with business rates and rents being high and many of the local people not having much disposable income. Despite being bustling during the day, it also lacks a strong evening economy making it inactive at night which contributes to the low sense of safety.
Key Challenges
Environmental
- Lack of green spaces and inviting public realm in the town centre
- Dominant road traffic with little space for pedestrians on Holloway Road and Seven Sister’s Road
- Difficulties in unlocking spaces for alternative and meanwhile use
Social
- Low sense of place in the community
- Lack of social spaces and public amenities for people to dwell
- Low sense of safety when using the town centre during all hours of the day
Economic
- Poor connections between businesses, community and cultural organisations
- Lack of an evening economy activating the town centre at night
- Lack of free activities available to people with low disposable income
A clear vision for Nag's Head
The foundation of this vision and the catalogue of ideas lies in the wealth of initiatives and projects already happening in the Nag’s Head area. The aim with this vision is build onto and celebrate these initiatives while at the same time outline new ideas that together with the the existing opportunities envision the future of Nag’s Head.
Create stepping stones for local businesses to growth and testing new ideas and celebrates Nag’s Head as a small business hub. It also identifies opportunities for young people in the area both through creative and trade paths.
The vision outlines opportunities for improvements from a social, economic and environmental view point.
It aims to enhance the current daytime economy and programming while at the same time identify opportunities for the evening or night time economy to grow. This will help activate the town centre throughout all hours of the day.
Through the catalogue of ideas presented in this chapter we show examples of how future improvements can be made in Nag’s Head that respond to the aspirations and needs of local people and stakeholders.
Funding streams
There is a range of resources and other organisations available to help access funding streams for future projects, both from council funds and charities. The list below identifies some key funding streams and resources that can support the future delivery of the prospectus.
GrantFinder
GrantFinder is a UK-based online funding database that helps organisations find grants, funding opportunities, and support for projects across various sectors, including business, community, and public services.
Islington Funding Toolkit
The Islington Funding Toolkit is an online resource that helps individuals, community groups, and organisations in Islington find funding opportunities for local projects and initiatives.
