Block Property Management Specialist – Our Islington Area Guide

Time between office and Islington:

23 minutes	14 minutes	50 minutes

As we are a specialist Property Management Company in London, we wanted to provide insight into one of our main geographical areas of property management as well as the location of our office, the Borough of Islington.

History of the Islington

Islington, with an area of 14.86 km², stemming from Crouch Hill, Finsbury and Archway in the north to Angel and Old Street in the south. The borough has an estimated population of 215,667 people. Islington is in fact the most densely populated local authority area in England and Wales with approximately 14,000 people per km².
Islington, originally called ‘Isendone’ as noted in the Doomsday Book of 1086 was historically owned by religious institutions. It has been documented as an overnight stop for traders of livestock heading to Smithfield market who used the modern day ‘Liverpool Road’ as the main route of passage.
After the dissolution of the monasteries around 1540, the area was given to aristocratic families with property development remaining relatively flat up until the 19^th Century with an estimated 325 houses recorded in 1708 growing to 1,745 in 1801. During the 19^th Century Islington saw a large increase in its development rate and population size with an increase from 10,212 to 319,143 from the start to the end of the 1800’s.

Copenhagen Street Market around 1855

Islington Property Values

According to Zoopla statistics, the current sale values in Islington are:

Property Type	Average current value	Average £ per sq ft	Average number of beds
Detached	£1,459,728	£889	3.4
Semi-detached	£1,309,824	£1,206	3.8
Terraced	£1,205,004	£862	3.1
Flat	£727,119	£932	1.9

With the current rental values being:

Property Type	1 Bed	2 Bed	3 Bed
House	£2,391 pcm	£3,850 pcm	£4,380 pcm
Flat	£2,353 pcm	£3,192 pcm	£5,320 pcm

New Developments in Islington:

Islington has always been an area with a consistent level of developments being constructed. We have highlighted a few of the latest below:

• ‘Canonbury Cross’, located on Canonbury Road near to Highbury Corner. Consisting of 34 private flats, 11 townhouses, 18 shared ownership and 27 social rent apartments. You can see the website for further information here

• ‘Lexicon’, located on City Road close to Old Street. Consisting of 146 flats and standing 36 storeys high, there is no other development such as this at the moment. Further information here

We asked our Managing Director, Michael Paul, why he likes Islington:
“The ever changing Islington has an abundance of everything you could desire, all located in a small leafy, suburban feeling borough. The modern day Islington is crammed side by side with independent cafes, boutique shops and antique dealers.
Islington, from back in 11th Century has had a long history with the traditional pub and whilst there are some that even remain today, with the Old Red Lion pub near Angel Station which opened its doors in 1415, Islington is now a true mix of the traditional and modern. You will also find a great mix of restaurants serving every cuisine imaginable from American/Mexican ‘tex-mex’ to the more classical French bistro.
Known for being the home of many city workers, Islington has a thriving business hub leading to many residential developments being built to sustain the boroughs growth. The borough’s properties are as diverse as its residents ranging from modern, purpose built apartments to converted Georgian townhouses overlooking beautiful squared gardens.
Being a Property Managing Agent based in the City of London, we specialise in the management of both purpose built and converted blocks of flats across the whole borough of Islington.”

Islington Coffee Shops

As we mentioned before, Islington is awash with fantastic independent coffee shops and as such we have compiled our Top 3 favourites for you to explore and enjoy:
The Barn: three brothers run this ‘cabin feel’ coffee shop with exquisite coffee but also truly stunning home made food (and cakes!)

The Coffee Works Project: lovingly made coffee in this family owned coffee shop near Angel station. It has a very laid back atmosphere, exactly what you would want for a lazy Sunday morning coffee.

Bread and Bean: Cute coffee shop on Junction Road in Archway. Delicious coffee and cakes that are well worth the visit….fun cup designs too!

Islington Restaurants

With you morning coffee run now sorted, we have taken a look at the Top 3 restaurants in Islington:
Ottolenghi: Unique, fresh and healthy, this chic restaurant typically has queues lining up to enjoy this culinary experience. Certainly is worth the wait however.

500 Restaurant: This tiny Italian restaurant near to Archway station brings a truly authentic taste to North London. Odd name for an Italian restaurant but we don’t mind so long as the food remains as amazing as it is.

Season Kitchen: this traditional British restaurant serving seasonal meals year round. They even have their own garden holding chickens and vegetables out the back!

Top 3 Property Management Companies in Islington:

1. Strangford Management Ltd – specialising in the management of high value blocks of residential and mixed buildings, based locally in the City of London.
2. Islington Properties Ltd – Block management company based near to Angel Station
3. Chesterton’s Estate Agents – Block and Property Management company based on Upper Street alongside their estate agency department.

Strangford Management is a specialist London Property Management company. We cover all areas of London from our office in the City including Islington and surrounding areas. We micromanage buildings within our portfolio using technical data analysis providing a personal, experienced and reliable level of customer service to our clients.
Contact Strangford Management today to become part of our portfolio and enjoy the levels of management only available to our clients.
Telephone: 0207 686 6490 Email: office@strangfordmanagement.com
Other Area Guides: Clerkenwell