The construction of Rosebery Avenue was one of the great endeavours of the Metropolitan Board of Works and the London County Council to alleviate traffic congestion in central London and to provide a new direct route from the Angel to Holborn. Opened in 1892 by Lord Rosebery, who was the first chairman of the LCC, and named after him, it was intended to be a broad tree?lined boulevard but was soon lined by splendid new buildings, many of which survive. These include the new HQ for the Metropolitan Water Board, Finsbury Town Hall, Clerkenwell Fire Station, and several mansion blocks. The walk will continue south to Holborn, taking in the Bourne Estate, Waterhouse’s Prudential Building, Ye Olde Cittie of Yorke and the former Pearl Assurance Building.
The walk is led by Alec Forshaw who has worked as an urban designer and conservation officer for the London Borough of Islington for 32 years and has always had a deep interest in London’s history. His books on London include Smithfield: Past, Present and Future, Markets of London, The Open Spaces of London, 1970s London, 20th Century Buildings in Islington, New City: Contemporary Architecture in the City of London, and An Address in Bloomsbury.
Meeting Place: Angel Tube station
mage: Finsbury Town Hall, photo by Lionel Allorge – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34732177