Plane Trees on Islington Green

Dear Readers, I left Islington almost fifteen years ago, to start a new chapter in East Finchley, but there are certain places that I still re-visit. My lovely hairdresser is here (and any ladies of a certain age will know how important it is to have someone who understands their crowning glory). I go to pilates here every week, because I know Pete, the guy who runs the sessions, and he’s helped me through my broken leg, my sciatica, the loss of both parents, Covid etc etc. And I must confess to visiting Waterstones pretty much every week – the staff are really, really into books, and we have a weekly discussion about what we’ve been reading. At the moment, I’m ploughing through the Booker longlist. Anyone else? I have a couple of favourites at the moment, but with the shortlist out very soon I need to get a move on. 

Anyhow, another favourite spot is Islington Green. I’m not exactly sure when the London Plane trees were planted, but my guess would be at least 150 years ago. Nowadays they’re full of parakeets, which I’m sure would have surprised them somewhat when they were young….

The Green is home to a very modern war monument for the dead of both World Wars.

Since 2015 Islington Green has been protected as a Centenary Field by Fields in Trust who work to protect parks and green spaces in perpetuity. This little spot of green is highly valued – after the City of London, the London Borough of Islington has less green space than any other London borough. So many people use it to have their lunch, walk their dogs or even just sit and reflect on life and its meaning, all the more since the installation of the memorial to the famous Bob the Street Cat. I often used to see Bob and his person, James Bowen, when I lived in Islington. Bowen credits Bob with saving his life, and you can read all about it here.

While the planting around the war memorial is pretty formal for most of the year, there is now a rather wilder bed, with some prairie planting, much appreciated by the bees. And there’s also a large resident flock of pigeons, who keep their eyes on the comings and goings around the coffee stand, which is also home to Diego, who I think is a St Bernard, and his person. Next time I visit, I’ll get a photo of him (the dog!) but for now, here’s the sunlight through the ornamental grass (and some pigeons)…..

…and the trees reflected in the window of Tesco Express on Essex Road. What a beautiful time of year this is, and today, with the temperature at 23 Celsius and the trees just starting to turn, it feels like a real blessing.