Highbury Fields Forever

My exploration of architectural London continues. On Monday I brought D with me to Highbury to have a look at the buildings around Highbury Fields. My other friend H brought me here in the summer as I’d never been before, so I thought I’d pay it forward. But before getting to the Georgian houses (again! I know! I like them! a lot!) this caught my eye. I couldn’t really translate what I saw in this into a picture, and sometimes that’s just how it goes (oh the many times I wished my eyes could take pictures where I’ve not had a camera). Shrug.

Birthday remnants I reckon. 81 on the outside, 18 on the inside.

You guys know what Georgian houses look like right? They have a brick facade with a bricked arch above the fanlight window on top of the front door. They do not look like this. Well someone decided to change the front in the late 1800’s in a Queen Anne style. Altering the front on a Georgian house would never be allowed today, but in a way I’m glad this one is different as it really stands out and makes you wonder. And then when you blog the picture, you remember to Google the house and you find out why it looks like it does. In a way I preferred not knowing. Mysteries are so much more fun than facts.

It’s been raining a lot this month and it’s been great for our urban nature - everything is so lush and intensely green at the moment.

Speaking of which, this is what all of May has been like, sunny one minute then heavy rain/hail the next. It feels like the longest winter ever.

Tucked behind Highbury Terrace is Highbury Terrace Mews, where there is a row of much more modern houses in different styles, but as it was raining at this point I couldn’t really take the pics I wanted. The Mews is gravelled which gives it a totally different feel, like a bit of the countryside in the city - which I think is the perfect combo. I’m all for country life in the city.

Wisteria season is upon us, and white wisteria is always so beautiful.

Regular ol’ wisteria ain’t half bad either.

A classic fanlight window - so nice aren’t they?

Wooden window frames are my favourite (I know, I keep going on about them), and they suit a Georgian house so well. We got proper drenched in the many rain showers that fell in the two hours we were walking around - well, the parts of us that weren’t shielded by our brollies.

Noice noice noice.

We continued on to Aberdeen Park, a street around the corner from Highbury Fields, where this amazing church built in 1866 stands. The last time I was here it was open, and inside are artist’s studios, and there was cool little exhibition on. Sadly I didn't have my camera with me, and this time it was closed. The interior is absolutely amazing, with the decorative brick work you can see on the exterior being just a small indication of what the inside looks like. I found some pictures of it online here. I implore you to have a look!

The rain stopped and we continued walking around the street (it’s in a loop) where there is a mixture of architectural styles; Victorian, Edwardian and post war. I haven’t really documented it that well here. I’m already annoying enough as a friend who’ll stop mid conversation to take a picture, but luckily lots of D’s friends are photographers, so she’s used to it. Still, walking and talking is better than walking and talking and stopping and clicking.

And finally, walking through Highbury Fields to head home, the sun shining as if the rain never happened. How very very London.