civic
unknown, 1908
84 Mayton Street, N7 8HA
The Old Fire Station is now a thriving community centre run by the Holloway Neighbourhood Group. It has been redeveloped for this purpose, now housing a community room, garden room and hall. The building has many original features (notably on the outside) and even though the usage has changed dramatically it remains an important emergency service for many in the local area.
Holloway Road
Upper Holloway
17, 21, 43, 393
All the public spaces are on the ground floor and accessable.
There are plenty of chairs and quiet spaces available including a garden.
Holloway Road (the A1) connects South Islington (Upper Street and Highbury Fields) to the North of the borough (Archway and Highgate). To those passing through it may seem like the area lacks identity, but for us who live here it is a thriving, vibrant and diverse community where people from all over the world have found a home.
In the 1970's a group of local people got together to secure buildings for community use. They squatted in the Old Fire Station and became the Holloway Neighbourhood Group. Now, 50 years later the charity has become a central pillar for the community, providing services to support people, adapting, changing and expanding to meet the next crisis (from mental health to food poverty and cost of living to digital exclusion).
The iconic fire station building has been adapted from its original use to provide spaces for free community classes including chair yoga, dance, creative writing and art as well as adult learning classes provided by Islington Council and the GLL. It is home to Somali Education Centre and the Eritrean Community in the UK as well as the many other community groups who deliver activities from the centre.
