Islington's Squares on Screen • FilmFixer

The Squares and Green Spaces of Islington

The FilmFixer London Borough of Islington offers a wealth of squares and specialist residential areas covering a wide array of styles and periods, that all make for excellent filming locations. Productions that have filmed in these squares include Fleabag, Gangs of London, The Nevers, Slow Horses, Who Do You Think You Are? and The Apprentice.

Join us for a sneak peak at some of Islington’s location gems. (If you’re a location manager and don’t see one you’re looking for, get in touch and we can help).

We start with the spacious Cloudesley Square. This pretty location is lined with mostly Georgian terraced houses and is closed at two of its four entrances making for a controllable road for filming. There is a Gothic revival church in the middle of the square, and its wide streets are well-suited to large-scale productions. It is also a particularly quiet square due to it being closed off at two ends which has appealed to larger productions.

Northampton Square features a charming bandstand that would be the ideal location for a romantic comedy assignation. The small circular garden opened in 1885 and has been kept as original as possible.

Thornhill Square is a gorgeous Victorian terrace square with a central Church and Community Garden. The large community gardens are broken up into multiple spaces with a children’s play area and a planted flower patch maintained by the local gardening community. Built in 1849, this location would be perfect for a Victorian era shoot.

A highly distinctive square that surrounds a covered man-made reservoir is Claremont Square which has proved to be a popular filming location with it’s quintessential Georgian style terraced houses. The square was host to Lockwood & Co over numerous filming stints. For a later mid-20th century architecture look no further than Claremont Close. This quiet, cul-de-sac features a circle of 1950’s flats surrounding a central communal rose garden. This idyllic central London location has lots of character, and the flats would provide great backdrop for a period shoot.

Moving on to Myddleton Square you’ll find a church and gardens surrounded by the kind of lovely Georgian and Victoria terraced houses that parts of Islington are famous for. The pretty community-planted gardens are a great quiet space with a period feel. The traditional frontages of the houses mean this square can be easily dressed.

Green spaces are abundant in Islington, and Kings Square garden offers a park for local residents surrounded by the president and turnpike houses. It has been significantly upgraded in recent years with the addition of a children’s water park and other activities. The backdrop of the large tower blocks gives this space a distinct central London feel.

Lonsdale Square Garden finishes off our selection of Islington locations. Its Tudor Gothic Revival terraced houses offer a unique perspective on London architecture. The beautiful terrace surrounds a central garden, and the height of the buildings is atmospheric and very cinematic.

There are also a number of unit base locations in close proximity to the borough, which make the logistics of filming so close to the centre of the capital straightforward and easy to manage.

This is just a selection of the wonderful squares in Islington so please do get in touch if you want to talk through any locations that aren’t covered here.

For further information on Islington’s filming locations and filming opportunities, please contact info@islingtonfilmoffice.co.uk