Archway persists in the minds of many north Londoners as the ugly junction where a McDonald’s, a grotty Tube station, the Whittington Hospital and Archway Tower collide.
However, this busy road junction at the top of Holloway Road and the bottom of Highgate Hill is in the process of a major makeover, which has already made the area noticeably more pleasant.
A newly pedestrianised area has replaced the old roundabout and there are now pricey but slick apartments in the build-to-rent conversion of Archway Tower, rebranded as Vantage Point.
The vast majority of private renters in Archway are young professional couples, says Jason Dyer, director of JTM Homes.
Electric vehicles park for free in Islington.
A residents permit for a petrol car costs between £20 and £490.70 per year, depending on engine age and size.
A permit for a diesel vehicle can cost as much as £610.70 per year.
Crime in Archway is below the London average with five crimes per 1,000 residents.
The top-reported crimes are harassment, violence and vandalism.
Archway Leisure Centre is the local council-run gym.
It has a swimming pool with wave machine and a water slide, meaning it is popular with families.
There’s also a PureGym in Holloway Road. Or try all-levels boxing classes at Islington Boxing Club.
Average cost of renting in Archway
| Property size | Average monthly cost |
| One-bedroom flat | £1,475 |
| Two-bedroom flat | £2,147 |
| Two-bedroom house | £2,052 |
| Three-bedroom house | £2,540 |
| Four-bedroom house | £3,154 |
Best Archway streets to live on
Roads close to Archway Tube station are particularly popular with renters, according to Jason Dyer, director of JTM Homes estate and letting agents.
He singles out Parolles Road, Miranda Road and Cressida Road in the so-called “Shakespeare enclave” towards the foot of the Whitehall Park conservation area, and also tips streets in the St John’s conservation area.
Yerbury Primary School and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School are both rated “outstanding” by Ofsted and there are several other “good” primaries in the area.
Supermarkets and food markets in
Archway
There’s a Tesco Express, an Aldi and a Sainsbury’s Local at the top of Holloway Road and a Co-op round the corner in Junction Road.
Don’t be a car owner in Archway unless you have somewhere designated to park.
On-street parking is virtually impossible when Arsenal are playing at home, warns Dyer.
‘My flat is tiny — but it is my own space’
Iona pays £700 a month for her studio flat in Archway
A bad experience with a housemate left Iona determined to live independently, despite the relative dearth in London of small, affordable flats for people wanting to live on their own.
But with very limited time available to look, Iona, 27, an executive assistant for a business management consultancy, managed to secure a “teeny-tiny” studio flat in Archway for £700 a month, including bills.
“I had a bad experience once with a flatmate who did things like labelling their food in the fridge, so I was determined to search online until I found a studio flat that would give me independence.
“When one came up that I liked the look of, I put down a deposit straight away. It is ridiculously small so I’ve had to be really creative with the storage.”
Clever ideas include wall-mounting anything that can be stuck to a wall, making sure everything has a place and is put away and using a subscription for Audible books, rather than buying books.
Iona has also adopted that staple of Nineties women’s magazines — the capsule wardrobe.
“I decided to streamline my clothes. I even watched an old Trinny and Susannah video on YouTube for tips but I also found these cool French girls whose must-have items included a white shirt, a good pair of jeans and good boots, so now I buy a small amount of quality clothes. It’s quite a smart collection of things that are very mix-and-match.”
She enjoys entertaining, even in such a compact home, but she has a small outside space with a table and chairs, which she will use when the weather gets warmer.
At the moment she sticks to a two-guest limit. Sometimes they just go out to a local restaurant. “I don’t want people to feel too crammed in,” she says.
Archway travel links and accessibility
Archway Tube is in travel Zone 2 on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line.
The area is also plugged into the London Overground network at Upper Holloway station, part of the so-called “Goblin” line between Gospel Oak and Barking.
Studio living forces Iona to be a mindful and minimalist shopper but she is a fan of her local plant shop, Rewild, for gifts and plants for her home.
She also regularly walks the 10 minutes to Crouch End, for more extensive browsing in the full selection of independent boutiques there.
At the weekend Archway Market is one of her new discoveries for food, books and clothes.
Eating and drinking in Archway
“Trattoria is a really nice family-run Italian restaurant near my flat. I often take friends there for dinner and it’s always busy, no matter what day of the week,” says Iona.
She also recommends nearby Cypriot café and deli Limone for coffee, while for something more special she’ll go to French/Italian restaurant Melange in Crouch End.
The Odeon Holloway Road is the nearest cinema to Archway but for a higher-end movie night Iona likes the Picturehouse in Crouch End.
A walk up the hill to Highgate also yields cultural opportunities in the form of Jackson’s Lane theatre and multi-arts venue, as well as several small art galleries in Highgate Village.
“I’m near Waterlow Park, which is lovely and, although not huge leads to Highgate Cemetery and then to Hampstead Heath, which is where I go for a big, green space,” says Iona.
Parkland Walk, the reclaimed former railway line between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, is also on the doorstep.