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4
1906]
these matters so far as Islington is concerned and at the same time draw
attention to similar particulars affecting the metropolis, and some of its
boroughs which, as it were, encircle this borough.
Area.
Of the Borough.— The Islington boundaries embrace 3,092 acres,
of which only 45⅜, or 1.5 per cent., are open space, a proportion which is small
when compared with the Metropolis, where it represents 7.6 per cent., or
more than five times that of Islington. In Hackney the open space represents
18.6 per cent. of the area, in Finsbury 1.9, in Hampstead 12.4, in St. Pancras
15.4, and in Shoreditch 1.1 per cent. Consequently Islington is worse off with
respect to open space than any of these boroughs except Shoreditch, and,
therefore, it is at a disadvantage so far as what are not inappropriately called
"lungs" are concerned. These breaks in the continuity of streets and houses
are of the greatest advantage, particularly when they are nicely planted and
carefully tended, for they not only form reservoirs, as it were, of more or
less pure air, but also afford a place to which the aged poor, the infirm, and
the invalid can come to enjoy the sight of flowers and plants, and to rest. To
them they are, indeed, God's gift, for they tend to lighten many an hour, as
well as to hasten restoration to health. Happy is the community that
possesses many of them !
The area of Islington, though very large, is— it will be a surprise to many
Islingtonians, who are accustomed to speak of it as the largest parish in
England, to learn— not so large as several of the London Boroughs.
Thus Greenwich covers 760 more acres than Islington, Hackney 197,
Lambeth 988, Lewisham 3,922, Wandsworth 6,038, and Woolwich 5,185.
Since all these places possess lesser populations, the greater area is an
advantage to them from a sanitary point of view.
Of the Sub-Registration Districts.— The area of the Borough has
been sub-divided by the Registrar-General for registration purposes into seven
sub-districts, whose sizes vary very considerably. Thus Highbury embraces
798 acres, and Upper Holloway only 290, while the areas of the other
districts are as follows:— Tufnell 417, Tollington 320, Lower Holloway 413,
Barnsbury 309, and South-East Islington 545. In only four of these subdistricts
are there open spaces, viz.:— Lower Holloway, in which they cover
11¼ acres, in Highbury 29½, Barnsbury 2⅛, and in South-East Islington 3¼.