We only actually moved nine years ago. We used to live in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex and I was worried about moving to London — I didn’t think you’d get much of a community vibe and that it’d be really unfriendly.
But two of my three children, George and Ruby, are actors and they were always going up and down for auditions. And my own work was bringing me to London more and more too, so we decided to do it.
My husband Simon had been at university in London and he was keen on being in Islington and so we started coming up at weekends to look around.
We stumbled upon The Albion pub on Thornhill Road and it was just so picture perfect around there that we decided to move to Barnsbury. We rented for three years and then we bought a house.
I have found that Barnsbury is actually friendlier than Leigh: I know so many locals just because I’m always walking around and people say hello.
Eating and drinking
We are spoiled for choice with pubs. One of our favourites is The Drapers Arms, the food is next level. Nick, the owner, is passionate about food and wine and everything is seasonal. But it is also very relaxed, and they do amazing bar stacks like cheese straws and a really good cheese board.
The Crown is really our local boozer — two of our children actually used to work there when we first moved here — and it is very laid back. You don’t have to dress up to go there or anything like that.
The Tamil Prince is incredible, its Indian food is incredibly tasty. The only problem is that its really hard to get a table in there, so you have got to go very early or very late.
Where I work out
I go to a local gym at the Business Design Centre, and even though I hate it I do go. I run around all the little garden squares in Barnsbury until I hit my 5k and then I go home.
To commune with nature
We have got lovely small parks like Thornhill Gardens and Barnard Park, which Islington Council is really improving at the moment, and Highbury Fields is not far away if you want something bigger,
Grocery shopping
We have got Chapel Market right near us and it is full of incredible vegetable stalls, lots of really unusual things and also really cheap. The Turkish shops on Caledonian Road are also really good for vegetables. I don’t eat a lot of meat although I will cook some for Simon.
I also like going to Pistachio and Pickle Dairy, which specialises in British cheeses.
Culture fix
We have got the Almeida Theatre close by, which is brilliant. It has lots of really good plays, and new work, and it also has a really nice bar where you can go for a drink and just to see if there are any returned tickets. If not, you can still sit and have a nice drink.
The Regent on Liverpool Road has a comedy night and there are a lot of small theatre pubs along Upper Street. We are only 15 minutes from Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, and they have got an open air cinema and art exhibitions going on all the time.
Getting around
I tend to walk everywhere. I can walk to Shoreditch in 35 minutes, and Soho in 45 minutes. If I’m short of time I will hop on a bike. We did buy an electric car in lockdown, but we don’t often use it.
Dream street
The absolutely iconic street in Barnsbury is Ripplevale Grove. It has these beautiful double fronted houses and if you go at the right time of year it is full of wisteria.
Something you only see in Barnsbury
Barnsbury Wood is a tiny little wood, and it is a real hidden gem. It is a magical place although you do have to watch out because it’s a nature reserve and its only open a couple of times a week.
What’s the catch?
Its not a huge downside, but because we have so many amazing pubs we do get loads of visitors coming in, so you do get a real collection of Lime Bikes lying around on the streets. And because it so Instagrammable you do get a lot of that too.
In three words
Quiet, friendly, leafy.
Juliet Sear’s latest book Air Fryer Baking Magic is published by Harper Non Fiction, £20.
Schools
The four primary schools around Barnsbury – St Andrew’s, Vittoria Primary, Robert Blair School, and Thornhill Primary – are all rated “good” by Ofsted. The two nearest senior schools, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and St Mary Magdalene, go one better. Both are “outstanding” according to the schools’ watchdog.
There are few private schools in the borough but Camden’s top performing independent schools, like South Hampstead High School and Highgate School, are a few stops on the tube.
What it costs
Buying in Barnsbury
Average flat price: £715,580
Average house price: £1,843,750
Renting in Barnsbury
Average flat price, pcm: £2,660
Average house price, pcm: 5,010
