The history and geography of the area.

Prior Weston has had a site on Whitecross St for several decades. It is a pioneering school in a remarkable area that is steeped in history and variety. Officially it is Islington but it is on the border of 4 boroughs, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and the City of London. The first 3 have traditionally and are still now among the poorest boroughs in the UK, the City of London being the wealthiest. Islington, Tower Hamlets and Hackney also have some of the biggest differences between rich and poor in the country. The school has always reflected this remarkable variety: its geography has been a major contribution to what makes the school so special.

Within walking distance you have the ancient Bunhill fields churchyard with the graves of William Blake, Daniel Defoe and Robert Louis Stevenson. The Barbican and Golden Lane Estate are two historical and award winning public housing projects with the Barbican housing one of London’s most exciting Arts venues. Then the Museum of London is a short walk away and John Wesley’s Chapel and House, The City of London Lord Mayors Show parades a short distance away and St Pauls can be heard in the distance. Over the years partly because of its child-centred ethos but also because of its geographical location close to the warehouses of Shoreditch that have fallen empty with each recession, it has attracted many creative families including the children of artists, designers, media creatives and architects. We want to know more about the geography and history of the area and your memories of this from the Beating of the Bounds to the walks to the Barbican library.