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Neighbourhood profile
St Mary's & St James'
Islington, London
PocketsIslington East & Arlington (New North Road · Arlington Square · west)AngelBarnsbury EastIslington North & Canonbury West
St Mary's & St James' covers the core of Islington around Upper Street from Highbury Corner down to the Angel, the civic and cultural heart of the borough with the entire ward inside a conservation area. The listed-building set is exceptionally dense at 92 entries, led by the Grade II* Mecca Bingo (the former Carlton Cinema), 3 Terrett's Place and a tail of Grade II terraces and pubs along Upper Street. Public-transport access is very good, anchored by the Angel and Highbury & Islington. Twenty-nine outstanding-rated schools sit within reach and the culture and food scene — 173 food and 229 nonFood venues — is among the most active in London. The drawbacks are familiar to anyone who lives on Upper Street. Safety scores are weak at 29 reflecting nightlife-driven theft and assault, pollution scores are very weak at 11, and green space is almost absent at 3.6 hectares — residents walk to Highbury Fields or Barnard Park.
- Strongest100Heritage
Dense with listed buildings and conservation-area coverage
- Also strong71Connectivity
Excellent public-transport access
- Watch out6Area development
Little recent major-development activity
At a glance
- Very good public-transport access
- 92 listed buildings
- 100% covered by a conservation area
- 9 schools rated Outstanding by Ofsted within 1 km
- Largest green space: Morton Road Park (0.4 hectares)
- 412 open venues (180 food and drink, 232 other)
6 pockets across 4 named areas · coloured by overall score.See on full map ↗
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St Mary's & St James', layer by layer
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Scores as of 23 Aug 2026 · prices to 2026 · crime to Jun 2026 · air 2022 · sources
Property prices & growth
35Better than 15% of London
How scores work - Purchase affordability5
- Rent affordability15
- Price momentum (5yr)51
- Activity (turnover)52
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Prices, rent & trends
£ per square foot to buy, an estimated 2-bed rent, and decades of sale-price history for this ward.
For St Mary's & St James': 103 sales recorded (2025)32-yr price trend £—
Safety
31Better than 15% of London
- Personal safety33
- Property crime26
- Anti-social behaviour36
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Safety deep-dive
Every recorded crime type — burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and more — grouped into personal, property and anti-social behaviour, with the monthly trend for this ward.
For St Mary's & St James': personal, property & anti-social breakdown24-mo trend to Jun 2026counts —
Connectivity
71Better than 85% of London
Median public-transport access is excellent (TfL PTAL 6.0 of 8 across this ward).
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Connectivity deep-dive
Real TfL journey times to London's major hubs, plus this ward's transport access rank across London.
For St Mary's & St James': — min by TfL to 8 major hubsaccess rank —
Air & Quiet
11Among the lowest in London
- Air quality5
- Quietness20
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Air & noise deep-dive
NO₂, PM2.5 and road/rail noise for this ward, each against WHO / UK limits.
Cultural Signal
63Better than 97% of London
- Nightlife43
- Dining71
- Arts & culture50
- Retail & shops71
- Sports & recreation14
- Independent scene100
- Vitality (openings, diversity)88
412 open venues nearby — 180 food & drink, 232 other.
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Culture deep-dive
What's open nearby — the venue mix, share of independents, and recent openings.
For St Mary's & St James': the mix behind 412 open venues—% independent
Education
70Better than 99% of London
- Primary schools62
- Secondary schools78
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School inspection history
Every school in this ward with its current Ofsted rating and multi-year trend.
For St Mary's & St James': 3 schools, each with its inspection record
Heritage
100Highest in London
92 listed buildings · 100% under a conservation area
- 3, Terrett's PlaceGrade II*
- Former Carlton CinemaGrade II*
- Post OfficeGrade II
From Historic England's National Heritage List for England.
Nature Access
48Better than 14% of London
- Green spaces53
- Waterways55
Largest green space: Morton Road Park (0 ha). ~4 ha of green space in total.
Area development
6Better than 61% of London
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Planning pipeline
Named recent approvals with homes and floorspace, the local homes pipeline, and the affordable share.
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- Prices — £ per square foot, an estimated rent, and the ward’s full price history
- Safety — crime by type with its monthly trend
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- Schools, air & noise — every school’s inspection record, air & noise against WHO limits
- What's next — the venue mix, what’s been approved to build nearby, and cheaper areas that score like St Mary's & St James'
For St Mary's & St James': 103 sales recorded (2025)32-yr price history £—24-mo crime trend to Jun 2026TfL times to 8 hubs — min3 schools' inspection records412 venues mapped
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What's changing in St Mary's & St James'
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St Mary's & St James', quick answers
- Is St Mary's & St James' safe?
- St Mary's & St James' scores 31 for safety, based on street-level recorded crime (police.uk) — recording more crime than most London wards. The score weighs personal safety, property crime and anti-social behaviour separately rather than ranking on one raw total, so the mix of crime matters as well as the volume.
- Is St Mary's & St James' a good place to live?
- St Mary's & St James' scores 49 overall when all nine data layers are weighted equally. The London comparison beside the score shows how that number ranks against every ward. Its strongest suits are heritage (100) and connectivity (71); its weakest is area development (6). Whether it suits you depends on what you weight — the same data re-ranked around your own priorities can read very differently.
- How well connected is St Mary's & St James'?
- Very good public-transport access: Transport for London rates the typical spot in St Mary's & St James' 6 on its 0–8 public-transport access scale, which puts the ward at 71 for connectivity relative to the rest of London.
- Is St Mary's & St James' expensive to buy in?
- Relative to the rest of London, St Mary's & St James' is among London's pricier areas: its purchase-affordability score is 1/20, where higher means cheaper per square foot (HM Land Registry sold prices matched to floor areas).
- What are the schools like near St Mary's & St James'?
- St Mary's & St James' scores 70 for education, based on Ofsted ratings and walking distance to the nearest rated primary and secondary schools. 9 schools within a kilometre hold an Outstanding rating.
Where else to look
Wards with a similar profile
- Barnsbury · Islington
- Laycock · Islington
- Bayswater · Westminster
- St Peter's & Canalside · Islington
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Find areas that score like this one, with the price difference for each.
Nearby wards
- De Beauvoir · Hackney
- Hoxton East & Shoreditch · Hackney
- Hoxton West · Hackney
- Canonbury · Islington
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