The Tour

A curated guide to some of our favourite places in Barnsbury and Islington. In March 2020, when we signed the lease to our new studio and workshop in Barnsbury, Islington, we had big plans to celebrate our arrival by getting to know our new neighbours - an exciting and diverse range of shops, venues and creative businesses.

Unfortunately, the arrival of COVID-19 and the subsequent 12-week lockdown put most of our plans on hold, although we did have time to prepare our new space and get ready for a summer of cycling.

When we officially opened our doors in June 2020, London felt like it was coming back to life and we enjoyed exploring the neighbourhood and finally getting to meet the locals. Over the first lockdown, we discussed the idea of creating a guide to the area and thought this would be a great way to explore the locality, discover new things and get to know our neighbours, many of which had not been able to open during lockdown. So, during the summer, we got to work on producing The Tour, an illustrated pocket-size guide to exploring places to shop, see and visit, along with interesting pieces of architecture and places to eat and drink within our Islington neighbourhood.

We recruited talented Cornwall-based illustrator Rachel Pendered to bring our project to life. With a sketchbook in hand, Rachel visited every location on The Tour, beautifully capturing the essence of each place in her delicate line drawings. To each illustration, Rachel applied a subtle wash of colour, bringing her images to life.

Rachel comments on how she illustrated The Tour, "Following Freddie Grubb's map of locations to discover and draw, felt like embarking on a treasure hunt, in search of Islington's hidden jewels. Walking through the farmer's market as people bought their weekly vegetables, drawing the regulars getting fish from Steve Hatt's Fishmongers, sitting one afternoon at Popham's Bakery and watching as a constant stream of locals queued for their mouth-watering pastries. All of this felt like a real insight into daily life in Islington, and I hope that I have captured this feeling within The Tour and helped Freddie Grubb encourage you to visit all of these wonderful places."

The guide aims to celebrate our community and encourage people to explore the local area by bicycle or on foot, meet the neighbours and hopefully discover some hidden gems.

We hope you enjoy The Tour and discover something new to explore and experience in Islington's wonderful neighbourhood of Barnsbury.