Islington Buildings: Phelps Cottage

Eagle-eyed shoppers around Camden Passage (or prospective house-hunters peering into Foxtrons) may have noticed this rather pretty cottage, which sits at 357 Upper Street N1, facing South. This is Phelps Cottage; a grade II listed building dating back to 1838.

The cottage, which is a terraced house connected to the estate agent next door, has been incorporated into the adjoining retail premises for many years, and there are some old images of the building at earlier times including this one from 1953.

It is interesting to note that the earlier photograph of the cottage shows that it was at one point much more fully immersed into the surrounding shops, with its lower sash windows replaced by more modern-looking shop frontages.Its current appearance has been restored back to the original style, with the old-style windows replaced. A restoration project was carried out on the cottage in 2005, at a cost of £300,000.

Phelps cottage was built at a time of intense urban renewal in Islington when many new houses and - in particular - shops were being built in the South end of the borough underneath Islington Green. It would therefore have always been part of a shopping area, and would have overlooked a bazaar and then an upholsterer's showroom shortly after it was built. [source].

The cottage survived demolition in the early 1980s when many buildings on the East side of Islington High Street were cleared to make way for a large office block. Many of the shops at the South end of the high street were considered to be in poor condition, and were removed.

Today, we understand the cottage is rented by Foxtons and used as office space. The cottage is named after Samuel Phelps, who transformed Islington'ÂÂ’s SadlerÂÂ’s Wells theatre into a reputable venue.

See also: Islington Buildings #1: Carlton cinema building, Essex Road | Islington Buildings #2: Angel Coaching Inn