Caledonian Road station | London Caledonian Road guide

Caledonian Road is on the Piccadilly Line in Travelcard Zone 2.  It’s in north London, in Holloway.  It opened in 1906 and has always had lifts which take passengers directly to platform level.  It’s therefore one of the few stations on the underground which has step free access for disabled passengers or people with heavy luggage.  Unfortunately, when the station was refurbished in 2005, many of its original features were removed, including the clock tower which is depicted on the wall in the entrance hall.

Attractions

The Pleasance Theatre is a short walk from the station.  This is a 12 year old independent theatre, bringing comedy and drama to Islington.  It’s in a former timber store for the London Omnibus Company and you can still see original features from this time including a huge winch by the entrance.

The site of the Metropolitan Cattle Market is nearby.  This ran for about a hundred years from the mid 19th century.  A pub was built at each corner offering accommodation and entertainment for market goers, and 3 of these remain to this day.  The southern part of the site was transformed into sports pitches and Caledonian Park, 18 acres of green space.

Paradise Park is also nearby.  It has a number of sports pitches and a large children’s play area.  There are lots of trees and shaded benches, which make this a pleasant place to spend a sunny day.

Freightliners City Farm offers a chance to experience a real working farm in action.  It was built on wasteland behind Kings Cross Station in 1973.  The animals were housed in railway goods vans, from which the farm took its name.  It’s a charity and is the only city farm with a non-slaughtering policy.  You can see a range of animals including rare breeds of pig, goats, cows, new born lambs and chicks.