About Highbury Roundhouse
Friends of Highbury Roundhouse
It is often said that local democracy is the foundation of all democracy. It was in this spirit that the friends of the Highbury Roundhouse organised a Hustings at the Roundhouse on 3rd May to give voters in Highbury East a chance to cross examine candidates for Islington Council. More than 60 people turned out to interrogate candidates of the four main political parties. The incumbent, Terry Stacey, represented the Liberal Democrats; Emma Dixon, the Green party and Neil Lindsay the Conservative Party. Catherine West represented labour, though she was running for Council from the Tollington district rather than from Highbury East. Three seats were up for election from the ward. Questions from the audience focused on the environment as well as the fate of the Highbury Barn Tavern. It emerged during the discussions that Punch Taverns has put the tavern up for sale and that one of the possible occupants could be Sainsbury’s. All of the candidates opposed the possible entry of a chain food store into Highbury Barn. But there were differences in opinion about other issues, such as tree policy on Highbury Fields whether a new Council should introduce free meals in the local schools.
In the subsequent election, the three Liberal Democrat incumbents kept their Highbury East seats, but the Labour Party won overall majority in the Council. We hope that, in future, the Roundhouse can host more events of this nature. An important job of the friends of Highbury Roundhouse is to create a network of people who can come together on an ad hoc basis to support our activities. In Highbury, this network includes the Highbury Fields Association and the Highbury Community Association. Further out across
The Highbury fields Association has supported the roundhouse for years with donations and by locating events on our premises. And the Highbury Community Association supports our activities with notices in its regular newsletter.
On the fundraising front, Bronwen Taylor and her team of supporters worked energetically in the past year to produce two gala dinner dances. The first was a dinner-dance before Christmas to the music of the Crouch End all stars, and the second, Valentines’s Day dinner-dance in February with music performed by a scratch band from the Royal Academy of Music. During the intervals between the musical pieces, the audience was entertained by film clips from old movies featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Anyone is welcome to become a friend of the Highbury Roundhouse. For more information, please email
Victoria E. Ellington
Anyone is welcome to become a Friend of the Highbury Roundhouse.
For more information:
- Telephone: 020 7354 0397
- email: ellingtonbill@aol.com