Newington Green

Autumn Sunlight on Newington Green

Plane tree leaves cover the grass and are marked by the shadows of tree trunks and the inevitable feral pigeons.

On the left of the photo is the old Victorian Bank building, which is now Tariro House, a community care home. In the centre stands the dappled Unitarian Church which was built in 1705 and is a Grade 2 Listed Building.

Snowballing on Newington Green

This image of children playing snowballs in 2010 as the sun begins to set, may have given one of our famous historic residents, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, some pleasure. Obviously the fun children can have playing snowballs has gone on for centuries, and Barbauld wrote a poem which refers to this.

Urban Forester

This is professional tree climbing!

It takes a lot of training, skill and strength, plus a lot of specialised equipment, to be able to climb right up into the canopy of trees such as these massive old plane trees on Newington Green. The tree gang also needs to be dedicated, as they climb in all weathers apart from high winds and electrical storms.

It must be fascinating to be able to get to know the tree in such intimate detail - and there's probably a pretty good view from up there too.

October 2010

The LBI Tree Gang

One of Islington's Urban Foresters begins to scale the trunk of this old plane tree, which has been growing on Newington Green,  in front of the historic Unitarian Church, for about 140 years.

These old trees need regular care to keep them strong and healthy, so some of the smaller lower branches are being taken off a number of the planes. This will also thin the crown of the trees and allow more light and rain to come down onto the Green, benefiting any plants that grow beneath them.

October 2010

Fallen Blossom

A little seasonal magic has carpeted the pathway on Newington Green with pink petals from the cherry blossom.

A male blackbird is foraging for food in one of his favourite places, along the woodchip pathway and a squirrel can just be seen stealing food from the birds' fatball feeder on the nearby cherry tree! Can you see him?

It is quite likely that the blackbird is waiting for the inevitable crumbs that fall to the ground under the feeder, as the rather messy squirrel munches away above him.

May 2010

Tenby Daffodils on the First Day of Spring

These Tenby daffodils were donated by NGAG and Greenspace and were planted by NGAG Volunteers in September 2009, adding a swathe of colour to the North end of Newington Green. The little Welsh daffodils have been planted in front of the Unitarian Church where the influential and radical Dr. Richard Price, who was born in Wales, came to act as minister in 1758.

This shows part of the east side of the Green with the Victorian section of Newington Green Primary School, on the right.

7 January 2010

Newington Green Primary School building

This Victorian building is part of Newington Green Primary School which is on the East side of Newington Green, seen here early one morning through the New Year's falling snowflakes.

6 January 2010

UPDATE

One of the Newington Green Plane Trees Uplit from Below

December 2009