Early history In the early 16th century a building in this area of London on the
Great North Road was known as the Sheepcote. It was named after lands belonging to
St John's Priory. The building was being used as an
inn by the end of the 16th century and was known as the Angel by 1614. The inn took its name from the
Angel of the Annunciation which appeared on the sign. The Angel Inn became a useful stop when travelling from the
City of London, as the rural area outside it was considered dangerous, with travellers having armed escorts from Wood's Close to Islington. Despite its name, and common association with Islington, the grounds of the inn and all of the western edge of Islington High Street were in neighbouring
Clerkenwell. The building of the
New Road in 1756 bisected the Angel Inn site and the stable buildings were cut off on the southern side. The inn was on the northern side, on the corner of what is now the junction of
Islington High Street and
Pentonville Road, while the stables were now on what is
St John Street, adjacent to the New Inn, which had been established in 1744. The Angel benefited from the extra traffic brought by the New Road, and in addition to accommodation provided a number of
assembly rooms for public meetings. The author and political activist
Thomas Paine is believed to have begun writing
Rights of Man at the Angel in 1790, and there is a monument on Islington High Street commemorating this.
20th–21st century The pub ceased trading in 1921 and the building was sold to restaurateurs
J. Lyons and Co. Finsbury merged with the
Metropolitan Borough of Islington to form the
London Borough of Islington in 1965 and ownership of the site passed to the
Greater London Council. The proposals for demolition of the site along with road changes were opposed by
Homes before Roads and the Islington Society. Plans to alter the intersection and create a layout similar to that at
Old Street roundabout were abandoned and the building was saved from demolition. Angel Corner House, along with this section of Islington High Street, has been part of the Angel
conservation area since 1981 and Angel Corner House has been a
listed building since 1991 and is
Grade II on the
National Heritage List for England. The council describe this as "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". Local planning regulations stipulate that new development in the area must not be taller than the dome on Angel Corner House. ==Related developments==