Living in Finsbury Park

Finsbury Park is a transport hub with a neighbourhood attached. The station has the Victoria and Piccadilly lines plus Great Northern and Thameslink services, so Oxford Circus, King's Cross and the City are all a few minutes away, and it is one of the best-connected places in north London for the money. That convenience is the main reason people move here.

The park itself is large and well used, with sports pitches, a lake, a running track and space for the major music events held there each summer, which bring big crowds and noise for a few weekends a year. The Parkland Walk starts at its edge. Arsenal's stadium is just to the south in Highbury, and match days fill the streets and the station with fans.

The area is where three boroughs meet — Haringey, Islington and Hackney — and it feels like a meeting point. Stroud Green Road, running north from the station, has a strong mix of cafés, independent restaurants, bars and grocers, while Blackstock Road and Seven Sisters Road reflect North African, Turkish and many other communities. Some parts are busy, noisy and a little rough around the station; others, especially towards Stroud Green, are quieter and greener.

Housing is a mix of large Victorian terraces converted into flats, mansion blocks, estates and some new developments near the station. The rental market is large and varied, and rents are generally below neighbouring Islington or Highbury while the commute is as good or better. Finsbury Park suits people who put transport first, want a big park nearby and are happy with a lively, sometimes gritty environment. Those looking for a pretty village centre tend to move on to Crouch End or Stoke Newington once they settle.