While its name harks back to a bygone age, Angel, which straddles the areas of Islington and Clerkenwell, is embracing its role as a modern location for work, leisure and retail.

The area is named after the Angel Inn (still the site of a building called The Angel, albeit now home to a bank), which, in the 17^th century, was a useful stop on the Great North Road for travellers heading for the City of London. The area’s proximity to the City still works in its favour. With strong transport links, it is just a mile north of Farringdon and west of Old Street respectively, while also within easy access of the hubs of King's Cross and St Pancras.

Looking north, Angel can boast  gourmet dining and shopping on Upper Street, while The Angel shopping centre and nearby high street offer an array of both familiar names and independent brands, alongside entertainment options such as Birdies crazy golf and the O2 Academy, for live music and local events including food festivals and markets. 

In terms of office space, generally occupiers can expect to find big floor plate of 100,000-200,000 sq ft, and lower than average rents than in the core West End and City markets, usually in the mid £60 per sq ft bracket.

Looking ahead, Angel’s office space pipeline is set to be boosted by the arrival of the 210 Pentonville Road scheme which will bring 63,130 sq ft of comprehensively refurbished accommodation to the market in easy reach of King’s Cross Station.

Joining it in 2025 will be ‘Angel Square’ at the junction of City Road and Islington High Street, an ESG-focused development development by Tishman Speyer, which will target cutting-edge sustainability and wellness credentials, including NABERS 5*, BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Core Platinum, and feature an all-electric renewable energy supply, tenants' lounge and outdoor terrace on every level.

With exciting new office spaces like these coming forward, supported by an exciting leisure and social scene, Angel’s halo as a potential location for occupiers continues to shine.

Angel in three questions 

Where’s the best place to eat?

KM: Brother Marcus, specialising in Eastern Mediterranean food, is one of my firm favourites. Angel became its second location in 2018, after the first branch in Balham.

SL: Saint Espresso now has two locations in Angel – one on the Pentonville Road and one under the Angel Wings – so I’m now spoilt for choice for both fantastic coffee and tempting pastries.

What’s your hidden gem?

KM: Camden Passage (pictured) is a pedestrian street, hidden away just minutes from Angel Tube station. It has a number of antique shops as well as independent cafés and restaurants making it a must visit destination.

SL: You might think of King’s Cross when you think of Harry Potter filming locations, but there’s another one tucked away on Claremont Square, Pentonville. It doubled up as 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black’s family home and the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

Favourite fact about the area?

KM: Angel Tube station is home to the third-largest escalator in Europe, at 60 metres high and with an incline of 27.5 metres, giving users quite the workout should the escalators stop working.

SL: The Grade II-listed Business Design Centre may have a slightly dull name, but has a fascinating history. It has hosted everything under its Victorian wrought-iron framed roof, from the Smithfield Cattle Club Show, for which it was first built in 1862, to circuses, balls, and cycle races and the London Art Fair today.  

Further information

Contact Stuart Lawson or Kate Miedzianowska-Sinclair

An occupier's guide to London in three questions: Midtown