Tufnell Park Manor Gate Piers

The Islington Tribune reports that the two pillars were built in 1872 to mark the beginning of land owned by the Tufnell family. In 2019, architect David Gibson and builders restored them, with £6,000 in funding secured by local councillors. One stone ball had fallen from its pillar and remained in a garden for decades before being returned. The restoration retained as much original brick as possible and replaced cement around the bricks with lime. A local-history investigation disputes the popular identification of the piers as gateposts to Tufnell Manor House, using historic maps to question whether the road could have served as its driveway.

A local legend says the piers were the gateposts of the demolished Tufnell Manor House and that Tufnell Park Road was its driveway. A local-history investigation argues that the road’s alignment and historic maps make this explanation doubtful; the identification should be treated as legend, not established fact.