Archway is a district within the London Borough of Islington in inner north London. It is situated around the A1 and centred on Archway Tower and tube station. Archway has seven small parks and 2 large parks.
The name derives from the Archway bridge that was built in part of south Highgate for the minor road in between south Highgate and Crouch End, Hornsey, in 1896. It was attempted a number of times to build a tunnel for the Highgate bypass, to join the Great North Road by avoiding the steep Highgate Hill and Highgate village's narrow roads. Unfortunately, these tunnels failed on collapsing.
Archway designates the smaller than 0.4 square miles catchment of its underground station when compared with all other stations. The official parishes and neighbourhoods within its definition are Highgate and Upper Holloway with a smaller part of Islington. In contemporary times, Upper Holloway is commonly restricted to the smaller sized catchment around its own railway station and post office.
Seven bus routes finish or start at Archway and the term became popular amongst most Londoners when its tube station abandoned the preceding name of Highgate. The Archway Road is part of the A1 or Great North Road, which is among the original toll roads. From 1813-1864, Archway was the location of a toll gate. A plaque on the block of flats at 1 Pauntley Street commemorates the gate.