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 two large parks.
The name comes from the Archway bridge which was constructed in part of south Highgate for the minor road in between south Highgate and Crouch End, Hornsey, in 1896. It had been attempted many times to create a tunnel for the Highgate bypass, to join the Great North Road by avoiding the steep Highgate Hill and Highgate village's narrow roads. However, 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 small part of Islington. In modern times, Upper Holloway is frequently restricted to the smaller catchment around its own railway station and post office.
Seven bus routes finish or commence at Archway and the term became common amongst most Londoners when its tube station abandoned the earlier name of Highgate. The Archway Road is part of the A1 or Great North Road, which is one of 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.