| Finsbury | |
|---|---|
 Finsbury Square, looking north | |
 The arms of the Metropolitan Borough refer to the London Wall and the northern gates | |
  Finsbury Location within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ315825 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | EC1 |
| Postcode district | WC1 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the southeastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London.
The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as Vinisbir (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn".[1] Finsbury lay just outside Cripplegate (and on its later construction, Moorgate) in London Wall. At that time, much of the manor was part of the "great fen which washed against the northern wall of the City".[2]
Finsbury gave its name to two larger administrative areas: the Finsbury Division of the Ossulstone Hundred of Middlesex, from the 17th century until 1900, and from 1900 to 1965 the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The Metropolitan Borough included Finsbury (also known as St Luke's) and Clerkenwell.
The area should not be confused with Finsbury Park, a public space roughly 3 miles (5 km) to the north, which gives its name to its surrounding mainly residential area.
- ^ Mills, D. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. ISBN 0-19-860957-4.
- ^ Recorded by William FitzStephen, writing in the 1170s; a discussion on the extent of the marsh is included in Reclaiming the Marsh: Archaeological Excavations at Moor House, City of London, Pre-construct Archaeology Monograph, J. Butler (2006)