Welcome to Monopoly Board London

The London version of the Monopoly Board was devised in the 1930's and has become one of the best-known board games of all time. But what do all these famous roads, streets and stations represented on the board actually look like? That was the starting point for this site - to visit and photograph all the locations on the board. Some of the places are instantly recognisable and feature on many a tourist's itinerary while others are relatively unknown and rarely visited.

Use the page links on the right to view the photographs and descriptions of all the locations - I'll also be posting news and events and any extra snippets of information in the main blog area.


The Light Blues


Euston Road
A long traffic-choked arterial route from Kings Cross at one end to Great Portland Street at the other. The Kings Cross end has undergone massive redevelopment as a result of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link construction. High-speed Eurostar services now run from St Pancras International. Thankfully the gothic magnificence of the Grade I listed former Midland Grand Hotel designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in front of St Pancras has been preserved as the hotel undergoes restoration to its former glories. Due to re-open as the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel in Spring 2011. Other architectural highlights include the modernist red-brick British Library building and the Quaker-style Friends House.


The Angel, Islington
One of the biggest anomalies on the board, this square isn't a street or a station and takes its name from a pub which doesn't even exist anymore. The site referred to is at the junction of Islington High Street and Pentonville Road where a coaching inn first appeared around 1225. 'The Angel', as it became known, was rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries. In 1921 it became a Lyons Corner House which survived until 1959. Then came a period of dereliction which lasted until 1981 when it was re-incarnated as a branch of the Co-op bank which it remains to the present day. There is now a newer pub called 'The Angel' next door so the name at least lives on.





















Pentonville Road

Taking a right turn from the busy bars and cafes of Upper Street at The Angel, Islington and leading down to grimy King's Cross is Pentonville Road. This street is a haphazard jumble of the residential, the industrial and the plain derelict which nevertheless manages to throw up quite a few surprises along the way such as the Welsh chapel, the Crafts Council gallery, The Lexington lounge bar and music venue and another pub with a great rooftop terrace. And we shouldn't forget the sorely missed Scala Cinema which is now a club/live music venue. Pentonville Road also has a bona fide hotel - the Jurys Inn. By the way, anyone looking for Pentonville prison will not find it here - it's on Caledonian Road.