Gillespie Park  

 

 

ADDRESS

191 Drayton Park, N5 1PH

 

 

TELEPHONE

020 7354 5162 

 

OPENING TIMES

Weekdays 8am-dusk, Weekends 10am-4pm | Usually closed when Arsenal are playing at home

 

Nearby

Hotels, Entertainment, Sights and Attractions, Shopping, Restaurants, Education, Leisure, Pubs, Nightlife, Venue hire  

 

 

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• Visitor Information

Not what you'd expect to find in the heart of urban Islington, Gillespie Park supports a remarkable diversity of habitats and species and houses a small Ecology Centre. The original park consists of created habitats, including a pond, woodland and grassland. Part of the grassland is a former rail sidings which contains many interesting species. Several plants that are very rare in central London live here including wild orchids. The park also supports a surprising diversity of birds and invertebrates given its location. It has twice made headlines for unusual finds; first for the 1987 discovery of a rare hybrid grass and more recently in 1990 for the first recorded breeding of the long-tailed blue butterfly in the UK. The park's state-of-the-art visitor and education centre is a renowned example of sustainable architecture and Gillespie Park was awarded a Green Flag for 2006/7.

NB: The park is usually closed when Arsenal are playing at home.

Photo: The Civic Trust | London Borough of Islington

Alternate names and popular misspellings for Gillespie Park