This article may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization. (September 2011)

New Islington
Will Alsop's Chips development, New Islington, and lock 2 on the Ashton Canal.
Metropolitan borough	City of Manchester
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANCHESTER
Postcode district	M4
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

New Islington is an inner city regeneration area of Manchester, in North West England. Historically a part of Ancoats, it has now taken a separate identity to reflect its changed status as a regeneration area.

New Islington is the original name for the area; however, from the area's last attempted regeneration in the 1970s to its current redevelopment it was known as the Cardroom Estate. It was one of several millennium village projects around the UK seeking to regenerate inner-city areas. The name New Islington appeared on the 1840 Ordnance Survey map and there also a street with that name; this was also the local residents' choice of name for the area.

The funding for the area was secured in 2002 and property developers Urban Splash have been at the forefront of developments including the Chips building.

The New Islington area is bounded by Great Ancoats Street (west), New Union Street and New Islington (north-east), Weybridge Road (east) and Pollard Street (south). The area is also due to receive a metrolink stop as part of the general expansion of the tram system. It will be the first stop on the Piccadilly–Droylsden (subsequently after Phase 3B Ashton) line and will be situated adjacent to Pollard Street.

Image gallery[link]

• 

  Islington Wharf

• 

  Chips

External links[link]

• New Islington home page
• New Islington location and map page

Coordinates: 53°28′56″N 2°13′24″W / 53.4823°N 2.2233°W / 53.4823; -2.2233

Coordinates: 51°32′38″N 0°06′10″W / 51.5440°N 0.1027°W / 51.5440; -0.1027

Islington
Chapel Street, Islington
Islington  Islington shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ315844
London borough	Islington
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	N1
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Islington South and Finsbury
London Assembly	North East
List of places: UK • England • London

Islington ( /ˈɪzlɪŋtən/) is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a desirable residential district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street. The name is often applied to the areas of the borough close to Upper Street such as St Mary's, St Peter's, Barnsbury, and Canonbury, developed in the Georgian era.

Modern definition[link]

Islington grew as a sprawling Middlesex village along the line of the Great North Road, and has provided the name of the modern borough. This gave rise to some confusion, as neighbouring districts may also be said to be in Islington. This district is bounded by Liverpool Road to the west and City Road to the south-east. Its northernmost point is in the area of Canonbury. The main north-south high street, Upper Street splits at Highbury Corner to Holloway Road to the west and St. Paul's Road to the east.

The area around Angel tube station is sometimes considered a district in its own right: The Angel, Islington. The northern part of this area (from the Liverpool Road junction northwards) is within the district of Islington, while the southern half is in neighbouring Finsbury. The area below Penton Steet and east of Pentonville Road is the adjoining district of Pentonville.

History[link]

Etymology[link]

Islington was originally named by the Saxons Giseldone (1005), then Gislandune (1062). The name means "Gīsla's hill" from the Old English personal name Gīsla and dun ("hill", "down"). The name later mutated to Isledon, which remained in use well into the 17th century when the modern form arose.^[1] In medieval times, Islington was just one of many small manors thereabouts, along with Bernersbury, Neweton Berewe or Hey-bury and Canonesbury (Barnsbury, Highbury and Canonbury – names first recorded in the 13th and 14th centuries).

Origins[link]

1861 Royal Agricultural Hall, view from Liverpool Road. Now the rear entrance to the Business Design Centre

1861 Cattle show at the Royal Agricultural Hall

Some roads on the edge of the area, including Essex Road, were known as streets by the medieval period, possibly indicating a Roman origin, but little physical evidence remains. What is known is that the Great North Road from Aldersgate came into use in the 14th century, connecting with a new turnpike (toll road) up Highgate Hill. This was along the line of modern Upper Street, with a toll gate at The Angel defining the extent of the village. The Back Road, the modern Liverpool Road, was primarily a drovers' road where cattle would be rested before the final leg of their journey to Smithfield. Pens and sheds were erected along this road to accommodate the animals.^[2]

The first recorded church, St Mary's, was erected in the twelfth century and was replaced in the fifteenth century.^[3] Islington lay on the estates of the Bishop of London and the Dean and Chapter of St Pauls. There were substantial medieval moated manor houses in the area, principally at Canonbury and Highbury. In 1548, there were 440 communicants listed and the rural atmosphere, with access to the City and Westminster, made it a popular residence for the rich and eminent.^[1] The local inns, however, harboured many fugitives and recursants.

The Royal Agricultural Hall was built in 1862 on the Liverpool Road site of William Dixon's Cattle Layers. The hall was 75 ft high and the arched glass roof spanned 125 ft. It was built for the annual Smithfield Show in December of that year but was popular for other purposes, including recitals and the Royal Tournament. It was the primary exhibition site for London until the 20th century and the largest building of its kind, holding up to 50,000 people.^[4] It was requisitioned for use by the Mount Pleasant sorting office during World War II and never re-opened. The main hall has now been incorporated into the Business Design Centre.^[5]

Water sources[link]

A statue of Hugh Myddleton, creator of the New River, surmounts a drinking fountain at Islington Green. (November 2005)

The hill on which Islington stands has long supplied the City of London with water, the first projects drawing water through wooden pipes from the many springs that lay at its foot, in Finsbury. These included Sadler's Wells, London Spa and Clerkenwell.

By the 17th century these traditional sources were inadequate to supply the growing population and plans were laid to construct a waterway, the New River, to bring fresh water from the source of the River Lea, in Hertfordshire to New River Head, below Islington in Finsbury. The river was opened on September 29, 1613 by Sir Hugh Myddleton, the constructor of the project. His statue still stands where Upper Street meets Essex Road. The course of the river ran to the east of Upper Street, and much of its course is now covered and forms a linear park through the area.^[6]

The Regent's Canal passes through Islington. For much of its length it travels through an 886 metres (2,907 ft) tunnel that runs from Colebrook Row, just east of the Angel, to emerge at Muriel Street not far from Caledonian Road. The subterranean stretch is marked with a series of pavement plaques so that canal walkers may find their way from one entrance to the other above ground. The area of the canal east of the tunnel and north of the City Road was once dominated by much warehousing and industry surrounding the large City Road Basin and Wenlock Basin. Those old buildings that survive here are now largely residential or small creative work units. This stretch boasts one of the few old canal pubs with an entrance actually on the tow-path, The Narrowboat.

The canal was constructed in 1820 to carry cargo from Limehouse into the canal system. There is no tow-path in the tunnel so bargees had to walk their barges through, braced against the roof.^[7] Commercial use of the canal has declined since the 1960s.

Market gardens and entertainments[link]

In the 17th and 18th centuries the availability of water made Islington a place for growing vegetables to feed London. The manor became a popular resort for Londoners due to this rural aspect and many public houses were founded to serve the needs of both visitors and travellers on the turnpike. By 1716, there were 56 ale-house keepers in Upper Street, also offering pleasure and tea gardens and activities such as archery, skittle alleys and bowling. By the 18th century music and dancing were offered, together with billiards, firework displays and balloon ascents. The King's Head Tavern, now a Victorian building with a theatre, has remained on the same site, opposite the parish church since 1543.^[5] The founder of the theatre, Dan Crawford, who died in 2005, disagreed with the introduction of decimal coinage. For twenty-plus years after decimalisation (on 15 February 1971) the bar continued to show prices and charge for drinks in pre-decimalisation currency.

By the 19th century many music halls and theatres were established around Islington Green. One such was Collins' Music Hall, the remains of which are now partly incorporated into a bookshop. The remainder of the Hall has been redeveloped into a new theatre, with its entrance at the bottom of Essex Road. It stood on the site of the Landsdowne Tavern, where the landlord had built an entertainment room for customers who wanted to sing (and later for professional entertainers). It was founded in 1862 by Samuel Thomas Collins Vagg and by 1897 had become a 1,800 seat theatre with 10 bars. The theatre suffered damage in a fire in 1958 and has not reopened.^[5] Between 92 and 162 acts were put on each evening and performers who started there included Marie Lloyd, George Robey, Harry Lauder, Harry Tate, George Formby, Vesta Tilley, Tommy Trinder, Gracie Fields, Tommy Handley and Norman Wisdom.

An 1805 map of Islington

The Islington Literary and Scientific Society was established in 1833 and first met in Mr. Edgeworth's Academy on Upper Street. Its object was to spread knowledge through lectures, discussions, and experiments, politics and theology being forbidden. A building, the Literary and Scientific Institution, was erected in 1837 in Wellington (later Almeida) Street, designed by Roumieu and Gough in a stuccoed Grecian style. It included a library (containing 3,300 volumes in 1839), reading room, museum, laboratory, and lecture theatre seating 500. The subscription was two guineas a year. The library was sold off in 1872 and the building sold or leased in 1874 to the Wellington Club, which occupied it until 1886. In 1885 the hall was used for concerts, balls, and public meetings. The Salvation Army bought the building in 1890, renamed it the Wellington Castle barracks, and remained there until 1955. The building became a factory and showroom for Beck's British Carnival Novelties for a few years from 1956, after which it stood empty. In 1978 a campaign began with the aim to turn it into a theatre. A public appeal was launched in 1981 and a festival of avant-garde theatre and music was held there and at other Islington venues in 1982, and the successful Almeida Theatre founded.^[5]

Housing[link]

Some early development took place to accommodate the popularity of the nearby Sadler's Wells, which became a resort in the 16th century, but the 19th century saw the greatest expansion in housing, soon to cover the whole parish. In 1801, the population was 10,212, but by 1891 this had increased to 319,143. This rapid expansion was partly due to the introduction of horse-drawn omnibuses in 1830. Large well-built houses and fashionable squares drew clerks, artisans and professionals to the district. However, from the middle of the 19th century the poor were being displaced by clearances in inner London to build the new railway stations and goods yards. Many of the displaced settled in Islington, with the houses becoming occupied by many families. This, combined with the railways pushing into outer Middlesex, reduced Islington's attraction for the "better off" as it became "unfashionable".^[8] The area fell into a long decline; and by the mid-20th century, it was largely run-down and a byword for urban poverty.^[1]. The author K M Warwick was born in 1957 in Islington, and recalls it as a place scarred by bomb damage and that half of Sonderberg Road was a bomb-site that quickly sent his family scurrying away to Essex to a new life, along with many other families.

World War II caused much damage to Islington's housing stock, with 3,200 dwellings destroyed. Before the war a number of 1930s council housing blocks were added to the stock, but it was after the war, partly as result of bomb site redevelopment, that the council housing boom really got into its stride, reaching its peak in the 1960s with the construction of several extensive estates, both by the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and the London County Council. Clearance of the worst terraced housing was still undertaken but Islington continued to be very densely populated with a high level of overcrowding.

From the 1960s, the remaining Georgian terraces were rediscovered by middle class families and many of the houses were rehabilitated, with the area becoming newly fashionable. This displacement of the poor by the aspirational has become known as gentrification. Among these new residents were a number of the central figures in the New Labour movement, including Tony Blair before his victory in the 1997 general election. "Islington is widely regarded as the spiritual home of Britain's left-wing intelligentsia" (The Guardian).^[9] The Granita Pact between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair is said to have been made at a now defunct restaurant on Upper Street.^[10] The district still has many council blocks, but the local authority has begun to remove a few of them, such as the Packington Estate, and replace them with more attractive mixed developments.

The completion of the Victoria line and redevelopment of Angel tube station created the conditions for developers to renovate many of the early Victorian and Georgian townhouses, and build developments of luxury apartments, popular with City professionals who could then walk or cycle to the nearby City. The inns of the 17th century have been replaced by busy gastropubs and trendy wine bars. Small shops selling bijou items are increasingly being priced out of the area and replaced by national (and international) chains, although many boutiques remain. Islington remains a district with diverse inhabitants, with its millionaires' houses and apartments not far from social housing in immediately neighbouring Islington districts such as Finsbury and Clerkenwell to the south, Bloomsbury and King's Cross to the west, and Highbury to the north west and also the Hackney districts of De Beauvoir and Old Street to the north east. Islington has become one of the most desirable places to live in London, reflected by the number of housing developments announced in late 2011 and early 2012 at prices considerably higher than those achieved in comparable west London districts such as Chelsea and Notting Hill, and the highest recorded growth in house prices anywhere in London in 2011, reported as 15% in the Evening Standard.

Monopoly fame[link]

The area is included in the British version of Monopoly which features The Angel, Islington. However, in the game the Angel is the third cheapest property on the board, which reflects the time in which the board was drawn up, rather than its current position as home to celebrities, media-types, politicians and City lawyers and bankers. 'The Angel, Islington' was included as the licensees considered the names of places they were to use over tea in the Lyon's Corner House, built on the site of the original Angel Inn.

Nearby Monopoly locations are Pentonville Road (mostly within the Borough of Islington) which runs from King's Cross station to The Angel.

Upper Street[link]

At the southern end of Upper Street is a former tram shed that closed in 1979 and which is currently a Jack Wills shop.^[11] The building was formerly The Mall Antiques Arcade. Its closure reflects the reduction in the number of antique traders in the nearby Camden Passage, although a weekend antiques market is still held there.

Islington High Street[link]

Islington High Street is the former High Street of the village of Islington. The earliest reference to Islington High Street is its appearance on a 1590 map of the area. At this time, nine inns (including the famous Angel, which has subsequently given its name to the area), as well as housing and a public pond were shown lining the street.^[12] Then as now, Islington was and is unusual in that the village church, St Mary's, does not stand on the high street but is some way off on Upper Street.

In 1716 Islington High Street came under the control of the newly formed Islington Turnpike Trust. The Trust grew rapidly, and soon had control of most major roads in the area, building a number of major road arteries through the expanding residential areas, including Caledonian Road, Euston Road, City Road and New North Road.^[13]

The Peacock Inn^[14] at 11 Islington High Street dates from 1564, although the current façade dates from 1857. It featured in Tom Brown's Schooldays as the inn at which Tom stays prior to travelling to Rugby School. It closed in 1962, although the building still stands.^[15]

Angel tube station on Islington High Street has the longest escalator on the London Underground system, at 318 steps.^[16] In 2006 a Norwegian man made headlines after skiing down the escalator at the station.^[17]

In literature[link]

Islington features extensively in modern English literature and culture:

• The Diary of a Nobody, an English comic novel written by George Grossmith and his brother Weedon Grossmith. The main character lives off the Holloway Road in Brickfield Terrace.
• The Wilfers of Holloway feature in Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend.
• Douglas Adams lived in Islington and used it as a setting in his novels, and named a character in his famous Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series after a well known local estate agents - Hotblack Desiato.
• In Neil Gaiman's best selling novel Neverwhere Islington is an angel that lives under London, named after the Angel tube station.
• Martha Grimes' fictional detective, Richard Jury, lives in a flat in Islington.
• Emma Evans, protagonist of Margaret Drabble's novel The Garrick Year (1964), lives, after she has married her husband David, in "an ordinary nineteenth-century terrace house in Islington, and on either side of the front door stood a small stone lion . . . the back garden was up to the standard of the lions".
• Simon Gray's play Otherwise Engaged is set in Islington. It was written in the 1970s.
• In The Zoo, a comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and B. C. Stephenson, two of the main characters are the Duke of Islington and his beloved, whom he asks to become the Duchess of Islington.
• Nick Hornby's book, and later film, About a Boy are set in Islington.
• Nick Hornby's novel SLAM is set in Islington.
• Joan Smith's female detective, Loretta Lawson, lives in Islington.
• The film, Notes on a Scandal is set in Islington.

Transport[link]

The area is well served with bus routes, with a major bus interchange located near Angel tube station. Red route and residents' parking restrictions apply throughout the area.

Nearby places[link]

• Angel
• Barnsbury
• Canonbury
• De Beauvoir Town
• Finsbury
• Highbury
• Hoxton
• Holloway
• King's Cross
• Pentonville
• St Luke's

Nearby stations[link]

• Angel tube station
• Essex Road railway station
• Farringdon station
• Highbury & Islington station
• King's Cross railway station
• King's Cross St Pancras tube station
• St Pancras International

Education[link]

For education in the area, see the London Borough of Islington and City of London articles.

Government and infrastructure[link]

The Civil Aviation Authority has its head office in the CAA House in Islington.^[18]

Listed buildings[link]

The Grade II* listed St Paul's Church seen from Essex Road. This was built in 1826 to a design by Sir Charles Barry, who went on to build the current Houses of Parliament. (March 2007)

The Egyptianate former Carlton cinema on Essex Road is Grade II listed, and has now closed. (November 2005)

Grade II*

English Heritage^[19] list three Grade II* listed buildings within Central Islington (and many more in surrounding districts):

• The Union Chapel
• 3 Terrett's Place (an 18th-century house on Upper Street)
• St Paul's Church, St Paul's Road (Designed by Sir Charles Barry, now the St Paul's Steiner Project)

Grade II (selected):

The area is perhaps most notable for its picture-perfect Georgian townhouses, shops and pubs. Many whole terraces are listed including much of Liverpool Road (one side of which is in Barnsbury) and Islington High Street/Upper Street. Other multiply listed streets include Camden Passage, Compton Terrace, Colebrooke Row, Cross Street, Duncan Terrace, Essex Road, Gibson Square and Milner Square).

Other Grade II listed structures include:

• The Almeida Theatre.
• The Angel Baptist Church, Cross Street.
• The Angel public house (the original one, now a Co-op bank - not the newer Wetherspoon's), Islington High Street.
• The Business Design Centre (part of which is the former Royal Agricultural Hall), Upper Street.
• The Camden Head, public house, Camden Passage.
• The Hope and Anchor public house, Upper Street.
• Ironmonger Row Baths.
• Islington Town Hall.
• M Manze's Pie and Eel Shop, Chapel Market.
• Mecca Bingo Hall (now closed), Essex Road (once the Carlton Cinema). This is due to become a church in the near future.^[20]
• The Old Queen's Head public house, Essex Road.
• St John's Church, Duncan Terrace.
• St Mary's Church, Upper Street (rebuilt after World War 2 - only the spire remains from the original).
• South Library, Essex Road.
• The York public house.
• Emirates Stadium

See also[link]

London portal

• List of people from Islington
• Islington Museum
• Islington Local History Centre
• Almeida Theatre
• Little Angel Theatre
• Arsenal F.C.
• Business Design Centre
• Crafts Council
• Islington Green
• Market Estate
• The Union Chapel
• Loony Left

References[link]

• A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8 (Note that even this largely refers to the old parish, considerably larger than the modern district)

External links[link]

London/Islington travel guide from Wikitravel

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Islington

• Islington Council
• Islington Archaeology & History Society
• Islington Literary & Historical Strolls
• The Islington Society
• St Mary's Church
• Freightliner's Farm
• London Landscape TV episode (5 mins) about Islington

v t e London Borough of Islington Districts Angel Archway Barnsbury Canonbury Clerkenwell Farringdon Finsbury Finsbury Park Highbury Highgate Holloway Islington Kings Cross Lower Holloway Mildmay Nag's Head Newington Green Pentonville St. Luke's Tufnell Park Upper Holloway Attractions Almeida Theatre Business Design Centre Emirates Stadium House of Detention museum Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art Islington Local History Centre Islington Museum The King's Head Theatre London Canal Museum Museum of the Order of St John Sadler's Wells Theatre St. Luke's LSO Union Chapel Wesley's Chapel Street markets Camden Passage Chapel Market Exmouth Market Nag's Head Market Whitecross Street Market Parks and open spaces Barnard Park Bingfield Park Bunhill Fields Caledonian Park Gillespie Park Highbury Fields Paradise Park Rosemary Gardens Spa Fields Gardens Whittington Park Constituencies Islington South and Finsbury Islington North Tube and rail stations Angel Archway Arsenal Caledonian Road Canonbury railway station Crouch Hill railway station Drayton Park railway station Essex Road railway station Farringdon Finsbury Park station Highbury and Islington Holloway Road Old Street Tufnell Park Upper Holloway railway station Other topics People Public art Schools

Heather Peace (born 16 June 1975, Bradford, Yorkshire) is an English actress and musician.

Early Life[link]

Heather was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Peace decided to be an actress at an early age and credits her parents for the encouragement they gave her to achieve that goal.^[1] She studied acting at Manchester Polytechnic where she obtained a BA (Hons).

1996 - 2009[link]

Peace's break into television came when she she joined the cast of the long running TV series Emmerdale playing the character Anne Cullen from 1996 to 1997.

Her first professional stage role was in the 1997 Harrogate Theatre production of My Fair Lady where Heather played Eliza Doolittle. Subsequent theatre performances included Miranda in Shakespeare's The Tempest and the same character in the actor musician spoof of the same play titled Return to the Forbidden Planet.^[2]

After leaving Emmerdale, Peace went to have minor roles in The Bill as Joise Clarke and in Dangerfield as the girl in the pub before being cast as the only female fire fighter, Sally 'Gracie' Fields, in the TV series London's Burning from 1998 to 2002. London's Burning was a major TV series attracting some 16 -17 million viewers per episode,^[3] helping make Peace a household name. During this time, Peace made a TV movie called Thunder Road, in which she played Sonia.

Between 2003 and 2005, Peace played minor roles in many television series such as Casualty and Where the Heart Is.

London's Burning established Heather as an action heroine, which was firmly cemented with her next role as SAS sergeant Becca Gallagher in the 2005 series Ultimate Force alongside Ross Kemp. Once again Heather played the only woman in an all male cast.

Following Ultimate Force, Heather starred in the TV series The Chase, written by Kay Mellor. Unlike her previous roles on television she played the part of Fiona Jones, a single mum.

After starring in The Chase, Peace had various roles in television including Coronation Street (she appeared as one of the mountain rescue team that saved Liam Connor when he fell in the Lake District), Heartbeat and Holby City for the second time after her first appearance in 2002. Peace also starred in the film 31 North 62 East as Jill and Kimberly Mandelson.

2010 - present[link]

In 2010, Peace starred in the groundbreaking BBC 3 TV series Lip Service as Detective Sergeant Sam Murray. The series achieved an audience share of 4.4% with some 600,000 viewers watching each of the six episodes. ^[4] The series is about the loves and lives of thirty something lesbians in Glasgow, Scotland. The series also starred Laura Fraser, Ruta Gedmintas and Fiona Button. Filming of the second series finished in July 2011 with a transmission date of Spring 2012. The only thing that creator and producer Harriet Braun has given away about series 2 is that ‘you’ll certainly be seeing a lot more of DS Murray – she’ll definitely be playing a big role.'^[5]

Heather also recently finished filming a brand new role on flagship BBC One drama Waterloo Road, playing the role of Head of English, Nicki Boston in the final part of the seventh series. ^[6] Following a tour of her début album, Peace wiil make the move to Greenock in Scotland to rejoin the cast for filming of the eighth series, set to be broadcast from September 2012. ^[7]

Singing career[link]

In addition to being a successful actress, Heather is also an accomplished singer/songwriter who has been playing piano since she was six years old and guitar since her teens. In 2000 audiences got a glimpse of Heather’s singing voice when she sang her version of the Bette Midler classic The Rose in an episode of London’s Burning. The single was subsequently released by BMG and reached no. 56 in the UK charts. She decided to put her music career on hold to concentrate on acting but in 2011 she reignited her love of music with her first sell out UK tour and release of an acoustic album of covers and some original songs.

She has recorded her full debut album Fairytales with the Oscar-nominated producer Nigel Wright with a release date of 21 May 2012 and another UK tour set for spring 2012.

Personal Life[link]

Peace is openly gay, and lives with her partner, Ellie, in Brighton. They are engaged.

She is the only openly lesbian cast member of Lip Service. She is also a patron of Manchester Pride and the Diversity Role Models charity, plus she recorded a video for Stonewall's It Gets Better campaign^[8]

In 2010 she was number 40 on the Independent On Sunday's Pink List, but shot to number 10 in 2011.^[9] She was also voted number 12 on US website afterellen.com's Hot 100 list. She is also the only woman to have ever appeared twice on the cover of Diva Magazine in the space of six months.^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Heather Peace at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• [2]

Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet, Dublin 2008
Background information
Birth name	Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet
Also known as	Alf
Born	(1961-06-18) 18 June 1961 (age 51)
Origin	Billericay, Essex, England
Genres	New Wave, synthpop (with Yazoo), pop, rock, blues
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Columbia, Sanctuary, W14 Music, Sony Music
Associated acts	Yazoo, The Vandals
Website	alisonmoyet.com

Alison Moyet (born Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet 18 June 1961, Billericay) is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.

Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with over a million singles sold, All seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 30 UK Album Chart, with two of the albums reaching number one. She has also achieved nine Top 30 singles and five Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart.^[1]

Early life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2011)

Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet was born in the small Essex town of Billericay to a French father and English mother. She grew up in the nearby town of Basildon, where she attended Markhams Chase Junior School. Upon leaving school at 16, she worked as a shop assistant and trained as a piano tuner. She was involved in a number of punk rock, pub rock and blues bands in the South East Essex area during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Vandals, the Screamin' Ab Dabs, the Vicars and the Little Roosters (the latter featuring Gary Lammin formerly of Cock Sparrer).

Yazoo[link]

Beginning her mainstream pop career in 1982, at the age of 21, she formed the synthpop duo Yazoo with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke. In the United States, the band became known as Yaz, as there was a record label in the region already operating as Yazoo Records that presented trademark issues. Yazoo had several hits, including "Only You", "Don't Go", "Situation" and "Nobody's Diary", and recorded two albums, Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both.

In 1983, Moyet and Clarke decided to disband Yazoo. While Clarke went on to form The Assembly (another duo, this time with Eric Radcliffe) and then Erasure (a duo again, with Andy Bell), Moyet signed to CBS (in part because it had been Janis Joplin's label), and began her solo career.

During mid-2008, Moyet reunited with Clarke as Yazoo for a series of live dates.

Solo career[link]

In 1984, Moyet released her debut solo album Alf (titled after her punk-era nickname). Alf was produced by the record producing and songwriting team of Jolley & Swain. The album was co-written by the duo and Moyet, with the exception of "Invisible", which was written specifically for her by Lamont Dozier. The record was a hit in Britain, reaching No. 1 in the album chart. Alf spawned three international hit singles, "Love Resurrection" (UK #10), "Invisible" (UK #21) and "All Cried Out" (UK #8). In the US, "Invisible" was a Top 40 hit (something Yazoo had never achieved). In some European territories, a fourth single, "For You Only", was also released.

In 1985, Moyet performed at Live Aid alongside Paul Young, and later returned unscheduled to the stage (alongside Bob Geldof, David Bowie and Pete Townshend) to provide vocals on "Let It Be" when Paul McCartney's vocal microphone at his piano failed, leaving him unable to be heard for the first stanza of the song. (Twenty years later he overdubbed his vocal for the Live Aid DVD release.) Moyet also released a single not featured on Alf, a cover of the standard "That Ole Devil Called Love", which climbed to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (it remains Moyet's highest-charting UK single).

Moyet had another big UK hit the following year with "Is This Love?" (co-written by the Eurythmics' David A. Stewart, under the pseudonym Jean Guiot), followed in 1987 by her second LP, Raindancing. Raindancing spawned further hit singles, including a cover of Floy Joy's "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" and "Ordinary Girl". In 1987, she scored another cover hit with "Love Letters", which peaked at UK #4. The video for the song featured comedy duo French & Saunders.

Following a period of personal and career evaluation, Hoodoo was released in 1991. The album sold respectably in the UK, and Moyet was nominated for a Grammy for the single "It Won't Be Long". However, the release of Hoodoo marked the beginning of what was to become a long fight for Moyet to secure complete control of her artistic direction. Like many similar artists (including Aimee Mann and the late Kirsty MacColl), Moyet was reluctant to record a radio-friendly "pop" album simply for the sake of creating chart hits.^{[citation needed]}

Moyet's next album, Essex (1994), was also a source of controversy for her; in order for the album to be released, her label (now Sony) insisted that certain Essex tracks be re-recorded and re-produced, and that there be additional material remixed to create a more 'commercial' package. The video for the single "Whispering Your Name" again featured Dawn French.

Following the release of Essex, Sony released a greatest hits compilation of Moyet's work. Singles entered the UK charts at No. 1 and, following a UK tour, was re-issued as a double CD set which included "Live (No Overdubs)", a bonus live CD. Upon re-issue, Singles charted again, this time in the Top 20.

Due to prolonged litigation with Sony, Moyet did not record or release a new studio album for over eight years after the release of Essex. During this time, however, she recorded vocals for Tricky, Sylk-130, Ocean Colour Scene, The Lightning Seeds, and King Britt, and was featured on the British leg of the Lilith Fair tour. 2001 saw the release of The Essential Alison Moyet CD, and in 2002 The Essential Alison Moyet DVD.

In 1995, she sang back-up vocals with Sinéad O'Connor for one of Dusty Springfield's last television appearances, singing "Where Is a Woman to Go?" on the music show Later With Jools Holland.

In August 2002, Moyet was released from her Sony contract. Moyet signed to Sanctuary Records and released her first studio album in eight years. Hometime was produced by The Insects, who had also produced works by Massive Attack and Madonna. The release of the CD launched Moyet into the top five best-selling female UK artists of 2002,^[2] and resulted in a BRIT Awards nomination for Best Female Vocalist,^[3] as well as a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize.^[4] Hometime was certified Gold in the UK for sales in excess of 100,000 copies with little promotion.

Voice, a collection of cover versions, was released on 6 September 2004 and entered the UK charts at #7. Scored and produced by Moyet's neighbour (and Academy Award winner) Anne Dudley, the album was later re-issued with a bonus track, "Alfie". A companion DVD, One Blue Voice, was released in 2006. Voice was certified Gold in the UK within four weeks of its release.

In December 2006 Moyet signed a recording contract with W14 Music,^[5] a Universal Music Group imprint. The deal saw Moyet reunited with label head John Williams, who was her A&R man for her last two albums, Hometime and Voice.

Moyet's album, The Turn, was released on 15 October 2007, preceded by the single "One More Time" a week earlier. The album featured self-penned songs, including the three numbers she wrote for the stage play, Smaller in which she starred with Dawn French. For these songs, again Moyet worked alongside producer/songwriter and frequent Moyet collaborator Pete Glenister. The Turn debuted at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart on 22 October 2007. Alison left W14 shortly after the release of The Turn. Promotional videos for the tracks "One More Time", "Anytime At All", "The Man in the Wings" and "A Guy Like You" are on Youtube and Moyet's Myspace site.

Alison Moyet with Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, December 2010

Sony Music released Revisited: The Very Best of Alison Moyet on 19 October 2009. The track listing was compiled by Moyet including material from her seven solo albums. The 'deluxe' version of the album contained an extra disc, with re-recorded versions of older songs. In support of the release Moyet toured the UK and Ireland during November and December 2009.^[6]

Sony Music confirmed that Moyet's four solo albums (Alf, Raindancing, Hoodoo and Essex) were being digitally re-mastered and will include b-sides and bonus material.

Moyet was Jools Holland's Special Guest throughout his UK Tour of the UK for 2010. She has contributed vocals on the latest Jools Holland album released 15 November 2010 on the song titled 'The Man That Got Away. The song was made famous by Judy Garland.

More recently, Moyet wrote a new album with Guy Sigsworth. She announced on BBC 6 that her new album would be released in 2012. However, in February 2012, Moyet announced on Twitter that “I appear to have forfeited my recording deal because I won’t do reality TV. No-one needs to make an album that badly. Tea anyone?”^[7]

Theatre[link]

Moyet made her stage debut in the London West End production of the musical Chicago in 2001. She played the part of Matron 'Mama' Morton, and although initially planned to be a short run, it was extended to six months. In 2006, she appeared in the play Smaller, which undertook a regional tour before a stint at London's Lyric Theatre.

Personal life[link]

Moyet's first marriage to hairdresser Malcolm Lee, with whom she has a son, Joe, ended in divorce. A short-lived relationship with tour manager Kim McCarthy produced a daughter, Alex, and her present marriage to teaching assistant David Ballard resulted in a daughter, Caitlin.^[8]

Discography[link]

• 1984: Alf
• 1987: Raindancing
• 1991: Hoodoo
• 1994: Essex
• 2002: Hometime
• 2004: Voice
• 2007: The Turn

References[link]

External links[link]

• Alison Moyet's official website
• Biography on Allmusic
• Alison Moyet at the Internet Movie Database

Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Background information
Birth name	Edward Christopher Sheeran
Born	(1991-02-17) 17 February 1991 (age 21)
Origin	Halifax, England
Genres	Folk, acoustic, hip hop, grime
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, beatboxer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, BOSS Loop Pedal RC-30
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Asylum, Atlantic Records
Associated acts	Yelawolf, Devlin, Wiley, Ghetts, P Money, Wretch 32, Sway DaSafo, Jamie Woon, Yasmin, Amy Wadge[1]
Website	edsheeran.com

Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter who is currently signed to Asylum / Atlantic Records.^[2] Sheeran broke through commercially in June 2011, when his debut single "The A Team" debuted at number 3 on the UK chart.^[3]

Life and career[link]

1991–2011: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Sheeran was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire to Irish^[4] and English^[5] parents, before moving to Framlingham, Suffolk; he is a cousin of TV journalist and presenter Gordon Burns.^[6] He learned guitar at a very young age, and began writing songs during his time at Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham.^[7] His early childhood memories, referred to in a interview on the Zane Lowe show, included listening to Van Morrison on his countless trips to London with his parents and going to an intimate gig with Damien Rice in Ireland when he was 11.^[8] He also opened for Nizlopi in Norwich in April 2008 after being one of their guitar technicians.^[7] Sheeran began recording in 2005, which led to the release of his first EP, The Orange Room EP. Sheeran also released 2 albums, a self-titled one in 2006 and Want Some? in 2007. He moved to London in 2008 to play gigs, starting off in very small venues, playing every day, to as little as five people. In 2008, he auditioned for the ITV series Britannia High.^[9]

In 2009, Sheeran played 312 gigs. He said that he read an interview with James Morrison that said that Morrison had done 200 gigs in a year, and Sheeran wanted to beat him on this number.^[10] Also in 2009, he released another EP, You Need Me, just before going on tour with Just Jack. He also did a few collaborations with Leddra Chapman, including Cee Lo Green's Fuck You. In February 2010 Sheeran posted a video through SB.TV, which led to mainstream rapper Example asking Sheeran to tour with him. Also in February 2010 he released his critically acclaimed Loose Change EP, which featured his later debut single "The A Team".

In April 2010, after leaving his old management company, Sheeran bought a ticket to Los Angeles, with no contacts other than one poetry night. He played open mic nights all over the city, before his talent was spotted at The Foxxhole by Jamie Foxx, who was so impressed that he offered Sheeran the use of his recording studio and the run of his Hollywood home for the rest of his stay. Throughout 2010, Sheeran began to be seen by more people over the internet through YouTube and his fan-base grew, with him also getting credit from The Independent newspaper, England football captain Rio Ferdinand and Elton John.^[11] Sheeran also self-released two other EPs in 2010; Ed Sheeran: Live at the Bedford and Songs I Wrote With Amy, which is a collection of love songs he wrote in Wales with fellow singer songwriter Amy Wadge.

Sheeran at Academy 1, Manchester Dot to Dot Festival on Monday 30 May 2011

On 8 January 2011, Sheeran released his final independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations Project featuring appearances by grime artists including Wiley, JME, Devlin, Sway and Ghetts.^[2] With this EP, Sheeran gained mainstream attention for reaching number 2 in the iTunes chart without any promotion or label, selling over 7,000 copies in its first week.^[12] Three months later, Sheeran put on a free show to fans at the Barfly in Camden. Over 1,000 fans turned up to see the show, so Sheeran ended up playing four different shows to make sure everyone saw a gig, including a gig outside on the street after the venue had closed. Later that month, Sheeran was signed to Asylum / Atlantic Records.

[edit] 2011–present: + and commercial success

On 26 April, Sheeran appeared on the TV music show Later... with Jools Holland – where he performed his debut single "The A Team". Six weeks later, "The A Team" was released as a digital download in the UK. The release served as the lead single from Sheeran's debut studio album, entitled +. "The A Team" entered the UK Singles Chart at number three, selling over 58,000 copies in the first week. It was congratulated on being the best selling debut single and the overall eight best selling single of 2011, shifting 801,000 copies.^[13] The lead single also became a top ten hit in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands. During a headline set in the BBC Introducing tent at Glastonbury Festival 2011, Sheeran announced that "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" would be released on 28 August as the second single from the album. The second single peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.^[14]

Sheeran's debut album + was released on 12 September 2011. + received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[15] + debuted number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 102,000 copies in its first week.^[16] It became the second best selling debut album and the ninth biggest-selling album of 2011 in the UK, shifting 791,000 copies.^[17] The album climbed back up to number one on the UK Albums Chart on 1 January 2012, fifteen weeks after it last peaked at the top. The album has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 900,000 units.^[18] As of March 2012, the album had sold 1,021,072 copies in the UK.^[19] The album also reached the top ten on the Australian Albums Chart, Flanders Belgian Albums Chart,^[20] Dutch Albums Chart,^[21] Irish Albums Chart,^[22] New Zealand Albums Chart^[23] and the Swiss Albums Chart.^[24]

On 11 November 2011, soul ballad "Lego House" was released as the third single lifted from the debut studio album +.^[25] It received its first radio play on BBC Radio 1 on 8 September 2011.^[26][27] It entered the UK Singles Chart at number five, on 17 November. "Lego House" also reached the top ten on Australian, Irish, Scottish, New Zealand Singles Charts, Flemish Ultratop 50 and the Wallonian Ultratip. "Drunk" was released on 19 February 2012 as the fourth single lifted from +.^[28] "Drunk" became the Sheeran's fourth consecutive top ten single in the UK, when it peaked at number nine.^[29] "Small Bump" is scheduled for a release in late May 2012 as the fifth single.^[30]

The song "Moments" on the debut album by boy band One Direction was co-written by Sheeran.^[31] On 21 February 2012, Sheeran attended the 2012 Brit Awards, he received the Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist, and British Breaktrough of the Year.^[32][33]

On 10 January 2012, it was announced Sheeran would support Snow Patrol on their United States tour from late March until May. On the band's Fallen Empires Tour.^[34]

His song "Give Me Love" was featured in the episode "Dangerous Liaisons" of The Vampire Diaries.^[35][36] At the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards in May 2012, Sheeran's "The A Team" beat Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" and Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Out", winning the award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.^[37]

Philanthropy[link]

Sheeran will perform a gig in Bristol, which has raised £40,000 for a charity that reaches out to street sex workers. Sheeran agreed to the event after one of the women One25 helps contacted him. "It's good to show insight that these people are real people with real emotions and they deserve the same charity work as anyone else," Sheeran said. "There's a lot more popular charities that get a lot of attention. And with certain subjects like this they're often washed over and people don't necessarily give them the attention they deserve." Tickets were available to those taking part in the charity's Give it up for One25 campaign by giving something up for 125 hours and hitting the £125 fundraising mark. Louise Willott, who organised the event at The Fleece, said of Sheeran: "He had volunteered in Crisis in London. which is a homeless shelter, and he had met a woman who told him her story. Her name was Angel. "He then went and did some more research about the issues and obviously he must have been moved and inspired to have written The A Team." Willott added: "The Fleece is quite a small venue - it only holds about 400, which makes it extra exciting as it's really intimate and Ed's not playing those size venues anymore. In total this has raised about £40,000 for the project. Its just going to give us such a boost. This is a difficult time for any charity. There's less money available and there's more competition for it, so to have one event raise £40,000 is just incredible."^[38]

Discography[link]

Album[link]

• + (2011)

Tour[link]

Opening act

• Fallen Empires Tour (North American select dates) (2012)

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] BRIT Awards

[edit] BT Digital Music Awards

[edit] Ivor Novello Awards

[edit] MOBO Awards

[edit] Q Awards

[edit] UK Music Video Awards

See also[link]

• List of Official Subscription Plays Chart number-one songs from the 2010s

References[link]

External links[link]

• Interview
• Official website
• Ed Sheeran on Myspace
• Ed Sheeran on Facebook
• Ed Sheeran on Twitter
• Ed Sheeran's channel on YouTube