Myddelton Passage, London

Myddelton Passage is an ordinary, quiet residential street in Islington behind the Sadlers Wells Theatre. However, back in the 19th century it wasn’t a residential street but was a narrow alleyway a stone’s throw away from a pub, a theatre and a music hall. It shows up in court reports of the time for theft, muggings and the occasional stabbing. It was certainly a place that the newly formed Metropolitan Police Force paid attention to. We know this because scores of policemen have left their mark on the wall that borders the street at one side.

Nobody is really sure why this particular alleyway in London became the focus of police graffiti. It could be because policemen were stationed there to prevent crime in a notorious hot-spot. It could be that it was a sheltered place to wait out a wet and windy night-shift. Whatever the reasons it appears to have become a tradition for policemen from G Division, operating out of Kings Cross Police Station to leave their collar numbers on the wall. There are also initials and some dates among the numbers. There is also one brick carved with a cross, an anchor and a heart which symbolise faith, hope and charity, that feels a bit wistful somehow, given the location.

Report by Anthea Hawdon

Myddelton Passage
London
EC1R 1XA

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