I’ve not always had good experiences at smaller London venues, including poor access facilities and a bad view of the stage. Can a Town Hall opened in 1930 change that narrative? Let me show you!
BOOKING
There are no accessible tickets available for purchase for this venue. You need to book a general admission ticket for yourself and request to bring a companion or carer with you, and use the accessible area. You can book a spot by contacting the Islington Assembly Hall team directly on 020 7527 8900 or assemblyhall@islington.gov.uk before buying a ticket.
There is limited capacity, and free companion tickets are only available for the accessible area.
Once you’ve got your name on the access list, you can buy your ticket from any of the venue’s official ticket outlets. On this occasion, the tickets I wanted were available on the O2 Priority app, so I booked them through that app. I only needed one general admission standing ticket, as the venue would add a companion ticket for me.
Clicking to ‘Buy Tickets’ on the Assembly Halls ‘What’s On’ page will redirect you to DICE to buy your tickets, but you can also purchase tickets via Ticketmaster, Eventim, See Tickets and Gigantic.
After purchasing your ticket via an authorised outlet, please notify the venue that you have a ticket, and they will confirm your addition to the access list.
If you have changed your mind or were unable to secure a ticket, please notify the venue so they can release your hold in the accessible area and offer it to someone else.
The venue also uses DICE - a platform with no hidden ticket fees and access to hard-to-find tickets. You can also use the DICE app to store your tickets, ready to be scanned at the door on the day of the event.
I received my ticket from the Ticketmaster app to be scanned on entry, and I would collect my companion ticket on the night of the event.
I didn't receive any additional information before the event, except for a note in an email to inform security staff on the night that I required step-free access. The access page on the Assembly Halls website is very informative, and it includes contact details in case you need to get in touch with them to ask a question.
LOCATION AND GETTING THERE
As its name might suggest, the Islington Assembly Hall is in Islington, North London.
There are two local stations on the TFL system: Highbury and Islington Station (Victoria and Overground Lines), which is a five-minute walk away and has limited step-free access via ramps to access trains. Angel Station (Northern Line) is a 15-minute walk away, but it does not have step-free access. This makes both of these options impossible or very difficult for wheelchair users.
Several bus routes run up and down Upper Street, connecting to Piccadilly Circus, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, and more. There is a stop serving each direction, stops R and M, just a few steps from the venue.
TFL red buses can accommodate wheelchair users and are a great way of getting around the city.
There are very limited parking options near the venue, with many residents’ permit areas and local parking restrictions in effect. There are additional parking restrictions on days when Arsenal Football Club has a home match, as the Emirates Stadium is nearby. The Islington Council website features a brilliant interactive map that can help you find a suitable parking option.
There are designated areas at the venue for pickups and drop-offs, so it’s easy if you use a black cab, Uber, or other service to get there.
GETTING IN
When we arrived at the venue, there were already two queues: the O2 Priority queue was lined up along the front of the building, behind a metal barrier, and the general admission queue was snaking around outside the barrier.
The access queue, which was more of a gathering than a formal queue, was on the outside of the metal barrier, near the door.
There is a single main door into the venue, located at the corner of the building where A1/Upper Street meets Richmond Grove. From the footpath, the entrance is step-free, but there are steps inside. This entrance leads into a foyer area, then through to the main room on ground level or up to the balcony.
Along the side of the building on Richmond Grove, there are some fire exits, but they, too, have steps.
Although the access information on the website advises you to make yourself known to staff if you require step-free access, no staff were present outside the building. Other people in the queue who had visited the venue before said the staff would come out to the queue, so we all just chatted and passed the time.
Just before the advertised door opening time, several staff members came out to the two queues. For the access queue, they had a clipboard with the access list printed out. In turn, they checked our names off the list, scanned our tickets, and issued us a gold-coloured wristband. They also quickly checked our bags. Once they’d established who required the step-free access, they got our attention and led us around the general admission queue, across the front of the building to the step-free entrance, tucked around a corner of the building.
The step-free entrance is an emergency exit, featuring two large doors that open outward. Inside, there is a light left-hand turn to pass through a second double doorway. This doorway leads through into the corner of the main room at the side of the stage. From here, we were directed to the accessible area, where we made ourselves comfortable and prepared for the show.
FACILITIES
Built in 1929 and opened in March 1930, the Assembly Halls became a popular venue, hosting dances, award presentations, tea dances, and weddings until its closure in the 1980s. For almost three decades, it provided extra storage for Islington Town Hall next door. In 2009, Islington Council raised funding for its restoration, leading to its reopening in March 2010. As a relatively newly renovated venue, access was considered during the works.
Next to the accessible area, there was a bar with a lowered section, labelled for the use of accessible customers only. There was an additional bar at the back corner of the room, at the opposite side.
The merchandise desk was located in the foyer, at the top of the steps where general admission ticket holders entered through the main door. The table was low and accessible, and the items were displayed on a board behind the table.
In the corner of the room, in the accessible area, a large wooden door led through to a passageway that housed an accessible toilet. The toilet was a good size and didn’t require a radar key, as access was only available to customers with a valid access area wristband. If you have an access requirement to use an accessible toilet but do not require a seat in the access area, arrangements can be made with the venue to provide you with access to suitable facilities.
The toilet had all of the necessary access features. Bonus points for having a flip-top waste bin and a low-level vending machine for sanitary products. Those bonus points have to be deducted, though, as the paper towel dispenser was relatively high on the wall above the bin, so awkward to reach, and the two sanitary bins have pedals.
The toilet also had a shower, but with a raised shower tray and no grab rails, it was not accessible and was likely used by staff or artists as part of the backstage facilities.
Apart from going to the foyer to buy merchandise, once you were in the accessible area, you didn’t need to leave it until the end of the show.
SEATING
The main hall can accommodate up to 600 people standing for a concert, plus a tiered balcony that seats a further 200. There is also the ability to accommodate 230 in a theatre-style layout or 130-170 people on round tables in a cabaret style for a seated dinner or wedding reception.
The accessible area is a fenced-off area with metal fencing on the right-hand side of the room, at the front, and at the corner of the stage. The area has a member of staff at the entrance at all times to ensure the access area is not misused. Additionally, staff members are present near the accessible toilet door at all times to offer assistance should you need it.
A sign on a stand shows that this is an accessible area for access customers only.
The area features rows of sturdy seating that can be easily moved to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters. The fencing runs diagonally to the stage, allowing everyone in the area to have a clear, unobstructed view of the stage. The seats are arranged at a slight angle, facing the stage. The fencing directly joins the standing area, so throughout the show, people leaned on the fencing and pushed drinks under the fence to avoid them being spilt. Some people may experience an obstruction, depending on their seating location, due to the presence of individuals in the standing area, as well as arms and phones being raised or leaned forward for a better view.
The stage is high, so even from a seated position, you have a clear view over the front barrier and security staff, up to the act on stage.
The front barrier is the standard concert barrier, featuring a metal base on the standing side. This could be problematic for some wheelchair users who want to wheel to the front. It wasn’t a problem for me or for the lady in a mobility scooter next to me. We just had to jiggle around a bit for me to get past to go to the toilet.
The passageway where the accessible toilet is located is also used as part of the ‘backstage’. On the outer side of the door, a printed sign informed AAA passholders that they were entering an accessible area strictly for access customers only and were not permitted to stand in that area.
GETTING BACK OUT
As always, we left it a few minutes before trying to head for the exit. It was easier to let the main room empty before we made a move, as we had to cross the floor to leave by the door we came in.
As with many venues, the floor was scattered with discarded plastic cups and was sticky from spilt drinks.
There was a very long queue in the main room leading to the merchandise desk, but it didn’t obstruct our path across the room or prevent us from leaving the building.
The staff were quickly starting to dismantle the access area, removing the fencing and seats, making it easier for people to exit.
There were staff at the step-free entrance to see us out, and we headed back onto Upper Street.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Being able to sit near the front was brilliant. Add to that the toilet being close by and easy access to the bar, and it made it ideal!
The staff were all helpful and friendly.
It was good that the access area was so well protected. No photographers, no one randomly passing through, no misuse.
Some people probably wouldn’t like being fenced in the accessible area, but it felt safe in there, protected from the main crowd.
The stage view was good. For this show, there were only two people on stage, but if it were a larger band or group, you might not be able to see everyone on the stage.
Overall, really good!
