Holloway is an area in North London in the London Borough of Islington and follows the line of the A1 road.

The name derives from the fact that this ancient route through the area was the main cattle driving route from the North into London's cattle market, Smithfield. As with similar ancient cattle driving routes, the way became sunken leading to the name Holloway, a sunken road. Even in Roman times it was the main route to the North and Scotland and much of the Holloway Road has a Roman base to it. Holloway Road is one of the nearest parts of the A1 to its start in London.

Until the 19th century the area was predominantly rural, but once industrialisation reached the area it soon became built-up. By the 1960s much of Holloway was covered with low quality housing, and the area soon became synonymous as a grim, industrial district. Today Holloway is one of the poorer parts of Islington, and it has missed the gentrification of some of the other areas of the district, leaving Holloway a bit to be desired. Holloway is often best known for its prison, HMP Holloway, which was first founded in 1852, originally housing both male and female prisoners, but since 1902 it has housed only women and is the UK's major female prison.

At the 2001 census, the population of Holloway was 11,214, of those 47% male and 53% female.

Nearest places:

• Archway
• Tufnell Park
• Kentish Town
• Highbury
• Barnsbury
• Canonbury

Underground stations:

• Holloway Road tube station
• Caledonian Road tube station
• Highbury & Islington station (BR interchange)
• Archway tube station

Train Sations

• Caledonian Road and Barnsbury station
• Drayton Park station
• Upper Holloway railway station

Holloway is also an alternative spelling of Hollow way