The park is named after the street on which it is situated, which is in turn named after the old Fortune Theatre that once stood there.
Dating all the way back to 1600, the theatre was built for Edward Alleyn and Philip Henslowe and was modelled on Shakespeare’s The Globe in order to act as a competitor.
Unfortunately, the wooden structure burnt down in 1621, but it was rebuilt in brick and even had a nursery specialising in “educating young children for the acting profession of the stage”. It was even mentioned in Samuel Pepys’s diary, such was its reputation among Londoners.
There was further bad luck for the theatre though, when an ordinance for the dismantling of playhouses was issued by the Puritans in 1647-48 and the building was dismantled by soldiers in 1649.
Other buildings were constructed on the same site, but when the Fortune Street area was heavily bombed during the Second World War, it was decided that the area would remain cleared and it was laid out as a park in the early 1960s.
Much-needed refurbishment work was carried out in 2002 to cover landscaping and the addition of new facilities and the park won the Green Flag Award in 2006/7 to reflect the beauty that had been achieved.
In 2024 Islington Council following consultation with local residents and working with Landscape Architects Davies & White undertook further improvements completed in May.
