Islington Council has celebrated the life and work of author Andrea Levy by unveiling an Islington Heritage Plaque on her childhood home.

In a joy-filled ceremony at Twyford House on Elwood Street in Highbury, Andrea’s husband Bill Mayblin unveiled the plaque along with Islington Councillors and Baroness Lola Young, one of Andrea’s close friends.

Andrea Levy was born in Whittington Hospital in Islington in 1956. She grew up with her family in Twyford House on the Blackstock estate, and attended the prestigious Highbury Hill Grammar School (now Highbury Fields School).

After starting to write as a hobby in her early 30s, Andrea went on to produce some of the nation’s most celebrated and influential works exploring the lives and contributions of immigrants and working class people in the UK. Best known for her novels Small Island and The Long Song, Andrea’s work provides an insight into life in Britain from the perspective of the Windrush generation. Andrea died last year at 62, of cancer.

Bill Mayblin, Andrea’s husband, said: “If Andrea could have seen this plaque she would have been amazed, and maybe a little embarrassed even. As for me, I’m just so very proud that her achievements are recognised and celebrated in this corner of Islington that meant so much to her – and that featured so much in her work.”

The Islington Heritage Plaque was unveiled on Saturday, 14 March.