Abyssinia: Hornsey’s Lost Village

By Hugh Flouch

Unravel a Hornsey Mystery

Built up from the late 1860s, Abyssinia ‘village’ was a part of Hornsey Vale in Hornsey. Within a hundred years of being established, this mysterious little enclave had been completely demolished and replaced by the Hornsey School for Girls.

Abyssinia: Hornsey’s Lost Village tells the story of the settlement’s first fifty years, exploring its community, its houses, industry, its strained relationship with the neighbouring population and how it reflected and was driven by wider changes in the country. Based on entirely fresh research with a relevance far beyond the locality which provides its focus, the book not only unveils the story of a significant Hornsey district which has hitherto been totally neglected, it also sheds unexpected and revealing light on Victorian social and also racial attitudes.

To help tell the story of Abyssinia, the people who built it and those who lived there, this new book is produced in full colour with over 100 photos, maps and journal cuttings from national, local and private collections.

Early review

I could not recommend any better way of improving the results of this thorough research. I have seen few other examples of this type of publication which contributes so thoroughly to the understanding of a community, while still being interesting and encouraging people to read.

The good number of illustrations and maps help to show and understand the developments and changes. I enjoyed reading the entire book.

Malcolm Holmes MBE, Chair Camden History Society

About the author

Alongside a career in consulting, Hugh Flouch has been researching and writing about the history of Hornsey, Harringay and Wood Green for the past 20 years including for the Hornsey Historical Society’s Bulletin magazine. With an eye for the unusual and undiscovered, Hugh delights in bringing unknown corners of to Hornsey’s past to life.