2021 will be the 50th anniversary of Hornsey Historical Society. One way in which we intend celebrating is by republishing a selection of articles from the Hornsey Historical Society Newsletter on the website. We hope you enjoy them.
Imagine it is 1929 and you are on a train steaming north out of Kings Cross. There is a man in his mid-30s sitting opposite you – he is Barnes Wallace, later to be knighted and famed for his bouncing bombs. As you pass through Hornsey station he looks out of the window and gazes at the smaller of the two gasholders at Hornsey Gasworks – he smiles at its skeletal structure of repeating triangular shapes. [Read more…] about Hornsey Gasworks: A Structure at risk
Planning permission is now being sought by the developers of an ambitious scheme, known as the Haringey Heartlands Masterplan, to regenerate and develop the area of Wood Green between Mayes Road and the Great Northern Eastern Railway (GNER). [Read more…] about The Haringey Heartlands Masterplan
Substantial building development has changed the appearance of the top of Muswell Hill. The Green Man, probably a public house from the mid-16th century, has become Pinnacle, luxury town houses and apartments. [Read more…] about The Mossy Well, Muswell Hill
The Parish of Holy Trinity was the fifth to be carved out of the original Anglican parish of St Mary, Hornsey, as the population grew. The first was St Michael, Highgate in 1832 and Holy Trinity was established in 1878 on the corner of Granville and Stapleton Hall Roads. [Read more…] about Holy Trinity, Stroud Green
Eleven HHS members and friends took part in an enjoyable walk round Stroud Green on October 30th, starting at Finsbury Park Station. The excellent weather gave us some splendid views from the vantage points of Finsbury Park and Mount View Road and the tour was enlivened by the reminiscences of several local members. [Read more…] about A Walk around Stroud Green
Situated in Herbert Road N11, Shaftesbury Hall was registered in 1885 and became an Infants School in the early 1900s. It was still used by the Baptists in the late 1930s but closed in 1954. It is owned by the Samaritans and Hornsey Housing Trust who want to sell it and redevelop the site and put up a block of three one-bed flats. [Read more…] about Shaftesbury Hall in Bowes Park
This time, we follow a lively discussion from past HHS Newsletters led by John Hinshelwood about the origins of the names of the streets on the Harringay Ladder. It’s never too late to join an historical discussion so if you have any further information please add a Comment at the end of this article.[Read more…] about How did the ‘Harringay Ladder’ Roads Get Their Names?
With visits to all public venues, including Alexandra Palace, postponed for the foreseeable future as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic, we can read about an HHS outing to ‘The People’s Palace’ which provides an intriguing and evocative glimpse into the past. [Read more…] about HHS Visit to “The Secret Palace”
In June 2005 readers of the HHS newsletter were presented with a puzzle – a postcard from 1906 written in code. Here is the solution presented in the following Newsletter, number 104, together with some members’ responses. [Read more…] about Can you Crack the Code – Solution!