It was quite strange in the late 1980s being uprooted from Cambridge in the middle of the night and being taken to London to go into foster care. I watched from the car and tried not to cry – even in the dark London scared me. But fear gave way to surprise when I saw that we had arrived in an attractive part of London and were passing Alexandra Palace, which to all us teenagers was known as ‘Ally Pally’. [Read more…] about Memories of Grove Lodge as a Children’s Home
There were three large houses on the eastern side of Muswell Hill until the late 19th century – Bath House, The Grove and Grove Lodge. By far the oldest site was the one which still remains, Grove Lodge. [Read more…] about Grove Lodge, Muswell Hill
The virtues of thrift and sobriety were highly prized in Victorian society. Mrs Priscilla Wakefield (1750-1826), born in Tottenham, philanthropist and a Quaker author of children’s books, founded a Penny Bank for children which was to develop into England’s first savings bank. [Read more…] about Victorian Thrift: A Local Penny Bank
“I was all knocked up!”, said my 90-year old neighbour. This shocked me at first, but then I realized she meant she was exhausted after a flood of visitors. [Read more…] about Our Changing Language
As the Old Schoolhouse has been closed, we’ve been running an occasional series sharing extracts from HHS publications. John Farrer: The Man who changed Hornseyby Janet Owen was published in 2009 and this extract on The Three Compasses in Hornsey High Street contains an interesting connection with Elephant and Castle in south London.
The story of the Two Faithful Servants plaque is moving towards a very satisfactory conclusion and featured this week in the local press. [Read more…] about The Two Faithful Servants
