This is the fifth article in the series on Lost Houses of the Hornsey area. This mid-19th century house and grounds was situated on Southwood Lane (now Muswell Hill Road N10) and is associated with the Victorian literary elite.

This is the fifth article in the series on Lost Houses of the Hornsey area. This mid-19th century house and grounds was situated on Southwood Lane (now Muswell Hill Road N10) and is associated with the Victorian literary elite.
During the Covid pandemic thousands of people have walked along Alexandra Palace’s south terrace admiring the spectacular views of London. How many have noticed the two carved tablets either side of the Great Hall’s main entrance? Or realised that the Palace’s recent huge financial losses are a recurring theme of its 148 year history?
This month we are starting a 2021 series of articles on Lost Houses of the Hornsey area. We begin with Brick Place, the oldest known substantial house we know of, north-east of Hornsey village. It’s appropriate to start with Brick Place because the position of the moat which surrounded it can be clearly identified on the Hornsey Enclosure Map, 1815. David Frith’s book, The Hornsey Enclosure Act 1813, is a new HHS publication, and the moat can clearly be seen on the map on the front cover!
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 Hornsey by 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.
When the building served milk not alcohol
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. Opposite, 77 Muswell is another residential development, once the offices of brewers Taylor Walker (1980), originally the site of the Ritz Cinema (1936), then the ABC Cinema (1962–1978). Further up is The Mossy Well pub with a large bottle hanging outside. What past has this building had?
As the Old Schoolhouse is closed for the time being, we thought we’d share some extracts from HHS publications over the coming weeks and months.
As the Old Schoolhouse is closed for the time being, we thought we’d share some extracts from HHS publications over the coming weeks and months.
As the Old Schoolhouse is closed for the time being, we thought we’d share some extracts from HHS publications on over the coming weeks and months.
Each month in 2019, using Hornsey Journal extracts, we have looked at the issues facing Hornsey and the country in 1919 and at their impact locally and nationally.
The iconic Art Deco Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End opened at the end of 1935. Yet the Hornsey Journal, 19 September 1919, refers to town hall plans on this site then. Why did it take so long to realise these ambitions? Where was the original town hall and why did that building and its location have to change?