Muswell Hill
{{infobox London place|
Place= Muswell Hill | Borough= Haringey | Traditional= Middlesex | Constituency= Hornsey and Wood Green | PostTown= LONDON | PostCode= N10 | DiallingCode= 020 | GridReference= TQ285905 | GLA= Enfield and HaringeyMuswell Hill is an area in the London Borough of Haringey. It is a suburban development situated 6.2 miles (10 km) north of Charing Cross.
Muswell Hill is in postal district N10 and the area is mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.The earliest records of Muswell Hill date from the 12th Century. At this time the Bishop of London, who was the Lord of the Manor of Hornsey, owned the area and granted 65 acres (263,000 m²), located to the east of Colney Hatch Lane, to a newly formed order of Nuns. The Nuns built a chapel on the site and called it ‘Our Ladie of Muswell'.
The name Muswell is believed to stem from a natural spring or well (the "Mossy Well"), which was said to have miraculous properties. The story has it that a Scottish King was cured of disease after drinking the water of the spring/well and that this led to the area becoming a place of pilgrimage during medieval times. The River Moselle, which has its source in the area, derives its name from this district - it was originally known as the River Moswell.
(in regard to the Scottish King it should be noted that Muswell Hill Manor in Oxfordshire was said to be owned by The King of Scotland in the 12th Century)
Until the reorganisation of London's local government in 1965 that resulted in the formation of the Greater London Council, Muswell Hill formed part of the Borough of Hornsey within the administrative county of Middlesex.At the top of a hill, Muswell Hill is not directly served by any tube or train stations, despite being a popular place for central London commuters to live. Most commuters reach London by bus (there are direct routes both to the City and the West End), overland train (the Great Northern Electrics runs into King's Cross and Moorgate from Alexandra Palace and Hornsey), or connect with the underground at Bounds Green, Finsbury Park, Highgate or East Finchley, all of which have convenient bus links from Muswell Hill
Until the mid-20th century there was a rail branch line, the Muswell Hill Railway, from Highgate which passed through Muswell Hill, terminating at a station at Alexandra Palace, and there was a plan to integrate this into the London Underground Northern Line; tube maps of the time showed the line as under construction. However, this plan was cancelled after the 1939-45 war, and the railway line was abandoned in 1954.Close to Alexandra Park and Highgate Woods, with something of a village atmosphere, Muswell Hill has developed from the staid suburb it was in the 1950s to become fashionable, with a selection of trendy bars and restaurants. Many parts boast spectacular views over London, and the area hosts a disproportionately large number of actors, journalists and other media folk. | Bustling shops in Muswell Hill Broadway. |
| The 'Gaudi style' shopfront from the side |
The area was the birthplace of musicians Ray and Dave Davies of the The Kinks, who began their career here, and helped immortalize it with their 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies. A plaque and memorabilia in the Clissold Arms in Fortis Green commemorate the Kinks' first public performance there.
Just down the road from the house where the Davies brothers grew up on Fortis Green is a house called Fairport. This was the family home of Simon Nicol, and his band, Fairport Convention, was named after it.
The serial killer Dennis Nilsen carried out some of his gruesome murders in Cranley Gardens in Muswell Hill.
In the popular 1970s BBC TV comedy series Porridge, the principal character, Fletcher, played by Ronnie Barker, hailed from Muswell Hill; in the short-lived sequel Going Straight, Fletcher returned to live in the neighbourhood after his release from HMP Slade.
Vivian Stanshall, artist, poet, writer, performer, and a founding member of Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, made his last home in Muswell Hill, dying there in a fire in March 1995.
Crouch End Festival Chorus (founded 1973) famous for performances at BBC Proms, multiple film scores, and promotion of its own concerts of varied classical and modern music rehearse at Fortismere School every Friday night.
Muswell Hill Golf Club (Par 71, 6438 yards) was founded in 1893, and is still played on today.The curvy Gaudi-inspired shop front of "Art for Art's Sake" was built in July 2004 by the shop's owner Chris Ostwald. However, it met with local council opposition citing problems with planning permission and Muswell Hill's status as a conservation area. This has led to a court battle between the owner and Haringey Council.Nearest places:
* Wood Green
* Hornsey
* Highgate
* Finchley
* Crouch End
Places of interest:
* Alexandra Palace
* Alexandra Park
* The Guy Chester Centre of the Methodist church
Nearest railway stations:* Alexandra Palace railway station (formerly known as "Wood Green, Alexandra Park")
* Hornsey railway station
Nearest tube stations: (Roughly equidistant)
* Highgate tube station
* Bounds Green tube station
* East Finchley tube station* Map of Muswell Hill from Streetmap.co.uk
* Save the Shop Front - Campaign page in favour of the "Gaudi" shop front
|
