Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
I love Harringay because...
when I wanted to start a family, I could buy a slightly knocked about a bit old house with a patch of garden to call my own and a little bit of history and put a smile back on its lovely old face without having to win the lottery.
of my neighbours, who hail from many places, who welcomed me warmly and made me feel at home.
when I'm hungry, it's a cooks paradise around here with good quality meat and game from Baldwins, all manner of fruit and veg, and the possibilty of buying ingredients/spices for all types of cooking (Indian/chinese/north African/ Italian/Polish/Russian/Turkish etc.) Add to that buying my desserts from the French patisserie or Halepi, my bread from Yasar or Danube and my 80% chocolate from the Russian provision shop to go with my coffee and I am in foodie heaven. Or if I'm feeling idle and don't want to cook, I can pick up some (cheap) delicious Turkish stews and rice or a whole roast chicken and a tube of Harissa from the north African butchers.
if I want to eat out, I'm sure of a wonderful welcome at Bianca, a decent omelette and a latte from Cafe Lemon, or a nice Sunday lunch at the Salisbury. I can indulge my love of oriental food at China City or (babysitter required) Mr E can put his glad rags on and take me out to the Garden Ladder for some Modern British food. I can walk the kids to a friendly Spanish style welcome at La Vina or fill them full of delicious goodies at the Anteplier juice bar.
if I arrive back in Harringay after a night out, I feel safe because the shops are open, people are on the streets and the three lovely bars/pubs are, I know, full of good gentle people enjoying a beer or three.
my children are Londoners, although we are not, and they have the chance to go to a neighbourhood school in a beautiful old Victorian building and be cared for by professional and hardworking staff. They will mix with children from every walk of life and will learn that other viewpoints and cultures exist and that there are parents who care enough to give up their time to make the space green for them or raise money for the little extras.
when I want to take them to out to experience their heritage as citizens of one of the greatest cities on earth, I can take a bus to Trafalgar square for 90p or a train to Ally Pally or tube to the wonderful free museums of London all from the end of my road.
when we want to play, we can walk or ride to wonderful green parks, restored through the efforts of people who said 'no I will not tolerate our green spaces being neglected' and have given them back to the children of Harringay.
when I look up I see beautiful old facades and wonderful detailing on buildings that give me a sense of history.
it has a website where there is a free and fair exchange of views between people who care about where they live and who are willing to get off their behinds and work for change, and through which I have met some great new neighbours to go to the pub with.
when I smile at people here, they smile back...
All this in my backyard.
of my neighbours, who hail from many places, who welcomed me warmly and made me feel at home.
when I'm hungry, it's a cooks paradise around here with good quality meat and game from Baldwins, all manner of fruit and veg, and the possibilty of buying ingredients/spices for all types of cooking (Indian/chinese/north African/ Italian/Polish/Russian/Turkish etc.) Add to that buying my desserts from the French patisserie or Halepi, my bread from Yasar or Danube and my 80% chocolate from the Russian provision shop to go with my coffee and I am in foodie heaven. Or if I'm feeling idle and don't want to cook, I can pick up some (cheap) delicious Turkish stews and rice or a whole roast chicken and a tube of Harissa from the north African butchers.
if I want to eat out, I'm sure of a wonderful welcome at Bianca, a decent omelette and a latte from Cafe Lemon, or a nice Sunday lunch at the Salisbury. I can indulge my love of oriental food at China City or (babysitter required) Mr E can put his glad rags on and take me out to the Garden Ladder for some Modern British food. I can walk the kids to a friendly Spanish style welcome at La Vina or fill them full of delicious goodies at the Anteplier juice bar.
if I arrive back in Harringay after a night out, I feel safe because the shops are open, people are on the streets and the three lovely bars/pubs are, I know, full of good gentle people enjoying a beer or three.
my children are Londoners, although we are not, and they have the chance to go to a neighbourhood school in a beautiful old Victorian building and be cared for by professional and hardworking staff. They will mix with children from every walk of life and will learn that other viewpoints and cultures exist and that there are parents who care enough to give up their time to make the space green for them or raise money for the little extras.
when I want to take them to out to experience their heritage as citizens of one of the greatest cities on earth, I can take a bus to Trafalgar square for 90p or a train to Ally Pally or tube to the wonderful free museums of London all from the end of my road.
when we want to play, we can walk or ride to wonderful green parks, restored through the efforts of people who said 'no I will not tolerate our green spaces being neglected' and have given them back to the children of Harringay.
when I look up I see beautiful old facades and wonderful detailing on buildings that give me a sense of history.
it has a website where there is a free and fair exchange of views between people who care about where they live and who are willing to get off their behinds and work for change, and through which I have met some great new neighbours to go to the pub with.
when I smile at people here, they smile back...
All this in my backyard.
Tags for Forum Posts: what's harringay like?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Whole-heartedly agree. I had to spend ten minutes waiting outside a shop on the King's road yesterday and I almost wanted to puke. This is a great post.
I am doing something wrong though as when I smile at people they cross the road.
PS Hypocrite disclaimer - for reasons I consider personal, my daughter does not go to one of those lovely Victorian schools.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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Spot on Liz
As much as we talk about the negative things in London, there is so much that is great about Harringay and London.
All you have listed and this is proper London, not some total white, middle class ghetto full of liberals. This is the real mix and I hope it stays that way.
As an ‘outsider’ who has lived on the Ladder for nearly ten years, I have seen massive improvements in that time.
We have met some great people around here and since we’ve had kids there’s no end of socials with and without the ankle bitters.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Absolutely B2. I moved into a flat here 10 years ago opposite the Park which I would not walk through alone and now which me and the kids practically live in in the summer months. Green Lanes was still 'controlled' by organised crime and the Salisbury was derelict. Now, its a proper high street with decent pubs and restaurants but fortunately not been Crouch Ended with endless stationary shops and expensive baby clothes boutiques. Viva Harringay!
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One minus... three of my daugther's "white middle class" friends from NH moved away for school reasons. We didn't move away but like I said, she no longer goes to NH. I see things are improving though.
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John, I would prefer not to go down the road of discussing schools. As a teacher, I have very strong views on the way the school system is manipulated and abused in this country to privilege the few over the many and I am happy to share them with you next time we meet.
Local schools need support and encouragement, if areas are to flourish.
This post was about why I love Harringay. Please share your thoughts on why you love it here :)
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I love it for the same reasons you do and I love the different languages spoken on our high street, it's proximity to where I work (Docklands or the city) and the fact that I don't feel like a weirdo in amongst all the other weirdos ;)
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Permalink Reply by rahman on
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i love harringay because.....
have had the same lovely next door neighbours for the past 25 years (and they lived here before we movd in!)
can have a filling lunch for £1.20 (lamachun from mizgin.... yum)
the best transport links EVER!
as most people around here were too poor to be able to decorate back in the 80s when it was fashionable to rip the substance out of houses, most of the terraced houses still have their original features and look gorgeous!
and where else could i get sponge cakes or the biscuits with the chocolate sprinkles that are as good as at yasar halims?
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because...
I am extremely fond of the cottage cheese strudel from Danube and have been known to nibble a pain aux raisins from La Ruche with morning coffee. The smell of coffee and bakery coming from La Ruche this morning took me straight to France
I can chat in French to the baker in La Ruche
me and the nippers can sample olives in Yasar's
Yasar's hummous is the most delicious on the street
of the little watch repairer by the station.
of Railway fields and its wonderful Toddler group (thank you Catherine).
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Great post, thanks Liz.
100% agree with all the other posts.
Top 10 things I love about Harringay are ... Finsbury Park (the park, not the station), Yasar Helim (esp the bread and humous .. and the olive paste and ...), the fruit and veg stalls on GL, the mix of people as you walk down the road, the fact that I can be at work in 25 minutes if I cycle like a lunatic (or 40 minutes if I just wait for a bus), our lovely home, this fab website, being able to get a train to Kew Gardens for a QUID!!, the funny newsagent round the corner who is very very lovely to my son, coming home at night and being surrounded by people.. Is that 10 yet, am feeling all teary eyed...
I visit Edinburgh a lot because of family and though it is a gorgeous and very wonderful place, there are some wonderful things about coming back here - particularly the mix of people and things being open so late.
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