Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Surprisingly, it appears, that for a few years in the first decade of the last century, Harringay used to have a rifle range in the centre of town, at 74 Grand Parade. (This is currently half of the double-fronted Yavuzlar Grocery down near Harringay Bridge. Later on the century, it was one of the shops run by Disney’s Furniture).

Islington Gazette, Dec 3 1903

..and by the next April it was part of the scenery:

The Harringay Mercury in the  North London Mercury & Crouch End Echo, April 1 1904

....and  

North London Mercury and Crouch End Observer, on January 15 1904

According to the following account, Patterson had ambitions beyond Harringay:

We wrote last month of rifles, induced by the strength of the recent movement of shooting. To this end, the improvement of shooting, targets are a first essential, and there must be something special about those which have already been adopted on more than seventy ranges by the regular army, volunteer force, and civilian rifle clubs. These are “Paterson's Patent” the firm of Paterson & Co., 74, Grand Parade, Harringay, N., being contractors to H.M. forces. The targets include stationary, disappearing, and running man.

From The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, Volume 22, 1906

Volunteer Service Gazette and Military Dispatch - 16 March 1906

The listings in Kelly's are informative, but bar the suggestion that the range only ran till 1906, I'm not exactly sure what story they're telling:

  • 1903-04: No Pattersons listed
  • 1904-05: Buck & Patterson Lim., sporting goods depot (James Patterson also listed as a resident at 74 Grand Parade - I'm assuming that he had the occupancy of 1st floor flat. This might explain how the range could operate at all without exciting extreme protest!)
  • 1905-06: James Patterson Sporting Goods Depot  (James Patterson also listed as a resident at 74 Grand Parade)
  • 1906- 07: The Harringay Royal Standard Conservative Club Ltd; Wm Patterson Sec  (James Patterson also listed as a resident at 74 Grand Parade)

The following ad confirms that the premises were to let in 1908:

Islington Gazette - 13 November 1908

The Kelly's listings show that there were neither business nor residential occupants at number 74 between 1907 and 1910. By the time of the 1910-11 edition, the Edward Bracebridge Dairy had moved in (but no residents are shown).

I can't find out what came of the Patterson boys after they left Harringay, nor from whence they came. But you have to wonder if they were related to the John Patterson who is the subject of the following report:

Aberdeen Press and Journal, 8 October 1898

Tags for Forum Posts: london north mercury and crouch end observer

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Replies to This Discussion

Fascinating. Bin collection, potholes, dodgy HMOs, electrification...Edwardian Harringay grumbled about much the same things we do now.

Yeup - I had the same reaction here.

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