Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Council Decides to Rename Black Boy Lane
Following my consideration on the origins of West Green's Black Boy name back in the summer, Haringey Council has decided to rename Black Boy Lane in West Green.
The Council have called the exercise a 'renaming consultation', but the online questionnaire offers only the ability to choose from a shortlist of two new names. So it appears that the decision to rename has already been taken with only the choice of name left to be decided.
They have issued the following press release.
The council has launched a renaming consultation with residents and businesses located on Black Boy Lane, as part of the wider Review on Monuments, Buildings, Place and Street Names in Haringey – which was launched on 12 June 2020, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The council believes that the names of our monuments, buildings, places and streets must reflect the values and diversity that we are so proud of in the borough. One of the street names that has been identified as not being reflective of this is Black Boy Lane.
Meanings change over time, and the term “Black Boy” is now most commonly used as a derogatory name for African heritage men.
As part of the consultation, the council is asking residents to consider new alternative names that celebrate some of the borough’s most notable influencers, and truly reflect the borough’s rich heritage.
The two names that have been shortlisted for residents to consider are, ‘Jocelyn Barrow Lane’ and ‘La Rose Lane’. The consultation will launch today, Monday 28 September and will run for a period of 4 weeks to Monday 26 October 2020.
Letters will be arriving on Black Boy Lane residents' doorsteps this week, who can respond to the consultation using one of the following methods:
- Online: www.haringey.gov.uk/renaming-black-boy-lane.
- Email:
- bblconsultation@haringey.gov.uk
- Telephone: 020 8489 3797
- By post: Consultation Co-ordinator, The Communications Team, River Park House, 225 High Road, Wood Green, London, N22 8HQ
If Haringey residents have concerns or queries about place, street or building names in the borough, please get in touch. Send your views to Leader@haringey.gov.uk.
Bios:Dame Jocelyn Anita Barrow (15 April 1929 – 9 April 2020) was a Barbadian/Trinidadian British educator, community activist and politician, who was the Director for UK Development at Focus Consultancy Ltd. She was the first Black woman to be a governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and was founder and Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Council.
John La Rose was a publisher, poet and essayist. He founded the Caribbean Artists’ Movement and publishing company New Beacon Books which has a bookshop in Stroud Green. In 1975, he co-founded the Black Parents Movement from the core of the parents involved in the George Padmore Supplementary School incident in which a young Black schoolboy was beaten up by the police outside his school in Haringey.
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Tags for Forum Posts: blackboy lane name change, review on monuments, building place and street names
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Despite my passion for local history, I would lean towards the change, if it is shown that a significant proportion of Haringey's black population are offended by the current name and the change can be squared with the residents of the road.
I think the timing is strange and that the Council's focus ought to be elsewhere right now. It suggests that we might have a leadership that is out of touch with what is needed right now.
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Permalink Reply by Nick Eftychiou on
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And is that not discrimitory in Nature? If a large proportion of black Haringey residents are offended by this name does not mean it should be changed. There are several different nationalities races and so forth in Haringey, black people only being a small proportion. I'm offended that the name is being changed by a name relating to black ethnicity, should they not then consider this? Leave it alone you cannot right the wrongs of the past be removing names and so forth but fight against the cause of racism today and now. And lastly what Haringey has achieved is more racism and divisions rather than uniting.
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What would be sufficient cause to make you want to change the name, Nick? Sometimes a local majority isn't the best arbiter of what should be done. I'm going to assume that you don't need evidence of this truism
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I would not accept any reason to change a name or pull down statues and so forth that has been there for years and years. I agree that new streets built and so forth should take into account that certain words are no longer acceptable and reflect this in the naming. As I've said before you cannot wipe out the past or make right the wrongs. The past is what has shaped the present.on top of that I was born and brought up in Haringey, actually before Haringey was born, and object to my tax money being wasted on a name change which clearly this money could be spent on solving the causes of racism, crime and so forth. In summary I would object and do object to all names being changed especially without giving all the residence who pay tax the choice
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Nope.
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It is in the Page Green/Seven Sisters Conservation Area for that part of the Tottenham Historic Corridor all up the High Road.
Grade listing DOES NOT give definite protection from demolition. Nor does listing as heritage assets in a conservation area. If the benefits outweigh the downsides then all hell can break loose on any asset/buiiding!
Spurs was allowed to demolish a grade listed building and some lovely buildings on the corner of the High Rd and Park Lane. And look at teh archiutecture that they produced! meiocre flying saucer stuff. So imposingly out of scale for the area!
Other more resolute councils would have pushed back on the club and make them integrate the historic buildings into their scheme. This is done in many places and in so many European cities. Our council hasn't got the wherewithall or the intellectual capacity to do so.
Or... something else is going on...!
For teh Wards Corner site for example the WC building could be kept and restored to its former modest glory - the disused second floor inside has some lovley stucco cornicing and skylighhts. THe Off licnece on West Green road alos has a lovely shop front well worth integrating into a haeritage lead scheme.
Admittedly Suffiield rd houses are common and could be sacrificed. The shops on Seven Sisters Rd aren't exceptional eitherand could also be sacrificed. IT would be important to compenstae teh owners well too
Go to Upper street:
- The Angel shopping centre presents very modest high rd facade with a modern shopping centre behind it.
- further up the street the relatively large Mt PLeasant developement is accessed via a modest entrance from Upper Street thta means that the heritage architectural rythm of the stret is not disrupted.
See how Slingsby PLacxe off Long Acre in central London opens up into a new shopping centre but does not alter the Long Acre profile.
Why did Harinegy accepte the totally destructive schems presented by both T Spurs and Grainger? Were they desperate ui.e they actaully ahev no faith in the communities own resourcefulness and resilience. Or there is someting else gong on. Or they just don't haev the capacity to imagine AND TO MOBILIZE these resources.
Did you know that I can leave John Lewis on Oxfrod St. and turn the key in my front door in 30 minutes?
Why then has the area suffered from such an extremely bad reputation?
It is complex yes but the politics have very much to do with it.
And I am absolutely anti Tory and do not care for right wing ideology!
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Permalink Reply by Colinloves on
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simple and clear answer is, money. Spurs are also throwing around their power, in Enfield too. :(
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Lets say the road was named after a Black boy
Surely, having a road named after a person, is a positive thing.
I just cant see a negative aspect of this.
Maybe, I dont understand the minds of racists. But I would think, if you disliked something, you wouldnt monumentalize it by naming a road after it
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It is a pavlovian response.
Say "slave". Aie! slave bad word.
The thing is this is completely counterproductive.
All things labelled 'black' are not bad. Just as all things labelled 'pure white' are not good.
So by reacting to primal instincts people are falling into the trap of facility.
Stop! Think! Then react!
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I see TFL's traffic diversion warning sign near the Endymion Rd/Alroy Rd Junction calls the road I live on "WHITEMAN" ROAD. Should I launch a 21-page HOLathon discussion? How can I start a petition against this patently racist name change for which there has been no consultation with either Council Taxpaying residents or ratrunning users? Who is the Leader of TFL? Have we any evidence that s/he is a racist or a white supremacist?
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