Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

 The photo below depicts  Hornsey Station, in Tottenham Lane which runs parralel to Wightman Rd & Unwin Arms etc, which, along with the extensive railway sidings and 'sheds' etc, were constant targets from bombing during WW2, and sustained a V2 rocket attack towards the end of the war. It may account for the various changes to the area your readers have been refering to recently. This film clip - although mixed up to fool the enemy- may help the older burghers to remember earlier times.    www.britshpathe.com

Tags for Forum Posts: world war II harringay

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I would be interested to see this film, but I couldn't get the link to work. Does anyone have a better link? Colin

I think it's this:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/london-bomb-damage-2

Right at the end. There's one building that looks like that white shisha lounge pub, which would put some of the bomb damage at the entrance to Jewsons. It would be interesting to know more!

Edited to add, looks like this photo is the same event.

It's odd. The Pathe says it's 1942 but that is definitely the Railway Hotel ( now Funky Brownz ) and the bomb crater is that from a V2 in 1945, just up from what is now Jewsons Sadly a little girl was caught in the explosion and completely vanished.

It's difficult to imagine now what it must have been like and amazing how the people could laugh and fool around chucking bricks at each other.

I've just noticed there's another photo here that puts it in November 1944, just to confuse things further.

http://www.topfoto.co.uk/imageflows/preview/t=topfoto&f=1199541

I agree - I walk up there quite a lot and find it almost unimaginable.

Topfoto has it right. It was 10th November 1944. See this photo. I've spoken with the author of the book whose family member took the photo.

Sorry about getting the year wrong. I was only two at the time

We forgive you. You got it right a few years ago. 

Going off a bit at a tangent, googling that brought me up some references to two IRA bombs that went off with no injuries in October 1993 in Tottenham Lane. I don't remember this at all, but didn't  know the area then - does anybody remember any more about this?

I seem to remember reading that there was an IRA bomb factory in the area.

One morning, on my car trip to work, I passed the Hornsey Journal offices all taped in, and Archway Rd by Shepherds Hill the same. I think these were due to IRA action. Where I worked in the West End there was often police moving us on or away from glass buildings, and even had sniffer dogs in the back of my van !!

I heard the boom of this in my Hillfield Avenue house one morning together with another one in I think Muswell Hill a few minutes afterwards.  Wondered what on earth the IRA had against the Hornsey Journal, whose then chief reporter was a well known Irishman and local character.

Hi, yes that's definitely 'Funky Brownz' in the background and the V2 bomb looks like it impacted directly on the corner of Ribblesdale Road and Tottenham Lane (where the YMCA is - hence the land was never built on again for residential purposes). Incidentally, to view the location of bombs that hit this area (but also the whole of London and the home counties during the early part of the 2nd World War (the blitz), visit this rather amazing website http://bombsight.org/#17/51.58562/-0.11316    

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