Mapping late 19th Century Harringay Roads & Trackways on to Google Maps

I just came across a map I'd not seen before - the Electoral Boundaries map from Middlesex published in 1885 (Edit: It looks like this is now pointing to a different map - no trackways are shown). I noticed a few roads and trackways on it that either weren't in existence on other maps I've seen or weren't shown.

The map was published in 1885, but it clearly represents a geography at a somewhat earlier date. (I know that the 1873 Ordnance Survey map, for example, was based on a survey carried out between 1862 and 1869). So, on that basis, if we take the 1885 map as showing the geography at between ten and four years before publication, it would be showing the situation between 1875 and 1881; in other words just before the major development of the area started. However, even these dates are far from certain since Finsbury Park is not yet shown and that was opened in 1869. So the map may well be a hybrid of the 1873 OS map with some updating.

In trying to find out where the roadways marked on the map would be in today's geography, the easiest way ended up being to overlay the older map on to a Google map in Photoshop. (This allowed me to reduce the opacity of one map and get a visible overlay). Whilst the older map wouldn't have had the same accuracy as today, the match is excellent, but not perfect.

So I was able to trace old roadways onto a Google map to show their routes in today's money (EDIT: map seems now to have disappeared) (it took a lot of little lines. So give the map a minute to draw on your screen).

I've tried to show parts of the major roadways to the east and west of Harringay, but they're not shown in their entirety - for example Priory Road stops at the foot of Muswell Hill on my map, whereas of course, in reality, it's carried on up the hill for many a year.

However the interesting thing for me are the roadways that lead to Harringay House and Finsbury Park and how in some cases they can be mapped directly on to existing roads.

There's an old road running pretty much along the line of today's Ridge Road. On the 1885 map it's shown as carrying on East beyond where it ends today at Chettle Court and crossing the railway into Harringay Park somewhere opposite Hewitt Road. The other road leading into the park tracked over from Tottenham Lane and under the railway line just opposite Effingham Road. That roadway was, I think, established around the time the house was originally built.

Then there are a number of interesting road converging on the centre of Finsbury Park where the old Hornsey_Wood_House stood as an attraction for Londoners to have a day out.

Harvey, Denton and Oakfield roads appear to follow the old route to the park from Crouch End. Oxford Road and the crossing across the railway line into the park seem to have formed part of the old route from Stroud Green Road.

(Good grief............and so what!! I guess this post is a hugely strong advert of the dangers of staying up too late!!)