Before Jewsons - the old station yard at Harringay West Station c1965

Comment by Kevin Nairn on July 5, 2024 at 8:44

Why does Wightman road stop, and Alroy road start? Was there a break between these roads? Which came first? Most people think that Wightman road runs from Turnpike Lane to Endymion road. 

Comment by Hugh on July 5, 2024 at 12:00

Good question, Kevin. The duality of names resulted from the Ladder having been the result of two developments.

The first part of the Ladder to be built up in the 1880s was The Finsbury Park Estate right at the southern end. Comprising the set of five roads (or six if you include Sybil Mews), all bearing the names of novels written by Benjamin Disraeli, it is the part of the Ladder between the railway line running to Harringay, Green Lanes Station and Finsbury Park. I suppose that strictly speaking, It is not actually part of the Ladder. In fact it forms a sort of mini-Ladder all of its own, running east to west. Nonetheless, I think that whilst most locals are aware that this part of Harringay is somehow different to the the part directly to its north, without  being too finicky, people seem to consider it to be part of the Ladder. 

The second part of the Ladder to be developed was the main part of the Ladder itself. It was built up by the British Land Company as two main estates, the Hornsey Station Estate to the north and the Harringay Park Estate to the south.

I imagine that it would have been possible for the British land company to have continued all Alroy Road all the way up until Turnpike Lane. However, when they started work in the Hornsey Station Estate, they laid out a road and called it "The Wightman Road". The company wasn't a town planner and their view of Harringay would have been completely British Land Company centric. So, I assume it was just a matter of course for them to continue their road and just join it up the Alroy Road. 

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