Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Why we are right to be angry about the McHarringay Bridge and PaulsexSimon.
I'll be the first to admit that up until recently I had a very patchy knowledge of both the boundaries and history of Harringay. When asked where I lived, I generally made mention of Finsbury Park and Green Lanes. Once when I wrote down Harringay on a form, the young lady who was requiring my address raised an eyebrow at my apparent poor education and changed the spelling to Haringey, despite my muttered protests.
I've always appreciated the buildings, the stylings and the nature of the area but I had no idea of how old it was, why the streets were named as they were and all the other odds and sods of knowledge I have since acquired and like to bore visitors with as we stroll down Green Lanes, the Harringay Passage ("built over a sewer you know", "oh lovely...") and other delightful parts of the area.
As my knowledge grew thanks to Wikipedia, this site and the pooling of knowledge from its members, the shared photos and memories so did my pride in my neighbourhood and my wish to protect and celebrate it.
More than that I'm starting to want some respect for ( what remains of) the heritage of our area. Firstly, it feels like this area is invisible in the minds of the planners and strategists. When they are not reducing it to an electoral ward, they are changing its name to the name of the high street. They divide it up and seek to set one side against the other with all that Ladder v Gardens nonsense. They miss roads off and add areas in willy nilly. They allow shop fronts to be torn out without batting an eyelid and while they go out of their way to list a cattle trough in Highgate, they allow a tacky advert on our iconic railway bridge.
There is no plan to safeguard shops as they are trying to do in Crouch End, no will to restore Grand Parade in the way they worked on Windsor Terrace, no interest from the Civic Society or heritage groups in the rich (and mainly working class) history of the area in the 20th century.
Sometimes I feel like I spend too much of my time in opposition to things. I don't want it to be like that. It need not be so if we, the residents, were not invisible, if the planning process took into account a shared vision and pride for the area; not to preserve it in aspic or turn it into some kind of heritage museum, but to plan it in such a way that we can have stunning new build in keeping with a preserved Victorian/Edwardian past, the true name of our area on a beautiful old iron bridge, shop fronts preserved and a strategy to ensure diversity and independence of retailers, the places we could not save remembered properly.
Secondly, the businesses that seek to make money out of us should start to behave with some vestige of dignity. Paul Simon's antics including that crass and tacky poster shows utter contempt for us. The proliferation of estate agents boards over our buildings remind us that we are nothing but walking wallets. The betting/gaming shops that cluster on our high street see us as punters to be fleeced and shown the door when the cash runs out. The fast food joints that don't give a toss that our area is festooned with their packaging. The company who sells advertising on behalf of the council, drapes our lamp posts and every spare surface they can find with their exhortations to spend and make the area look tawdry and cheap.
Make no mistake, they could be different. Betting shops can be discreet and even serve Fair Trade coffee. McDonalds, as we all know, can design outlets that are tasteful with muted colours and low key adverts (not plastered on iconic buildings). In some neighbourhoods in Haringey putting up a shop front that is
not in keeping can result in you having to tear it all down again.
We are not wrong to want to see some restraint and moderation from business. We are right to complain about their utter lack of respect for us and our environment. I refuse to suffer some sort of woolley liberal embarrassment about my anger that my neighbourhood is festooned with visual pollution. I don't want
to be invisible to planners and strategists but in their face and getting them to see the neighbourhood in terms of its past and a strong future.
Time to start being seen and heard.
I've always appreciated the buildings, the stylings and the nature of the area but I had no idea of how old it was, why the streets were named as they were and all the other odds and sods of knowledge I have since acquired and like to bore visitors with as we stroll down Green Lanes, the Harringay Passage ("built over a sewer you know", "oh lovely...") and other delightful parts of the area.
As my knowledge grew thanks to Wikipedia, this site and the pooling of knowledge from its members, the shared photos and memories so did my pride in my neighbourhood and my wish to protect and celebrate it.
More than that I'm starting to want some respect for ( what remains of) the heritage of our area. Firstly, it feels like this area is invisible in the minds of the planners and strategists. When they are not reducing it to an electoral ward, they are changing its name to the name of the high street. They divide it up and seek to set one side against the other with all that Ladder v Gardens nonsense. They miss roads off and add areas in willy nilly. They allow shop fronts to be torn out without batting an eyelid and while they go out of their way to list a cattle trough in Highgate, they allow a tacky advert on our iconic railway bridge.
There is no plan to safeguard shops as they are trying to do in Crouch End, no will to restore Grand Parade in the way they worked on Windsor Terrace, no interest from the Civic Society or heritage groups in the rich (and mainly working class) history of the area in the 20th century.
Sometimes I feel like I spend too much of my time in opposition to things. I don't want it to be like that. It need not be so if we, the residents, were not invisible, if the planning process took into account a shared vision and pride for the area; not to preserve it in aspic or turn it into some kind of heritage museum, but to plan it in such a way that we can have stunning new build in keeping with a preserved Victorian/Edwardian past, the true name of our area on a beautiful old iron bridge, shop fronts preserved and a strategy to ensure diversity and independence of retailers, the places we could not save remembered properly.
Secondly, the businesses that seek to make money out of us should start to behave with some vestige of dignity. Paul Simon's antics including that crass and tacky poster shows utter contempt for us. The proliferation of estate agents boards over our buildings remind us that we are nothing but walking wallets. The betting/gaming shops that cluster on our high street see us as punters to be fleeced and shown the door when the cash runs out. The fast food joints that don't give a toss that our area is festooned with their packaging. The company who sells advertising on behalf of the council, drapes our lamp posts and every spare surface they can find with their exhortations to spend and make the area look tawdry and cheap.
Make no mistake, they could be different. Betting shops can be discreet and even serve Fair Trade coffee. McDonalds, as we all know, can design outlets that are tasteful with muted colours and low key adverts (not plastered on iconic buildings). In some neighbourhoods in Haringey putting up a shop front that is
not in keeping can result in you having to tear it all down again.
We are not wrong to want to see some restraint and moderation from business. We are right to complain about their utter lack of respect for us and our environment. I refuse to suffer some sort of woolley liberal embarrassment about my anger that my neighbourhood is festooned with visual pollution. I don't want
to be invisible to planners and strategists but in their face and getting them to see the neighbourhood in terms of its past and a strong future.
Time to start being seen and heard.
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Comment by Sapphireblue on October 27, 2008 at 1:11
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Go girl! Wow! I'm inspired....
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Comment by Hugh on October 27, 2008 at 8:43
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All, as you know, dear to my heart. (and thanks for the nod to my Wikipedia work). As for "Time to be seen & heard", any suggestions?
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Comment by Liz on October 27, 2008 at 9:38
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Well, this post was partly inspired by the suggestion that you, Hugh, were wrong to challenge McDonalds about their advert on the bridge and Eddie's visit to Paul Simon to suggest that their advert was showing a lack of respect. I don't think it is wrong to go direct to business and let them know that we are unhappy with their antics. I don't believe that they don't have responsibilty to the area, they don't believe it as they are perfectly capable of tailoring their outlets to fit in. Because of the way that the area is largely ignored by the powers that be until it is too late, they think they can behave without censure. I do hold the council partly responsible but not wholly. After all the Arena management have listened to residents and been sympathetic to complaints, so it can't always be laid at the councils door to sort out things.
As to planning, I think Rachel's suggestion that we need an SPD is right and of course the Harringay Charter must be a citizen led intiative. Personally, I think the GLSG should consider changing their name and start talking to the residents about a vision, not a 5 year plan.
And every time some tiresome bore says NIMBY to me because I question the planning or lack of it of something in my neighbourhood, I'm going to sigh, raise my eyes to heaven and completely IGNORE them.
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Comment by StephenBln on October 27, 2008 at 10:39
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Just to clarify.. IMO, Hugh wasn't wrong to mention the MacDonald's advert, BUT they (McD) weren't responsible for the decision to allow it on the bridge.
I agree, we are only at the beginning of a long journey.. but we've started .. I think it is also important to make the council aware that there are groups interested in the area and that they just can't go on with their 'we know best' attitudes on how the area should be known and what it should look like.
The council seem to have made the decision to protect the Haringey 'Trademark' and that means getting rid of the competition (Harringay), and that seems to go as far as not wanting recognise that HOL even exists.
Strangely, the council seems to have got its underwear in a twist on one point..
Harringay Passage was re-named at some point.. It was always known as Haringey Passage, at least as long as the Hornsey UDC existed and for some time after.
The reasoning behind this change, is I think, Hornsey UDC always wanted to promote its 'Haringey' as opposed to Tottenham's 'Harringay', but now the LB Haringey wants to demote the idea of 'Harringay' to just a name on an alleyway..
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Comment by Birdy_Too on October 27, 2008 at 12:06
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If the council wants to wipe out the area Harringay, where do we live, according to them?
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Green Lanes! .o)
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yes Eddie, I think we should name and shame those businesses that show disregard for our neighbourhood and let them know how we feel about their antics. Well done you for going into PS and giving 'em both barrels.
Steve, it is true that Mcdo aren't directly responsible for the advert on the bridge, it does no harm to let them know their name is mud for being so visible on it. They are trying to rebrand themselves and every little reminder to people that they are still behave in a tacky way in certain poorer neighbourhoods is a kick up their behind. It might also be hoped that Bay media and indirectly the council are warned that we are unhappy about their cavalier colonisation of our visual space.
Perhaps we did get off track with the junk food aspect but it was an effective tactic in Crouch End against KFC. The council should be embarrassed that they are promoting healthy eating in schools and then profiting from an enormous advert close to a primary school for the very food they are trying to discourage children from eating too much of. But maybe that is a different issue.
We need to fight for our name, we were here first, the name is littered through the history of the area (Harringay house), it is on documentation and images and on the transport history. We don't give up names for the convenience of bureacrats, that way leads to the eradication of a rich history and heritage which is only slowly being recovered.
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Comment by RuthE on October 27, 2008 at 12:30
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How can McD not be responsible for the advert on the bridge advertising themselves??? Its a drive-in McDs and this great big M with arrow on the bridge gives drivers good enough warning as they sit staring into space in traffic that they can turn right after the bridge and have some McD for their tea. The advert on the bridge is therefore advantageous to them, and nobody else.
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The advert on the bridge is therefore advantageous to them, and nobody else.
Ruth, not quite.. somebody made a lot of money out of McD by allowing them to advertise there..
I personally would be happier with a plain bridge without adverts.. also without the reminder, that you are now leaving Green Lanes (?) (BTW where's the German version?) Auf wiedersehen in Green Lanes.. :o)
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And McD must be making even more money - or trying to. Its blinkin hideous. Just realised there's an advert on both sides of the bridge - so depressing.
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