New Hornsey Historical Society Book with chapter on Harringay

The new book's front cover with an image showing the archive room in the Society's Old Schoolhouse HQ building.

Next month, the Hornsey Historical Society is publishing an illustrated 150+ page A4 book with an eclectic collection of short pieces about the history of Hornsey and surrounding areas.  

Originally planned for publication in 2021, to celebrate the Society's 50th anniversary year, 100 Stories From The Archive includes stories from Harringay, Hornsey, Crouch End, Wood Green, Muswell Hill, Stroud Green, Highgate and Alexandra Palace. The common denominator between the stories is that each one is based on an artefact held in the Historical Society's impressive archive,

With almost 30,000 items recorded on the catalogue, the collection encompasses:

• Books, booklets, periodicals, newspapers ands articles
• Documents, manuscripts, original typescript, title deeds and other property documents
• Maps and plans
• Paintings, drawings and sketches
• Ephemera such as leaflets, posters, programmes, exhibition material, tickets and wrappers
• Photographs an d postcards
• Letters and e-mails
• Small three-dimensional objects
  

Thirteen writers contributed stories to this book. The tireless editor, Janet Owen, worked to ensure that a representative range of archive items formed its basis. 

The stories are told area by area. I was asked to write the chapter of stories on Harringay. Whilst the range of archival material to choose from for Harringay is not as extensive as it is for other neighbourhoods, I was able to find plenty of intriguing items to research and, I hope, bring to life. Articles on Harringay cover subjects ranging from aspects of Harringay House to our neighbourhood's role in the rise of the Black Power movement.

100 Stories From The Archive will be published in early November. The expected selling price is £24.99 (20% discount for members - if you're not already a member, you can join via the HHS website).

As you can imagine, a book of this size is not cheap for the Society to produce. So, to avoid placing a burden on this small, non-profit making charity's very limited resources, there will be a limited print run. To secure your copy you can order it in advance.( What a great Christmas gift for anyone who's interested in our area!)

When published, the book  will be available to purchase:

• at: hornseyhistorical.org.uk
• by post from the Old Schoolhouse, 136 Tottenham Lane, Hornsey, London N8 7E
• in person the Old Schoolhouse

If you would like to order a copy in advance or be notified when the book is published please email info@hornseyhistorical.org.uk .

The Old Schoolhouse building. Erected in 1848 as Hornsey Infants’ School, the current building is the school room where 80-100 children were taught. The remainder of the school was demolished

For many years, the building served as a run-down bus shelter and public toilet. Then, from October 1981, the building was leased by Haringey Council to the Society and became a base for its activities. A physical HQ is a rarity among local history societies, and the arrangement provides a home for the unique archive.