Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Charming photo of children in the Wild Garden at Finsbury Park c1915
Sent home to Switzerland in 1915, this postcard shows an area of the park that doesn't seem to have much recorded history. I can't find it in Hugh Hayes' frustratingly unindexed book, nor anywhere else. It must be recorded somewhere. I believe the location may have been between where the Athletics track is now located and Green Lanes,
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Comment by Carrie on November 7, 2025 at 8:41
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Great photo, thanks for sharing, would love to have more info on this.
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Comment by PaulG on November 13, 2025 at 14:46
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What makes you say that, Hugh? To my mind this path is highly reminiscent of that running between the Mackenzie Gardens and the lake.
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Comment by Hugh on November 13, 2025 at 15:39
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Could be, Paul. I hoped I'd made it clear that I'm not sure where it is. Any suggestions are very welcome.
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I didn't suggest you had expressed certainty, Hugh: I was merely expressing curiousity about your thoughts regarding its possible location, because I couldn't think of a similar-looking path (or the remnants of one) on the eastern slopes. If I remember next time I'm there I will take some photos on the path I have suggested and see how they compare with this image, then report back.
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Thanks, Paul. That would be great.
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Comment by Victor Farthing 5 hours ago
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Hugh was the wild garden renamed the American Garden which was on the New River side of the park towards the gate entrance Endymion Rd.
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Victor, I'm afraid I can't say with any authority.
As far as I'm aware the American Garden was always called that and was part of the original design. It was being referred to in the local press by at least as early as the 1880s. My guess is that the postcard is c1910.
On a quick flick-through the Hugh Hayes book on Finsbury Park (sadly it's not indexed), I can't find any mention of the Wild Garden. In fact this post-card is the only mention I've ever seen of it.
It may be that it was a short-lived term or an invention of the postcard publisher.
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