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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Mystery Door on Beresford Road

Calling all architecture sleuths...

There is a house near the bottom of Beresford Road that I walk past every day, which has an extra door.  Not a side door or anything, but an extra door RIGHT NEXT to the front door.  I've taken a picture from Google Maps to show what I mean.  And it's the only house on the street with a mysterious bonus door. 

 

 

So where does it lead?  Does it lead to a strange, thin house sandwiched between the other two?  Does it lead to an abandoned passageway?  Or does it lead to the bottomless pit from which none may return? 

Do you live in the house next door to the door?  Do you live IN the strange thin house to which it leads?

Crazed speculation is of course just as welcome as hard facts.  Does anyone else think we should get it sealed off with holy water and a pentagram - just to make sure?

 

Tags for Forum Posts: denchfield, harringay mysteries, history of harringay

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Permalink Reply by Nick Hare on March 5, 2011 at 17:41

Mystery solved!  Well done, John D.  Seems, however, that this is the tip of the iceberg.  Now we also have the mystery of the 'rival' 103 Beresford Roads, the hitherto-undiscovered thriving industrial estate sandwiched between Effingham and Beresford Road, and the 'sandwich house' on Glenwood Road. 

 

John D - was the door just 'open' or did you come to it from the other side?

Permalink Reply by John D on March 5, 2011 at 18:00

There is a " To Let " board on the premises so as a potential tenant ( yeah right ) I thought it OK to take a look. A gentle shove opened the door.

 

Isn't the " industrial estate " actually Lightworks lighting fittings and electrical outlet ?

Permalink Reply by GK/OD on March 5, 2011 at 22:30
Only thing I don`t understand is the letterbox with something clearly stuck in when I google mapped the address. You can only partially see it in Nicks because of his constructed arrow.
Permalink Reply by Flower on March 5, 2011 at 22:42

A bit more Beresford/Effingham history.


A friend of mine many years ago lived on the "present day access" in Effingham Road (No. 124?).  Sometime during the 70s/80s she was driven down the street to find that their house had been demolished.  Presumably this was to give Medlocks (the factory behind at the time) wider access from/to Effingham Road.  The marks of the boundary of that house can still be seen on Google.


I have seen that Medlocks now have shops on Green Lanes from the Beresford side.  When I lived in Beresford (40s/60s) about half a dozen shops along Green Lanes from the Beresford side there was an opening (about stagecoach size) going upwards from Green Lanes.  From what I've seen this has now been blocked off.  I can't say whether this joined up with the Medlock factory site.  On Google it does look as though there is a connection from there to the site.  Perhaps this is the back entrance to their shops.


And to think of the thousands of times I must have walked past but never noticed that 'extra' door! 


Permalink Reply by John D on March 5, 2011 at 22:50
Medlocks, yes, not Lightworks - sorry
MrsBaldwinPermalink Reply by MrsBaldwin on March 6, 2011 at 13:04
What an interesting thread!  Great detective work HoL-ers.
Permalink Reply by wholepint on March 7, 2011 at 15:21
How strange! I've never even noticed this and I also walk past nearly every day.
NinotPermalink Reply by Ninot on March 11, 2011 at 8:13
separate entrance to upstairs flat?
Permalink Reply by Julia Richards-Davies on March 13, 2011 at 10:31

I have exactly the same arrangement on my own house. It is a side passage to the garden, enclosed within the house wall, with a room above.

There is another house on my road with the same set up.

I am informed it was probably put in as access for builders while the street was under construction, then incorporated into the house on completion.

It is most useful as I have an extra study room above as well as a built in 'shed' and access to the rear for building/gardening work. My neighbour has incorporated hers into the house as a utility room.

Permalink Reply by Julia Richards-Davies on March 13, 2011 at 10:41

This is my house. See the door to the right of the front door...the private access to the back.

Note lack of letterbox.

Amusingly my neighbour with the similar set up has a letterbox (into her utility room as it is now). She still gets fliers and taxi cards shoved through despite her kids putting a very clear notice on the door stating 'this is not a door'.......

james walshPermalink Reply by james walsh on March 13, 2011 at 11:37
Julia* 'This is not a door' is a wonderful sign to post on a door. I passed a sign on the A303 near Chicklade with a canvas cover over it which read 'This sign is not in use'.
Permalink Reply by HarringayBirder on September 4, 2014 at 22:26

Many,  many years ago in Brighton I passed daily graffiti which read

If you notice this notice you'll notice this notice is not worth noticing

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