Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Are You Proud to Live in Harringay?
Well, maybe, maybe not, but I think many of us kinda love the old sod. I may have been shown to be a bit of historical romantic for hankering after the name Harringay Park for the Ladder, but what's happening to our area/ town's name?
The sign on the bridge at Green Lanes, Harringay station used to welcome people to Harringay (I seem to remember). Now people are welcomed to Green Lanes. Small wrtitng on the margins offers the names Harringay & St Ann's.
Whilst it may not be make or break, I believe that symbols like this do have a particular importance in supporting or working against community building. It's almost as if the sense of Harringay is being diluted.
I, for one, would like this changed so that the Harringay identity is reinforced. I'm not sure why it was done this way and am trying to find out. Was it perhaps a desire to avoid confusion with the borough name or a particular group's voice being set above all residents. Should we have been consulted about the sign?
Haringey Council's website has this to say:
New Green Lanes gateway celebrated
Wednesday 20 December 2006
Local residents, traders and councillors came together with local MP David Lammy and GLA member Joanne McCartney to celebrate an extensive facelift for the 'new-look' railway bridge in Green Lanes.
The Green Lanes Bridge is the landmark gateway to the area. Improvements include new lighting and landscaping of embankments and the approach to the Green Lanes station, new litter bins, a "deep clean", graffiti removal, "pigeon-proofing" and changing the layout to deter graffiti in the future.
The bridge has also been "branded" to welcome visitors and residents alike, in four local community languages, and the project completed with new trees and hanging baskets.
"The transformation has been dramatic - making the area around the bridge cleaner, safer and a fantastic welcome gateway to the area. I would like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work and commitment".
David Lammy MP said:
"This is a fantastic example of the Council working together with local businesses and residents to improve their community and make their area a safer and better place to live".
The project was spearheaded by local Green Lanes Strategy Group, bringing together traders, residents and local agencies, and Haringey's Neighbourhood Management Service. It was completed in six months, with £100,000 funding from single regeneration budget programmes plus contributions from Haringey Council and Wildemore Properties, the developers of the adjoining Arena site.
See any mention of Harringay? Feel you were "brought together" by it? It was done in your name.
And it's not just the Council's site doing this. Look, for example, at the London Tourism site. All areas of Haringey that are mentioned are referred to by name with the exception of Harringay, which is just called Green Lanes.
The sign on the bridge at Green Lanes, Harringay station used to welcome people to Harringay (I seem to remember). Now people are welcomed to Green Lanes. Small wrtitng on the margins offers the names Harringay & St Ann's.
Whilst it may not be make or break, I believe that symbols like this do have a particular importance in supporting or working against community building. It's almost as if the sense of Harringay is being diluted.
I, for one, would like this changed so that the Harringay identity is reinforced. I'm not sure why it was done this way and am trying to find out. Was it perhaps a desire to avoid confusion with the borough name or a particular group's voice being set above all residents. Should we have been consulted about the sign?
Haringey Council's website has this to say:
New Green Lanes gateway celebrated
Wednesday 20 December 2006
Local residents, traders and councillors came together with local MP David Lammy and GLA member Joanne McCartney to celebrate an extensive facelift for the 'new-look' railway bridge in Green Lanes.
The Green Lanes Bridge is the landmark gateway to the area. Improvements include new lighting and landscaping of embankments and the approach to the Green Lanes station, new litter bins, a "deep clean", graffiti removal, "pigeon-proofing" and changing the layout to deter graffiti in the future.
The bridge has also been "branded" to welcome visitors and residents alike, in four local community languages, and the project completed with new trees and hanging baskets.
"The transformation has been dramatic - making the area around the bridge cleaner, safer and a fantastic welcome gateway to the area. I would like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work and commitment".
David Lammy MP said:
"This is a fantastic example of the Council working together with local businesses and residents to improve their community and make their area a safer and better place to live".
The project was spearheaded by local Green Lanes Strategy Group, bringing together traders, residents and local agencies, and Haringey's Neighbourhood Management Service. It was completed in six months, with £100,000 funding from single regeneration budget programmes plus contributions from Haringey Council and Wildemore Properties, the developers of the adjoining Arena site.
See any mention of Harringay? Feel you were "brought together" by it? It was done in your name.
And it's not just the Council's site doing this. Look, for example, at the London Tourism site. All areas of Haringey that are mentioned are referred to by name with the exception of Harringay, which is just called Green Lanes.
Tags for Forum Posts: council, glsg, harringay bridge, harringay name, identity, sign, visual character
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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The 'Green Lanes' label comes from the 'strategy group' working with local traders on an 'improvement' programme jolted into action by investment into the Arena Trading Estate. The money spent on the so-called facelift around the train station & bridge may well have come (at least in part) from the company that owns the Arena Trading Estate as part of their planning application.
The council has made a big deal out of nothing in my opinion as visually it's difficult to see a significant improvement and certainly it's not enough to create a huge fanfare.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Just found this discussion about the bridge which links in with remarks made in other forums about their disappointment with the makeover of the bridge and its message.
As we have discovered recently, people are very proud of their little corner of North London and I think you are absolutely right to deplore the way Harringay is an after thought on the bridge. Green Lanes is a very long road. That bridge is not the gateway into Green Lanes, it is the gateway into Harringay and should say so.
(You also highlighted a 'Time out' article about places to live in London that referred to this area as 'Green Lanes'. Shame on the press and their laziness)
I'm sure this site is doing a lot to remind the council and others that this is Harringay and proud of it. The identity of this community should not be diluted or dismissed as 'Crouch End wannabe' (quote from Daily Telegraph). It has a history and a culture of its own and should be celebrated.
Where ever we find this kind of indifference to our area we should complain and complain and complain...
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The man on the very left of the above photo heads up the company Wildemore Properties that owns Arena Trading estate (or at least redeveloped it). I met him when he kindly agreed to fund our street party a few years ago.
I remember now, he turned up on a moped. Very cool.
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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"The transformation has been dramatic"?? Come on! They just painted the bridge. Btw, would "Green Lanes Bridge" be a suitable new name? ;D
Don't they realize that Green Lanes is looooong, and it's connecting all the greens - hence the name?
And why does it no say Welcome to Green Lanes in my native language? I live here too. Just an observation...
Lazy!
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I agree Anette, there is a distinct lack of flair to the makeover.
How about a nice Banksy? Good enough for Brad Pitt...:D
http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm
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Hey, what's good enough for Brad...
Liz, get real. A Banksy would mean someone would probably nick the whole bridge, and then where would we be? It would mean severe disruption to the Gospel Oak - Barking line. And no Welkcome to Green Lanes sign.
I think that was a very irresponsible suggestion, and I am praying Banksy is not on here getting ideas...
If he is here though, he can do my front door!
Would you say this is off topic? :D
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Maybe but then a little 'creative brainstorming' about what we could have instead wouldn't go amiss, as, although Hugh posted this on the 6th December, no one in the picture above (or their representatives) have chosen to answer Hugh's criticism of the makeover or his question as to why the sign welcomes you to 'Green Lanes' (when as you point out Green lanes is a v long road).
The point is it should say 'Welcome to Harringay' and it doesn't and nobody thought to consult about what the bridge should look like (a few ideas in the foyer of Sainsbury's as they did with the New River walk and an opportunity to comment would have been a good idea) and now we are hard pressed to find anyone who has a good word to say for it in terms of how it represents the area. I mean, what is wrong with asking people what they want?
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Permalink Reply by Penny A on
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Penny here, and I agree that they have inflated their achievement with 'dramatic transformation'. I personally 'hate' that bridge hoarding - its boring, corporate and says nothing distinctive about Harringay, oh and its a horrible gray dirty colour!. Liz, I have always thought that 'painting the bridge' should be offered as a commission to a local artist with the brief of reflecting the local area. Wouldn't that be grand and a bit of publicity for Harringey council - a community orientated artist would probably do it for a couple of thousand pounds.
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I think that would be an excellent idea. Local artists could submit their ideas and perhaps residents would be allowed to express a preference. (The Banksy ideas wasn't serious, don't think we could afford him these days!).
Wonder if we could shoehorn it into the Local Charter?
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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