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 Hugh on
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I just watched a 2005 documentary on Harringay and in it they had a pictur eof the bridge.
a) It looked pretty dire - shabby and grafitti covered.
b) It definitely said "Welcome to Harringay"
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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I would like to know the thinking behind their decision to 'rename' the bridge and it is a shame that no one actually on the GLSG have answered this discussion. (in contrast, for example to the discussions on Finsbury park, where those involved have been only too happy to engage). It leaves us merely speculating about the reasons. My guess is that the events that led to the setting up of the GLSG saw them wanting to give Green Lanes a more positive image as a shopping street rather than the home of organised crime (not quite Upper Street, but you know what I mean). I don't think the banner has worked and in the process they have diluted down the message that the bridge is the gateway to Harringay. Linking this to the discussion about the 'neighbourhoods' page on the Haringey website elsewhere on the site, all they have succeeded in doing is confusing people, particularly 'outsiders'. It is hard to build neighbourhood pride around 'Green Lanes' since most of us don't live on it but we all live in Harringay and it is from that angle that things like a local charter etc. can help to engender civic pride.
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I believe if you were to pan down, you would find me staggering home from the Old Ale Emporium underneath it :D
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It's grotty, but there's something attractive about the honest Victorian ironwork. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to create a grafitti barrier.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Is it true the original banner said " HARRINGAY - YOU'RE WELCOME TO IT " ?
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