Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Just moved to Turnpike Lane (off Westbury Avenue) and found out we are having a baby. Do we run???
Hi all,
Having discovered this site I am feeling slightly horrified about the thought of being pregnant or having baby in Turnpike Lane. My mother and I bought a 2 bed flat on Hawke Park Road about five years ago and lived there with mates whilst at uni. I loved the grittiness of the area and the convenience of Wood Green shops/lovely Turkish food 24/7. Since moving out in 2010 I have lived in Islington and loved it. I lived with my parents and of course can't afford to stay in the area although we'd love to.
Having recently gotten married, my hubby and I decided to give Turnpike Lane a go and moved a couple of weeks ago. He has embraced the area for what it is and thinks it has potential, I on the other hand, have been miserable, especially since finding out I was pregnant and feeling a constant overwhelming urge to get the hell outa there.
The immediate area seems to have gone further downhill since I lived there before. Within a week of moving in we had police round asking if we had seen or heard the Sunday night shooting in Sirdar road, our neighbour had his bike stolen from outside our house despite having had two sturdy locks on it, and my husband had to remove a junky needle from the front garden. We also have a prostitute who operates metres from our house in broad daylight.
Perhaps I am hormonal and anxious and extra paranoid but it would be really great to get some positive feedback about the area. I need some locals to send positive vibes my way, I really don't want to hate where I live!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by 3dabemynv2wyk on
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Hi Zindzi
Not sure if you're in N15 (not that we're too fussy!) but the Tottenham NCT is a lovely, small friendly group of local parents and parents-to-be who are very supportive. You don't have to be a member to join the forums and come to the meetings, morning teas and events : )
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Permalink Reply by byl999 on
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Hi Zindzi,
I'm going to be honest and TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND RUN. Pretty much everyone on this forum (or who have replied here) have ulterior motives: they want more 'nice' people living there to continue the transformation of the area, so they blindly say "it's great here!" even though they have to excuse the fact there have been shootings, prostitutes, drugs, gangs, stabbings ETC.
I nearly bought a flat in Turnpike Lane, but couldn't shake the feeling i felt really in danger there. I actually moved to Summerhill Road in Seven Sisters in the end, and thank the day that i came here not Turnpike Lane ... Although i myself would leave London the moment i got pregnant. (Unless i could somehow afford to be in a safer Borough like Islington, where i lived prior to moving here).
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Permalink Reply by Milda Rami on
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Really? I can't agree. Much prefer our current road to the ladder. Less traffic, less dodgy people rummaging bins, less suspicious door to door sellers, neighbours that actually smile and say hello, lots of lovely old nosy ladies, I could go on! I feel safer here too - we got burgled one day after moving to the ladder! I'm staying put :)
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Hi Zindzi,
Congratulations on your happy news.
I really like it around here. As you say, there's a fair bit of grittiness, but there's plenty of good to go with the bad. Amongst the good, I would definitely include:
- Parks, loads of them.
- Good shops, friendly shopkeepers.
- A feeling of community - hard to define and tricky to pin down, but for me it's definitely there - this blog being a prime example.
- Cheap, (for now). Congratulations on getting onto the property ladder. Watch as the value of that flat rises!
- Great transport links. Places like Stoke Newington and Crouch End are indeed lovely, but they're much less easy to get to / from.
Secondly, beware the old 'grass is greener' thing. Borough crime statistics are imperfect, given the size of the area that each one covers, but it's worth noting that in 2011/12 there were more violent / drug crimes in Islington than in Haringey. http://www.theguardian.com/uk/datablog/2012/apr/12/ukcrime
Finally, don't worry about this being a 'now or never' moment. Give it a year or so and see how you feel. If you have misgivings, then it won't be too late to try somewhere else.
Hope you give it a go.
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Permalink Reply by Natalie Darlison on
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I am in the process of purchasing a flat in Turnpike Lane - On Carlingford Road.
I have lived on Wightman Road for 5 years ... Everyone raves about living on the ladder, and it has it's pros and cons. In 5 years, there were warnings of a rapist (which for me was worrying as I worked in the local and would have to walk up seymour road at 3am on weekends), a shooting across the road and living next door to some very questionable people - including a complete smack head who persisted to play Bruno Mars from 11pm - 8am on a weeknight ... oh and a mysterious disappearance of my laptop. However, this is over the course of 5 years and aside from this the majority of the people are lovely, the markets are great and after one housemate has been involved in some of the art schemes we've discovered a lot that the community have been doing to try to better Haringey. And although there has been it's negatives, not a single person I know in the area or lived with had any personal bad/violent experiences ...
When looking to move, we spent a lot of time walking around Haringey borough ... all the way to Tottenham. Personally we really liked Turnpike Lane ... around Downhills Park. When the flat originally fell through, we then looked at Seven Sisters, which in some parts wasn't too bad - but wasn't our preferred choice.
What I did notice, is that one street to the next can vary so much. I think it will really depend on your neighbours - we spent a lot of time checking the upkeep of the road, walking around at different times of the day and night and trying to find the parts that are a bit dodgey (to avoid).
I think if you are going to walk around Turnpike Lane at 3am, through dark alleys or through parks on your own, then you are, of course, going to be putting yourself in danger.
Admittedly I haven't experienced Turnpike Lane Tube so much and my housemate seems to think it's not that nice at night and gets a lot of drug offers ... But it's probably because of how he looks! haha!
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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This discussion has led me to post this one. (Posted elsewhere so as not to sidetrack this thread)
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Good point! The area I am moving to is South Tottenham.
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Permalink Reply by empyrean_aisles on
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I have no ulterior motive in replying to this thread to try and "keep other nice people in the area" (although that would be a good byproduct) - rather I would like to reassure someone who is going through what can be the horrendous physical/hormonal/emotional ups and downs of pregnancy that yes, not only is it possible to raise children in this area but there are some wonderful things about doing so.
I have a toddler and a baby, and I have to say that once I had the first one, a whole lot of child-friendly things came leaping out of the woodwork at me that I had simply not noticed before. Others have mentioned most of them:
- the children's centres (Woodlands Park is lovely; the Ladder Children's Centre is also very good) and playgroups (Burghley Road is close to you)
- the children's sections of the local libraries (my toddler went to a free craft activity at one the other day and had a great time)
- amazing parks (check out the sound garden attached to the main playground at Chestnuts)
- child-friendly cafes, including of course Blend (toys! change table in the loo! fabulous owners who welcome buggies!) and Lemon (their chilled-out serving staff won't raise an eyebrow if your child decides to be difficult)
- but most of all: *there are heaps and heaps of other people with babies and small children in this area*, and that means there are people out there who will be your friends, and whose children will be your child's friends, and who will reassure you that you are not the only one going through difficulties and will pass on handy tips such as childminders who have free spaces, and you will learn about awesome things like the children's theatre at Jacksons Lane. You can't really know how important this is until you actually have the kid and are flailing about looking for moral support from people who are going through the same nappy/sleeping/toilet-training woes you are. And, if you drag yourself to enough of the playgroups/NCT teas/children's centre activities, you will eventually find those people for yourself.
So, I hope this is heartening. Most of all be assured that lots of other people are raising children in this area and are making it work.
(One thing I will happily admit is crap, and that is the Laurels health centre, where the health visiting/BCG vaccination team are unfailingly rude and may make you weep. But once you get over the few mandated encounters with them, you need no longer worry
)
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Hi, it's natural to feel sensitive to these things when you are pregnant and you have to go with your instincts to a certain extent.
Here are my hints for coping
1. Choose where you go and at what time - don't shop in Wood Green (or anywhere) on Saturday afternoons, don't go to the parks alone when it's quiet, pick a time when the dog-walkers are around.
2. Join the NCT and visit Burghley Road. You will make lasting friendships and get advice and support on being a parent.
3. Walk through the numerous green passages and paths to get to your location.
4. Remember that all areas in London have a gritty side and it's just a sad part of life
5. Get involved in change - do something for your community and surroundings.
6. If you do move out, be prepared to move back because you will! London is like nowhere else when children reach primary school age. It has so much to offer.
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Permalink Reply by GillianM on
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It does sound like you've got some pretty unpleasant stuff going on around you, and I really can't comment on your particular area since we are further down green lanes BUT I would echo what others have said about meeting other people with children. There really is a whole other world out there of nice people just like you who you only discover are all around when you have a baby. And there are loads of ways of meeting people. So, stick it out for now, see how you feel in a year or two and have to start thinking about nurseries and schools :-) Congratulations by the way!
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