Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Langham Road, Turnpike Lane
I'm brand new to this forum - just joined as my husband and I are looking at properties in this area. We moved from New York and looking for properties around here as the prices seem much more reasonable than the Ladder and near Finsbury Park/Stroud Green. I recently viewed a 3 Bedroom property on Langham Road which was absolutely lovely with a garden. The area seems fine with a bunch of Turkish Shops, Tesco Local, etc. near the area and not far from the Ladder.
However, my co-workers have mentioned that it's a rough area and they have friends who have been burgled near Turnpike Lane. They also mentioned that the area has a reputation for being infested with vermin (rats, mice, and roaches).
Reading online mentions about the area haven't been great either. They all mention the Riots, shootings, stabbings (and they usually mention Langham Road). However, visiting the area, I didn't get that impression at all.
I'm wondering if things have changed over the past few years and what it's like to live there now in 2014, how you see the future of the area, if there are any developments, local shops opening, quality of primary schools, community feeling, etc. I just need reassurance that it would be safe to walk home at night from the station alone and that our kids would be safe. Is it up and coming and are there signs of that?
Many thanks,
The New Yorker in London
Tags for Forum Posts: what's harringay like?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
-
Rats, roaches, mice? Get a cat. I didn't think the riots touched Turnpike Lane. It's also had sustrans spend a lot on the streets there, nicer than the ladder in that respect. I thought the problem there was unfettered overdevelopment. Hutches in backyards, extensions that block out light etc.
-
Permalink Reply by Philip on
-
My wife and I have lived in Langham for over five years. Thanks to urban regeneration, the roads etc have been improved and traffic calmed parks improved etc. We are both active 60+ people and are constantly driving and using public transport etc and have never feared to walk anywhere at any time(but of course taking reasonable precautions) Wood Green shopping City is not very nice, but the fact that that there are major supermarkets nearby plus the wealth of restaurants and child friendly new cafes in Green Lanes make it an up and coming suburb. Langham Road itself is quiet and clean with very little traffic flow. It is a CPZ(controlled parking zone) You pay an annual fee(about £120) to park your car in the street but this means there is plenty of parking. Our back garden backs onto opposing gardens so there is a swathe of green in summer and we have never had problems with noise etc. The street is a mixed demographic with white collar renters, family, Turkish, English, Asian you name it! Personally one of the things I like about the fairly large Muslim population is the distinct lack of drunkenness or noisy parties! A peaceful and relaxing street and one growing in popularity
-
Permalink Reply by SarahC on
-
I live one block behind Langham Road in an ex-council flat and have been here about 7 years. When I first moved here I had much the same perception of the area as your co-workers, and only really moved here because I could buy a cheap flat near the tube.
However, I'd say that over the past few years the area has changed a lot and various local initiatives such as DIY Streets and the Turnpike Art Group have reflected this. I think the area is on an upward trajectory economically - the people I see in the streets are younger and more affluent than a few years ago: families in what was previously bedsitland. And, while gentrification is a bit of a double-edged sword, it's definitely good to see signs of life behind the boarded-up shops of West Green Road - the opening of a nice Italian cafe is a good sign.
It's still rough - there have been shootings and stabbings on West Green Road recently – but the Ladder and Finsbury Park have always seemed much the same. The only thing that's happened to me locally in 7 years was being flashed at once in broad daylight. I've had no issues walking home from the tube at night - there are usually quite a lot of people walking down that way.
I might be more wary about the safety of children and know nothing at all about the schools, though I get the impression there's quite a good community around them, so no doubt other people can advise you better. All I can suggest is to spend as much time as you can walking around at different times of day to get a balanced impression.
-
-
Hi, I've lived in the area for 30 years and think it's defo improved much in that time. Crime is the same in most places in London. Things happen everywhere, you just have to be careful. Primary schools are good in the area but I'm not sure about the secondary schools... The location is ideal though, close to the tube, buses and shops which come in handy. If you need to live in zone 3 for work reasons then langham road is a good road in a nice area.
-
Permalink Reply by Friedrich Ernst on
-
The School;s in this area all good ,Belmont primary lost his outstandig to good ,but former Langham secondary schoo; is now mutch better park view acdemie.
-
-
Very very true. The area seemed nice to me but I'm also not living there and have only visited a few times, hence why I wanted to get feedback from the locals. It seems like there's a great community based on the fast replies already...the more the merrier
-
-
All these Americans coming to live here. Sadly I suspect that this will not be upsetting to the average UKIP voter. ;)
-
-
Rules of London property
1. Some people will slag off every area of London except Fulham, Wimbledon, St John's Wood, Hampstead, Kingston etc. It's not that they are wrong, but it's a bit pointless advising someone to only consider places they can't afford. I suspect your co workers may be in this group.
2. In London you can spent £750K plus on a house and still find you have dirty, noisy streets, street crime and rodents.
3. If a place is known to be up and coming, it's already expensive. People still talk about Hackney and Clapton as up and coming and they have had £1M+houses for years. The real up and coming places are the ones most people still consider sh*tholes even after visting ;)
4. Unless they will be privately educated, the state of the local state schools is going to have more effect on your kids than the walk from the station.
You can see from this site plenty of people live and raise kids here happily. But there are also plenty of people who would rather buy a house outside London and have 3 hours a day commuting than live in any of the London suburbs in their price range. You probably need to decide where on that scale you are :).
-
-
Well put!
Just to add: I heard a mixture of things about the area (i.e. Harringay, the Gardens and Turnpike Lane) before moving here a long while back. It was very nicely described to me as the "Manor House Ghetto".
The vast majority of it was sensationalized or ill-informed rumour and I found the area was no worse than anywhere else I'd lived (actually, it felt safer than Camden, which is where I'd moved from), and I think the area is nicer now than it was then anyway
. One of the rougher parts of London it is definitely not!
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
