Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Mystery building beside Finsbury Park
Can anyone shed some light on a question that's been tickling my curiosity on-and-off for my three years of Harringay residency?
At the south-western edge of Finsbury Park, behind Lidl and beside the wooden huts and abandoned (?) play area, is a very large building that reminds me of images of old airship hangers.
Does anybody know what it is/was?
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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Its the ten pin bowling hall, no?
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Permalink Reply by Jacqui O'Beirne on
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isn't it the bowling alley lanes??
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Permalink Reply by Nick Hare on
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Your first reaction is not far off the mark though, since the space used to be a tram depot (see comments here). I don't however know whether the bowling alley repurposed the building or whether it was purpose-built - although the bowling lanes are aligned to the old tram tracks. No doubt someone on here will know!
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Permalink Reply by Jeremyb on
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The building first opened , on the site of a horse-tram depot, in 1910 as a roller-skating rink, then converted to the Finsbury Park Cinema in 1913, then became the Rink Cinema, then the Gaumont, then the Empress Ballroom (the Beatles appeared there in 1963), then the Top Rank Bingo Club, then bowling and snooker. Info from my book "Cinemas of Haringey- HHS 2010. (Still available- £9.99- ideal Christmas present, etc ....)!
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I knew it! This place is amazing. Underneath, is it the same Victorian (or Edwardian?) building? Is there hidden tilework somewhere, or a miraculously-preserved laundry room, or anything?
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I've never had the chance to look around inside, but I very much doubt there's anything left from the old days. The decorative entrance foyer in Seven Sisters Road (which was built as a separate cinema, then later joined up with the Rink) was unfortunately demolished and replaced by the LIDL store some years ago...
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Permalink Reply by JJ B on
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Yup the interesting period buildings including the lovely pub are going to be victims of developers speculative flats and tesco metro syndrome and the area will be all the poorer for it. Instead of integrating these into an innoative scheme they plan to rip the heart out of the place and replicate the glass and steel flats pooping up everywhere.
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