Harringay Grove

By John Hinshelwood and Stephen Rigg

Harringay Grove, like some of the roads on Lords Grove Estate, is one of the few road in Harringay to have completely disappeared. The Turnpike Lane and Wightman Road junction was radically redesigned in the 1970s, sweeping away the old Picture Palace building and creating a new estate of tower blocks. This new estate built over the old Harringay Grove and Denmark Road, which were created by the 1890s as turnings off Turnpike Lane. This corner of Harringay is perhaps often regarded as part of Turnpike Lane , however, in the 1890s when Hornsey first created its North Harringay Ward these roads were definitely part of the new Ward.

The tower blocks have long gone and the present day Denmark Road estate, opposite the end of Sydney Road, has been created using low profile buildings around two cul-de-sacs but the name of Harringay Grove has disappeared.

The road layout of Wightman road has been significantly widened to provide a better access to Hornsey Park Road and all the old houses that fronted onto Turnpike Lane have gone. The Denmark Road estate is now contained behind a wall along Wightman Road, with only one road access beside the Greek Cypriot Women’s Organisation building; in that sense it has been largely closed off from the rest of North Harringay.

The site of Harringay Grove, on what is now the Denmark Road Estate, is a cul-de-sac with only a pedestrian access from Turnpike Lane, which leads up to the New River.