John Hinshelwood takes us on a journey into the history of Harringay

Local historian John Hinshelwood

John has been living in Haringey for the past 26 years. While this may seem like a long time for most of us, his family connections to the area actually go back to early 20th century. His father was born in Pemberton Road, later on in life, he moved back to Haringey from Kings Cross.

John is not only an active member of the community of Haringey, but has also contributed to the accumulation of Harringay’s history.  Therefore, his life as well as his research into the local history of Harringay, provides us with interesting insights into how Haringey came to be the neighbourhood we know. His short book “How Haringey Happened” is a must read for everyone who will feel inspired by this article and want to learn more about the roots of their neighbourhood.

Despite remembering the violent times of the area, John loves Haringey now. Haringey is cosmopolitan, lively and convenient. Underlining that there are nice people and nice houses in Harringay he says “I can’t think of anywhere else to live”. Besides the obvious advantages, John now feels he stays connected to the area through his grandchildren.

So is this why he has decided to research the area’s history? Well, he gives us numerous reasons. Alongside the fact that he is living in and loving Haringey, the fact that his family connections to Haringey go back for decades and that it is overlooked for its historical value are more than enough for him to be curious of its past.

Harringay has the first shopping parade built in London

Thus, a conversation with John is bound to reveal interesting insights. He tells us that the Grand Parade opened in 1910, as the first purpose built shopping parade in London.

Obviously, finding the resources to provide a detailed modern history of Haringey was quite difficult. John used the Haringey Horticultural Society’s resources, newspapers, archives, the London Metropolitan Archives, and the Haringey Council planning department building control section, Drainage records. He points to Alan Aris as one of the most helpful sources. Aris has completed a study in University of Birkbeck on the building of the Haringey ladder. Bryan Williams was also helpful for John. However, he was cautious against not relying solely on personal memories, and basing his study on documents and archives.

And so the story begins…

Harringay as a district came to life around 1880. The formation of Harringay was initially formed due to the pressure of the housing expansion in Islington, Hackney. For 20 years, says John, Harrringay was a building site. It was with the stations, the race track opening in the 1930s that Harringay became more known. They even say Harringay developed because of the bus route 29, that connected the neighbourhood with central London.

Initially a predominantly British neighbourhood, Harringay housed the ambitious upper working/semi middle class. In the 1970s however, Greek Cypriots started coming and settling in the area, where until then West Indians used to dominate. This is the cycle of neighbourhoods says John, highlighting that neighbourhoods experience a constant transformation of their population. After the Greeks, the Turks, then the Polish started to arrive to the region. Thus, the area experienced a constant transformation in its population.

To find out more about this history, How Harringay Happened has become the source to fall back on. Another way is to join John’s short urban history walks that he leads during local festivals. His next project is to research a new area that is still close to Green Lanes. Looking at the three wards between Hornsey and Tottenham, John is planning to focus on the Tottenham ward.