Green Lanes - A Multicultural street

Harringay Green Lanes, once a thoroughfare for cattle being driven from Hertfordshire to Smithfield market, now a sumptuous mix of Victorian architecture and traditional Turkish Ocakbasi(open grill) restaurants and an array of other cosmopolitan flavours.

From the late-18th century till the mid-20th, Harringay, with its large open, green spaces, was also a favourite spot for “Londoners” to escape from the city at the weekend. Now it is increasingly becoming part of the city, at only 5.5 miles to the city centre, young professionals have already started to migrate to the area.  There are various reasons for the change but train connections across London are more than likely one of the most prominent. Residents in “The Harringay Ladder”, as the streets to the west of Green Lanes are known because of the way they look on a map, have excellent Overground and National Rail connections to the north, south, east and west of London.

The increasing standards of restaurant and food outlets are also continually gaining new fans. The allure of Harringay Green Lanes as a place where you can pick up an array of food stuff was demonstrated by the successful 2011 Harringay Food Festival which was attended by around 20,000.

There really is all you can imagine and more when it comes to food. Sitting alongside the Turkish Ocakbasi restaurants, which are full to the rafters on the weekend, are patisseries which sell fresh bread and desserts from all over the continent; a cluster of jewellers, which bring in predominantly Turkish and Asian residents from surrounding regions; cafes, which offer the relaxed space that any good town centre should have;   Relatively recently opened coffee shops like Aubergine provide the relaxed space that any good high street should offer.

This is not to forget the fresh food outlets, which seem to operate 24/7 and 365 days of the year. The general consensus of customers is that they provide groceries at prices that compete with superstores but bring more freshness.

2011 Harringay Food Festival which was attended by around 20,000.

There are also slightly unconventional things to be found on the high street, like confectionaries which offer a dazzling array of nuts, seeds and fruits. You enter the shop to the chug of the roasting machine spewing out newly roasted nuts. The humdrum of convenient stores and already packaged goods stands in contrast to the craft and endearing nature of much to be found in Harringay. It also breaks the illusion of choice that supermarkets create – can you find over 100 nuts at your local store? Is the food ever as exotic?

Green Lanes is also home to north London’s oldest furniture store, called Disney, and to the Salisbury pub erected in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. The rows of Victorian mansions, as grand as when they were first built, aren’t instantly evident at eye level. But a look above the rows of shops toward the skyline brings buildings from Britain’s heady days of world dominance into focus. The Salisbury still stands majestically at the beginning of a row of beautifully constructed Victorian row of shops.

Other outlets sit side-by-side with restaurants and groceries, including the cluster of jewellery stores, eastern European food outlets and banks. You’ll find remnants of the Greek community too, who were so prominent in the 60s and 70s.

There are around 10 jewellery shops on Green Lanes.

Beaconsfield Hotel and Pub is one of the first businesses on Green Lanes

There is also joint scheme coming to Harringay, of which residents are in the process of being consulted with, funded by the Mayor’s Outer London Fund and the Green Lanes Corridor scheme which will see, amongst other changes, widening of pavements and street corners and aesthetic improvements of the railway bridge. One part of the plan is “decluttering of signage” - code for bringing a Victorian feel to shop fronts, free of laud flashing lights.With that in mind, and with the already excellent atmosphere exhibited by this small stretch of Green Lanes, there’s much to laud look forward to in Harringay.

Andy Charalambous

Baldwin Butchers – Andy Charalambous

“We came into Harringay and took over Baldwins Butchers in 1987. When I first came here it was mostly a Greek area. Most of the shops were owned by Greeks – delicatessens, bakeries and greengrocers. After about 10 years, things started to change. More Eastern Europeans came in, a larger Kurdish community moved into Harringay, which eventually took over the Greek businesses.

I had a sister who lived in Harringay at the time, so after visiting her I saw there was potential for good butchers. At the time when I came there were about 5 different Greek butchers and they were all very busy in those days. Now I am the only Greek butcher left.

I like Harringay – it is a nice, bustling community. I’ve been here so long now; you get to see the customers being children, growing up and having children of their own. It becomes like a community – we know nearly every customer we have by their first name and it is more a family atmosphere. “

LYNBO –Jack Davda

Jack and his son Dipen Davda

“The business has been here since 1981. The shop Lynbo has actually been here since 1965. The shop name Lynbo used to sell eggs and then we took over Lynbo in 1981.

The reason it is called Lynbo is because the lady who used to own the shop’s name was Lyn and the guy’s name was Bob, so that is why it’s called Lynbo.

It has been a family run business since 1965 and my parent’s took over in 1981. We were a grocery store and then Sainsbury’s and Iceland opened up and that killed the business off. Then we became household goods. A couple of years ago I started helping my parents out and now we specialise more in hardware, DIY, plumbing and paints.

Harringay is very cosmopolitain. We have seen it through its bad stages but now I see it going in the right direction. The transport links are fantastic down here and it is an up and coming area. I’d like to think that this place is going to be bigger and better than Crouch End soon.”

Ali Gul Ozbek is in Harringay since 2008

 Med-Chem Pharmacy – Aligul Ozbek

“I came into Harringay and opened Med-Chem Pharmacy in 2008. The shop is open from 9am to 12am, a rarity even in a city like London. I believe and acts accordingly, that the profession likes pharmacist should be about advice rather than meeting sales targets. My principle is not just to dispense this or that drug. The pharmacist should also be at the front, not at the back of the shop, in my opinion.

I have been a Harringay resident since I arrived in the UK. , I love my profession and the area. My convictions for both are strong. This is reflected in the fact that we offers free blood-pressure and sugar level testing. 

Pharmacist’s job shouldn’t be just to prepare the drug but to explain usage and listen to the issues the patient is having; to take a holistic view. Any school kid can put some drugs in a packet and stick a label on it. I’m therefore on the front explaining that the drug should be kept in light, in dark, in a dry place, or that they should take it at this time or that, before a meal etc. In my opinion this is the real job of a pharmacist. We really shouldn’t be encouraging people to get medicine. Pharmacists are selling poison not fruit. Sometimes it is not the best to just use antibiotics or other drugs prematurely, this is what I and my staffs advise. We advise that the body has its own repellents and that these shouldn’t be weakened by the overzealous use of drugs. We talk through each patient case by case.”

Some people say that Green Lanes is like a “little Istanbul” which I believes is definitely true in some aspects as the eateries have a Turkish flavour. Green Lanes is fantastic in terms of health because of the variety of food available here, variety is always good.”

Maqsood Maqsood arrived to Harringay at 1977

Mr Maqsood - Maqsood Newsagent

Harringay was my first home when I arrived from my country Pakistan in 1977 and this newsagent was my first venture. I took it over in 1982 when it had only been established for 2 years. In those days, up until the late 80s, there used to be lots of Irish and Greek people. Having lived here most of my life and spent most of my time in this shop, I have seen 2-3 generations pass on Green Lanes; in some families I’ve known the son, father and grandfather, some of them still shop together.

Maqsood has long been an established outlet for a variety of communities. We carry newspapers in almost all languages, such as India, China, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic and Persian. The majority of the newspapers we sell are however still English. The Sun is, as always, popular. The Guardian and Mail also seem to have high readership in the area. In terms of ethnic community papers, Turkish newspapers such as Hurriyet and the Greek paper Eleftheria are most sought after.

Pharmacist Rajul Patel

 Parade Chemist – Mr Rajul Patel

“We have been here nearly 25 years. I opened the shop in 1987  - I was fairly new to the profession, I had qualified just a couple of years before and I decided to have my own business. I was looking around for anywhere in London for a business and just by chance a friend of mine told me that this pharmacy was for sale. I came to see the owner and looked around and my first instinct was: this is a place that I’d love to have a business in. There was a good mixture of communities and everything appealed to me at the time. I saw a lot of prospects for a business here.

One of the things that have kept me in the area is the variety of the population. This area is always changing, every 3-4 years. There are many eastern Europeans here now. Before it was predominantly Greek and Turkish communities. Now I think we have are very good mixture.

My business generally specialises as a health care provider. We do private and NHS prescriptions, give advice to patients and also health checks for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. Generally we try and cater for most people in the community.

In the last 2-3 years there has been a drastic increase in the numbers of young people in the area. I think it’s due to the location – there are so many things happening here. It also has the convenience factor – the public transport. There are plenty of shops and eating-places. It is a perfect area to be in for the young people.

One thing that concerns me is the health effects from the types of foods in Harringay – very rich in fat and oil. It is not a good thing to have on a regular basis. This is my one drawback.

I am very happy here.”