The neighbourhood surrounding Alexandra Palace is a favourite amongst many Londoners. Even if you’re not looking to live in the area, there’s plenty of reason to visit. Whether it’s to go boating and picnicking in the 196-acre Alexandra Park or catch a performance at the iconic Alexandra Palace, there’s so much going on in the neighbourhood. Many important annual events are held outside the palace as well. These include the epic fireworks display and beer festival on Bonfire Night. For residents in the area though, there’s more to the locality than just the palace and park. They love the convenient transport connections at Alexandra Palace Station, as well as the large gorgeous Victorian and Edwardian houses that line the green streets. Seeing all that the neighbourhood has to offer, it’s easy to understand why so many people are considering the move here from central London!

Alexandra Palace, or “Ally Pally” as it’s affectionately known, was first opened in 1873. At the time, it was called “The People’s Palace.” However, just 16 days after it opened, it was destroyed in a terrible fire. The palace was quickly rebuilt in 1875, and later on, in 1900, Parliament created the Alexandra Palace and Park Trust. This has required them to make the park and palace available to the public for free use forever. By 1935, the park was still a favourite amongst locals, but a section of the building had been leased by the BBC to use for their television transmissions. Unfortunately, in 1980, the palace caught fire again. While the building was not destroyed, this fire did require the council to undertake a large amount of refurbishment work. Today, the palace continues to be a recognisable London venue.

This neighbourhood is home to an iconic spot for the television and radio industry. A blue plaque by Alexandra Palace marks the site where the world’s first regular high definition television service was inaugurated. This event occurred all the way back in 1936!

While the neighbourhood is serviced by the Great Northern Railway and Thameslink via Alexandra Palace station, there are no tube stations in this area. The closest tube station is in neighbouring Wood Green. Even so, residents don’t mind the short walk to Wood Green station and the multiple bus routes make the area more than convenient enough.

Alexandra Palace theatre has recently been renovated. Prior to this project, over 40% of the building was considered derelict. The improvements mean the theatre now has a modern seating system with over 300 seats - all while the design team made sure to preserve the building’s historical details. Slightly south of here the Caxton Square development is under construction, providing 75 new homes and 9,716 sq ft flexible commercial space. On nearby Lordship Lane there are also plans for a larger residential led development which will add a substantial amount of new stock to this part of Harrringey. On top of this, development is likely to further escalate if Alexandra Palace station is included as part of the Crossrail 2 project. Yet despite £1.8 billion being invested in the scheme in 2020, it is unclear when the line will materialise as plans have been underconsideration in different forms since the 1970s.