With exquisite views over the whole of London, the area, most of which falls into the affluent suburbs of Muswell Hill and Barnet, is one of the most sought-after places to live in the country. The locality is sandwiched between oodles of green space - with Muswell Hill Playing Fields to the west, Hollickwood Park and Muswell Hill Golf Club to the east, and the stunning Alexandra Park to the south east – and contains within it a number of “outstanding” rated state schools, making it the perfect location for families. Quaint, leafy and residential, the area is made up of mostly large semi-detached Edwardian houses, many of which are split up into smaller flats, as well as a number of attractive modern blocks of flats towards North Circular Road to the north, and this village-like charm is only encouraged by the abundance boutiques and small independent cafes dotted throughout. While there is no train travel in the immediate vicinity, there are plenty of Underground Stations (Highgate, Finchley Central and East Finchley) just a short ride away on one of the area’s many well-connected bus routes.

Rumour has it that the name Muswell Hill comes from the “Mossy Well”, a natural spring that was once on the site of 40 Muswell Road, whose water apparently cured the 12th century Scottish King Malcolm IV of disease, and which therefore became a pilgrimage site up until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Much of the area falls into the original 64 acres which were granted by The Bishop of London to a newly formed order of nuns in 1152, who built their own church named Our Lady of Muswell. The area remained almost entirely rural until the late-19th century as a sparsely populated village with a few grand manors dotted throughout, but importantly it surrounded the poor, muddy road that took travellers from the north down towards London. It was, however, incredibly beautiful, with one commentator writing in 1787 that nowhere within 100 miles of the city was there a village with such incredible views, hence Alexandra Palace was built nearby in 1873. The palace brought with it transport links and wealthy individuals who wished to buy up land near a royal household, putting an end to the rural farming village and turning the area into the Edwardian suburb we know it as today.

Film and television fans will be interested to know that two British acting greats, Peter Sellers and Mackenzie Crook lived at 72 Tetherdown, albeit at different times! Peter Sellers (1925-1980) moved to Muswell Hill with his family aged 10 and is famous for roles such as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther and multiple roles in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Mackenzie Crook (b. 1971), who is most famous for his roles as Gareth in The Office, Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and more recently as Andy Stone in the BBC series Detectorists, runs his own production company from the house!

(Cheap) beer lovers amongst us will be interested to know that the first ever Wetherspoon’s pub opened in 1979 on 89 Colney Hatch Lane. Originally opened as Marler’s Bar, the pub was far from the vast but inexpensive, community minded chain that Wetherspoon’s is known for today, and served rather expensive drinks according to a local resident. It is now called ‘The Furlong’ and, some may say unfortunately, no longer a ‘Spoon’s.
The Times considers Muswell Hill, which much of the area falls within, to be one of the best places to live in London!

What becomes apparent when living in this area is the stark lack of Underground or Overground stations within walking distance. While this makes it slightly more difficult to travel to or from the area of N10 1, it does mean, according to one local resident, that the area maintains its quaint village-ness, avoiding dense crowds of commuters at peak times, mixing with those on the run to the area’s many schools, and causing congestion on the roads and pavements.

A key part of the area’s Jewish community is, of course, the Muswell Hill Synagogue, which is expanding in the form of the Shul Building. Construction started on the new facility in 2021 which will not only involve improvements to many of the Synagogue’s internal and external amenities but will also help it improve its ability to pursue community-based schemes. Nearby, The Folium is a residential development under construction on the site of the former Coppetts Wood Hospital. The scheme will comprise 80 one, two and three bedroom apartments as well as a number of four-bed town houses, 54% of which will be affordable.