Located in the borough of Haringey and stretching from the south western part of Hornsey down to the quaint village of Crouch End, this locality is a peaceful, affluent suburb of north London. Despite only being five miles from central London, the neighbourhood is quiet and its terraces of Victorian and Edwardian houses, one third of which are split into reasonably sized flats, are a big attraction for families looking to bring up children. The villagey feel is emphasised by the long standing, family run shops such as Dunns’ bakery, Walter Purkis & Sons fishmongers and Morley’s Butchers, and the charming cafes, restaurants and abundant green spaces offer relaxation spots for this sociable community. The area possesses a vast array of suburban pubs which provide the community with great food, real ale and regular comedy and quiz nights, and for those not yet at drinking age, there are a number of children’s cafes and book shops, some of which host kid’s play groups and author visits. Despite having minimal transport links, the area is within walking distance of Highgate and Archway, which have Northern line tube services throughout the city.

Originally a small hamlet embedded in the woods at the end of Watling Street, the area was located around the junction of several ancient roads, with a large wooden cross or ‘crux’ standing in the middle, from which the name “Cruch End” derives. The settlement naturally developed into farmland and the beautiful countryside setting made it a prime location for the weekend residences of the rich who worked in the city. It remained rural until the 1880s, with much of the land remaining in private hands, inhibiting urban development, but the introduction of the railways changed the area rapidly, bringing in a huge population of mainly clerical workers who used the nearby stations to commute into London. The large manor houses were replaced with comfortable middle-class terraced housing, and the high street expanded to become a popular shopping centre by the 1930s that boasted an impressive music hall and multiple cinemas. In the 60s many of the older houses in the area were left empty and bought cheaply by landlords who let them out to the growing student population as well as artists and musicians attracted by the cheap rent, until the gentrification of the 1980s which changed the social profile of the area into the affluent suburb it is today.

Pioneering wildlife photographer, Eric Hosking (1909-1991), lived at 20 Crouch Hall Road from the time his family moved to the area during the First World War. A huge lover of London, Hosking was the first professional photographer to make a living from primarily photographing birds, and almost single-handedly developed the commercial market for wildlife photography. He published a number of books such as Birds of the Day in 1944, which sold over 50,000 copies and headed up the judging panel of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, remaining a vocal activist in the conservation of wildlife throughout his life.

Rumour has it that Bob Dylan once got lost on his way to visit his friend, Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame, who owned Crypt Studio at 145 Crouch Hill. The story goes that Bob’s cab driver got the wrong road, dropping him off at 145 Crouch End Hill, where he knocked on the door asking for Dave. The occupant failed to notice the world-famous musician and also had a husband called Dave, who had briefly popped out to the shops. The wrong Dave came home and was understandably shocked to find his musical hero sitting in his front room with a cuppa. The veracity of the story is unknown, but it has been circling around the area for over two decades and is now enshrined in Crouch End folklore.

The area boasts what is considered to be one of the oldest Comedy Clubs in Britain, which was founded in 1981 at The King’s Head, and which specialises in showing off the best new acts in the country. It has always prided itself on being one of the friendliest and most encouraging venues for new acts, especially when compared to nearby clubs which encouraged the audiences to bait comedians and has been host to some famous faces such as Alexei Sayle, Eddie Izzard, Jimmy Carr and many, many more!

Many residents have said that the area feels isolated from the rest of the capital mostly due to its lack of a local tube or train station, with many locals having to commute to Finsbury Park by one of the unreliable bus routes in order to catch a tube. However, this has allowed the area to retain much of its original village charm, as well as the unique independent character that runs through the whole community.

The Hornsey Town Hall project is the largest recently completed development in the neighbourhood. This mixed use development was finished in 2021 and is widely praised for its tasteful reimagining of this Grade II* listed building. Comprising 135 flats, a hotel, landscaped gardens, and a public arts centre, this project seeks to move Hornsey forward while maintaining its civic centre. Just north of here will sit the Candela Yard development at 163 Tottenham Lane. This more modest project comprises 26 new one, two and three-bedroom apartments which will sit above ground floor retail space. With relatively cheap land prices and relatively wealthy residents, there also is an increasing trend in the area for buying up disused land to build expensive eco-friendly homes, which ironically have been criticised for leading to a decline in unkept green space.