Difference between revisions of "London/North"

Revision as of 16:37, 26 January 2010

The New Wembley Stadium completed in 2007)

North London is the outer northern district of London.

Understand

Many outer areas of North London was once part of the county of Middlesex which no longer exists for administrative purposes. However, Middlesex is sometimes used as part of the postal address for these areas.

Boroughs

North London consists of the following boroughs:

• Barnet [1] — the borough includes:

• Barnet
• Edgware
• Finchley
• Golders Green
• Hendon

• Brent [2] — the borough includes:

• Wembley
• Kilburn
• Neasden
• Willesden

• Enfield [3] — the borough includes:

• Enfield
• Edmonton
• Palmers Green
• Southgate

• Haringay [4] — the borough includes:

• Haringay
• Crouch End
• Muswell Hill
• Tottenham
• Wood Green

• Harrow [5] — the borough includes:

• Harrow, Harrow town centre is a bustling shopping and business area, while Harrow on the Hill, with the famous Harrow school, has remained almost unchanged for a hundred years.
• Pinner
• Stanmore

Finchley

This is a large, thriving metropolitan area in North West London and can be divided into several areas including Finchley Central, East Finchley and West Finchley.

Finchley Central is one of the only areas within London to be fortunate enough to have a city farm. College Farm is an attraction for locals and tourists alike and one can expect to see horses, cows, yaks, pigs and other farmyard animals (a rare sight in London!). Finchley Central is also home to the famous 'naked lady' statue at the Henly's Corner. There are a number of hotels situated in the district ranging from smaller bed and breakfasts to the Holiday Inn Finchley.

Finchley Central contains an odd mix of upper-middle class suburbia enfused with some working class aspects too, thus giving it a rather unique vibe. There is a strong Jewish community in Finchley, however, this does not contain many Orthodox Jews who generally choose to make the neighbouring areas of Hendon and Golders Green their home. The Jewish community is represented by a number of synagogues in the area, the most prominent being the New North London Synagogue which is situtated on East End Rd. This also acts as a local hub for Jewish culture.

There are a number of restaurants in Finchley Central which are reasonably priced and these include specialist restaurants such as Kosher and Halal establishments. Finchley also has a number of bohemian and lively bars/pubs some of which have late licensing laws(very handy). Travel in and out of central London is a breeze via the Northern Line and a variety of bus routes. Although Finchley has a distinctly urban feel, one can venture close by to the neighbouring Mill Hill area in order to experience some of the great British countryside.

Kilburn

Kilburn is a busy, diverse area situated along a stretch of the Roman Watling Street that makes up the local Edgware Road. Northern Kilburn encompasses the smaller area of Brondesbury. Kilburn spans the boroughs of Brent and Camden.

Being surrounded by generally wealthier areas, Kilburn is a mixture of influences. Historically, it was a focus point for Irish immigration (at some point it was even referred to as "County Kilburn"), and although there are few remaining in Kilburn, their influence is felt in the naming and styling of some of Kilburn's cafes and pubs. The community is currently very diverse, both ethnically and socially, with a mix of wealthy and poor streets.

Tottenham

Tottenham is mentioned in the Domesday book as the homestead of a man named Tota. The village of Tottenham grew up around the area of High Cross, on the junction with the High Road (the Roman road Ermine Street) and what is now Monument Way.

As a rural village this was a popular destination for the wealthy, and Henry VIII is believed to have visited the Tudor Bruce Castle, then in the hands of the Bruce family (descended from Robert the Bruce). The area stayed semi-rural until the late 19th Century when the railway (with its new, reduced, workmen's rates) brought new trade and the need for more housing to the area. The area rapidly became built up, and by the time of World War II was a major target for Luftwaffe bombing campaigns.

Since then, Tottenham has become most notorious for being one of the most deprived areas of North London and the scene of the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985. Since then, the area has done much to recover, and is now reputed to be the most ethnically diverse part of Western Europe.

Get in

By tube

North London is well served by Tube connections from Central London:

• Metropolitan Line (purple) runs through Wembley and Harrow terminating outside the London region in Watford and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

• Jubilee Line (silver) runs through Wembley terminating at Stanmore.

• Bakerloo Line (brown) runs through Wembley terminating at Harrow and Wealdstone

• Northern Line (black) has two branches one terminating at Edgware and the other at High Barnet with a sub-branch line to Mill Hill East.

• Piccadilly Line (dark blue) terminates at Cockfosters.

• Victoria Line (light blue) runs through Tottenham terminating at Walthamstow.

By train

• From Euston (part of the overground network, orange) through Wembley, along the same route as the Bakerloo line, to Harrow then continuing to Watford.

• From Kings Cross to Barnet and Enfield.

• From Liverpool Street to Tottenham and Enfield.

• Tottenham Hale station is a stop on the Stansted Express[6] from Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street.

By road

The North Circular Road (A406) is the main west to east road through North London. It has junctions with:

From the North: M1/A1, A10.

From the East: M11.

From the West: M4, A40.

Crouch End

• Tricky as there is no tube to Crouch End
• You can take a bus number 91 from Trafalgar Sq. But it takes almost an hour (off peak).
• Alternatively you can go by tube to Archway and take a connection with bus number 41 to Crouch End. Or a Victoria Line/Picadilly Line train to Finsbury Park, and then the W7 bus will also take you there.
• There is also a W5 local bus which runs from Sainsbury's on Green Lanes and terminates at the YMCA just down from Crouch End Broadway.

Tottenham

By tube

Tottenham is served by two tube stations on the Victoria line, Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters.

By train

Seven Sisters, Bruce Grove and White Hart Lane stations are on the National Express line between Enfield Town and Liverpool Street.

South Tottenham station is on the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking.

By bus

Buses: 123 Wood Green to Ilford, 149 Liverpool Street to Edmonton, 243 Wood Green to Waterloo, and many more services come through Tottenham.

Wembley

By tube

Two London Underground stations are within a short walk of the venues. Wembley Park is on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, and Wembley Central on the Bakerloo line (it is also a mainline station – see below). Access to the venues are via Olympic Way and the White Horse Bridge respectively. London Underground services typically run every 5 minutes in each direction until midnight, seven days a week.

By train

Two mainline stations are within a short walk of the venues. Wembley Central is served by Silverlink trains on the Watford DC Line, providing services to Watford Junction northbound and London Euston southbound. Services typically run every 20 minutes in each direction Mon-Sat, and every half hour on Sundays. Southern trains also run Mon-Fri peak hour services on the West London Line, also to Watford Junction northbound but to Clapham Junction and Gatwick Airport railway station southbound. Whether matchday services will run at the weekends on this route remains unclear.

Wembley Stadium station is next to the stadium. Services are provided by Chiltern Railways on the Chiltern Main Line to London Marylebon(one stop away) southbound. Services are every half-hour seven days a week. Northbound, trains only run up as far as High Wycombe and are every half-hour seven days a week. However, if travellers go first to Marylebone, there are northbound services that go all the way up to Birmingham Snow Hill. These run every half-hour, seven days a week.

Get around

See

Harrow

• Harrow School. Harrow is famous for its school, Winston Churchill attended it as did 7 British Prime Ministers. The school is at the top of the hill, the buildings and surrounding area are a step back in time. Try to go in term time on a Sunday as the pupils in long coats and straw boaters, and the masters in mortar boards are a sight rarely seen anywhere outside of Hollywood films of Olde England!

• Harrow on the Hill. Harrow on the Hill grew around the millennium-old St. Mary's church, and was the centre of power for an area encompassed by what is the current borough. The hill is a place where you can see a chunk of English history in the urban landscape.

• Bentley Priory Nature Reserve

Wood Green

• Alexandra Palace. Wood Green's landmark, on a hill overlooking the City of London and the West End. The grand Victorian building was the first place from which the BBC broadcast regular television, but has been gutted by fire on two separate occasions. It now serves as an exhibition and event venue, and is popular for the surrounding Alexandra Park, its boating lake and ice-rink, and its panoramic views over London.

Wembley

• Wembley Stadium, Stadium Way, ☎ +44 20 8795 9000, [7]. The large arch, the answer to the old stadium's twin towers, is an impressive structure and is often lit up to celebrate special occasions (such as London winning the 2012 Olympic Games bid).

Tottenham

Bruce Castle, Tottenham

• Bruce Castle & Museum, Lordship Ln, ☎ +44 20 8808 8772, [8]. W-Su 1PM-5PM. Bruce Castle is a manor house, one of the oldest brick houses in England, that is now a public park and museum. The museum mostly concerns the local history of Haringey, and there are regular talks and workshops. Free.

• Bruce Castle Park. Large park with tree trail and children's playground. Site of the Tottenham Carnival every June.

• Tottenham Marsh. Part of the Lea Valley Park, a natural habitat for many resident plants and animals.

• White Hart Lane, Park Ln (Near to White Hart Lane station), [9]. Tottenham is most famous for its Premiership football team, Tottenham Hotspur.

Hendon

• RAF Museum, (Longish tube ride from Central London), [10]. A must for any war buffs. It has extensive galleries detailing the history of the RAF and its aircraft. A sound and light show inside the museum focuses on the Blitz.

Do

Crouch End

• The Kings Head pub. Good comedy night downstairs most nights.

Wood Green

• Alexandra Palace ice rink.

• Chocolate Factory. Converted sweets factory now used by local artists; there are regular shows and events here.

• Cinemas, Wood Green High Road. There are two cinemas on this road.

Wembley

• Football matches, [11].

Tottenham

• White Hart Lane stadium tour, Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Rd (Use White Hart Ln overground station, or underground to Seven Sisters, then bus 149 or 259 to White Hart Ln), ☎ +44 844 499 5000, [12]. A tour of Tottenham Hotspur's home ground at White Hart Lane. Adults £13.

• Bruce Castle Museum, Lordship Ln (Buses 123, 243 and 318 stop directly outside the museum. Overground trains stop at White Hart Ln and Bruce Grove), ☎ +44 020 8808 8772, [13]. Wed-Sun 1pm-5pm. Haringey's local history museum in the Tudor mansion of Bruce Castle has regular, scheduled talks and workshops]. free.

• Cycle and boat hire on the Lea, Stonebridge Lock, Tottenham Marshes (Walk along the Lea from Tottenham Hale, or take bus 192 from the station), ☎ +44 7747 873831, [14]. W-Su plus bank holidays 10AM-7PM. Hire a canoe, kayak or cycle by the hour.

Buy

Harrow

• St. George's and St. Ann's. Two shopping centres housing a range of high street stores, including Topshop, Primark, BHS, TK Maxx, Monsoon.

Wood Green

• High Road. Mile-long shopping street containing many High St chains and independent shops.

• Shopping City. The biggest indoor shopping centre in Inner London, contain many High Street chains and independent shops, as well as a covered market with a large food section including butchers, fishmongers, fruit and vegetables and international food.

Wembley

There are several specialised shops in the area, as well as large shopping centres. Of course, there are hundreds of other shops and shopping centres nearby in London.

Tottenham

• West Green Road shops, West Green Rd, Seven Sisters (Seven Sisters station, turn left or take bus 141). Specialist Caribbean and African food, open til late.

• Tesco, High Rd (Seven Sister station). 24 hours.

Golders Green

Large number of charity/thrift shops in the area. The haul is pretty good if you are looking for ladies' vintage and the Norwood shops often have shipments of castoffs from high street mainstays (Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, and Charles Tyrwhitt), but for actual designer stuff, go to St. John's Wood instead.

Eat

Crouch End

There are plenty of good quality restaurants in Crouch End to choose from.

• Banners. Global food, good vegetarian options but hard to get into on a weekend.

• La Bota, 31 Broadway Parade, ☎ +44 20 8340 3082. Spanish tapas, very popular.

• Florians. A Crouch End favourite. French bistro style.

• The Kings Head. Recently redeveloped pub. Trendy crowd, with comedy on a Monday night.

• O's Thai Cafe. Good quality reasonably priced Thai food. Buzzy atmosphere.

Harrow

• St. George's. A small number of restaurants on the same floor as the cinema.

• St. Ann's. Upstairs food court with a KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc.

Wood Green

• La Kera, [15]. South Indian/fusion cooking.

Wembley

Wembley is noted for its large ethnic minority commmunities, particularly people of Indian orgin. As such, there are many Indian takeaways. There are also, of course, many other takeaways, restaurants and pizza parlours.

Tottenham

• Marmalade, 40 Lordship Ln (Bus 318, or a short walk from High Rd), ☎ +44 20 8808 9111, [16]. An excellent homemade food cafe, with superb cakes.

Golders Green

• Cafe Japan, 626 Finchley Rd. Very good food. Zagat rated. Book in advance as they get very busy.

• Kimchee, 887 Finchley Rd. Good Korean food.

• Local Friends, 28 North End Rd. Chinese.

• Water Margin, 96 Golders Green Road. Chinese Set lunch menu £5.50.

Drink

Wembley

The are numerous bars in the area, although it should be noted that alcohol is not permitted in the arena or stadium.

Crough End

• The Railway Pub. Has just been taken over by new management and the whole pub has been renovated.

Sleep

Hostels

• London Backpackers, (tube: Hendon Central, virtually next to the tube station), ☎ +44 20 8203 1319 (info@ukhostels.com, fax: +44 20 8203 9339), [17]. checkin: 1PM; checkout: 10AM. £10.

Wembley

There are several inns and hotels in the area, ranging for the cheap and cheerful to 5 star.

Golders Green

Golders Green has a fair number of small hotels and Bed and Breakfasts within walking distance of the Underground Station.

• Martel Guest House. Comfortable rooms, reasonably priced.

Stay safe

Tottenham

The area has a justified reputation for being blighted with crime. Gangs of male youths are responsible for the majority of crime and disorder, in particular robbery and burglary. Hartington Park is to be avoided from the evening onwards. Keep to the well-lit streets and the High Rd, and avoid flashing jewellery or mobile phones. Tottenham Police Station is located at 398 High Road N17: 5 min walk north from Seven Sisters underground station.

Contact

Wembley

The FA homepage