The inner North London suburbs are all 19th century-ish, built just in time for Charles Pooter to move in. The roads though, that's a different story.
Hornsey Road peaked during the reign of Edward I when it was part of the Great North Road out of London. By 1300 it was so crowded that a relief road was built up Highgate Hill. By 1494 the Hornsey Road/Holloway Road corner was called Ring Cross. It was an execution site and the cross may have been a boundary marker of the Knights of Saint John.
[This is a very lazy post. I've drawn almost all of it from British History Online. In my defence, research libraries tend not to welcome nine month olds. I can't think why. Doubt he'd chew up more than a dozen books per afternoon.]
Hornsey Road peaked during the reign of Edward I when it was part of the Great North Road out of London. By 1300 it was so crowded that a relief road was built up Highgate Hill. By 1494 the Hornsey Road/Holloway Road corner was called Ring Cross. It was an execution site and the cross may have been a boundary marker of the Knights of Saint John.
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| Edward I via wikimedia commons |
[This is a very lazy post. I've drawn almost all of it from British History Online. In my defence, research libraries tend not to welcome nine month olds. I can't think why. Doubt he'd chew up more than a dozen books per afternoon.]
"a relief road was built up Highgate Hill". Not sure I understand that. There's a road called "highgate hill" http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/131929959 ...but is that the one we mean here?
ReplyDeleteGood question. I think it means Holloway/Archway road.
DeleteYeah that makes sense. So we're saying Hornsey Road used to be bigger than Holloway Road, until they connected Holloway Road at the northern end through to Highgate. At some stage they must've decided to dig a bit of a cutting to connect the road through under the archway bridge now is. Funny to imagine them making those improvements to little old Holloway Road in order to relieve traffic on the big Hornsey Road.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I feel very lucky to have chosen Hornsey Road as a topic - turns out there's a lot more to write about than I'd have imagined.
DeleteThis is nonsense. 2 medieval road came out of London. One started at Smithfield, went up St John St to the Angel. Then along route on now Liverpool Rd across what is now Holloway Rd, up Hornsey Rd, through Crouch End, up Muswell Hill and ever northward.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side of the Fleet River (sewer) a road followed the track Greys Inn Rd to St Pancras, up York Way up Dartmouth Hill to emerge half way up Highgate Hill , along present Hornsey Lane to join the Great North Road.above Crouch End.
Until later Highgate Hill was never there. Francis Bacon came as far as present Holy Joes and then climbed the hill and then died stuffing a chicken
Hello Arturus,
DeleteI think I'd lose if I tried to argue - like I said it was a lazy post for which I didn't check the information. I don't suppose you know where I could find a useful map/and or would like to tell me more about medieval roads?