The Parkland Walk
Encyclopedia
The Parkland Walk is a 4.5 miles (7.2 km) linear green walkway, in the London Boroughs of Haringey
and Islington
, which follows the course of the railway line which used to run between Finsbury Park
through Stroud Green
, Crouch End
, Highgate
and Muswell Hill
to Alexandra Palace
.
It is a Local Nature Reserve
(LNR) and a Site of Metropolitan Importance. It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990 and is London's longest LNR.
The walk is almost all in Haringey
, but a short stretch by Crouch Hill is in Islington
.
(Crouch Hill Park in Islington is to the south of the Islington stretch and immediately bordering on the Parkland Walk) The route follows the bridges and cuttings of the line, passing through tunnels on each side of the closed surface section of Highgate station
, which is closed to walkers for safety reasons. The route between the northern end of the Highgate Tunnels to the Northern line depot at Wellington Junction is used by trains entering the depot, while the rest of the cutting round Highgate Wood
from Wellington Junction to Cranley Gardens
is outside the wood’s fence, not officially part of Parkland Walk, and so is allowed to stay overgrown.
This path was once the route of part of the London and North Eastern Railway's
(LNER's) line from Finsbury Park
to Edgware
constructed in 1867 by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
, with the branch to Muswell Hill and Alexandra Palace added in 1874. Plans were published by London Underground
in the 1930s for its incorporation as part of the Northern Line
(The Northern Heights Plan) but the onset of World War II
stopped the work at an advanced stage.
After the war the development plan was abandoned but passenger trains continued to run on this line until 1954. The service was reduced to freight haulage and tube traffic, until its final closure in 1970.
Tracks and infrastructure were removed and most of the platforms and station buildings demolished. The Parkland Walk was officially opened in 1984 following extensive re-surfacing and improvements to access.
end the route starts from the western side of the existing East Coast Main Line beside a foot overbridge that gives access from the eastern end of Oxford Road to the Finsbury Park
open space itself. The route rises on an embankment overlooking the back gardens of the Victorian suburban houses. The route then bridges Upper Tollington Park before crossing Stapleton Hall Road at a point where the Gospel Oak to Barking rail
route also passes beneath the road. The station building of Stroud Green station still survives, but there are no traces of the trackside buildings. The embankment then gives way to a cutting as the land rises north-westwards. The route continues beneath overbridges carrying Mount Pleasant Villas, Mount View Road, and Crouch Hill. Immediately after passing under the Crouch Hill to the left can be seen a large concrete block house originally built to house switching gear for the Northern Heights Line as part of the plans to incorporate the line into the tube system. The blockhouse was used for a number of years by Islington Council to house a youth project, but is at present (November 2011) closed while extensive building operations are carried out by Islington Council. These building operations involve the significant refurbishment of the block house, and the reinstatement of a substantial area of Metropolitan Open Land to the south of the Parkland Walk as the "Crouch Hill Park." Further to that the "Crouch Hill Recreation Centre" building which used to be visible from the walk is being demolished, it having been closed in 2004. It will be replaced by a new building which will house Ashmount Primary School and the Bowler's Nursery. Beyond the site of the new building is a foot overbridge dating back to the original railway which will be retained and will connect Hazelemere Road, in Haringey to the Crouch Hill Park in Islington when the building operations are complete in Autumn 2012. Until then the Park is closed and cannot be accessed from the Parkland Walk, with a number of public rights of way having been suspended. At this point the still intact but partly overgrown platforms of Crouch End Station
remain at the end of which the route passes under the site of the former station building and Crouch End Hill.
Beyond this the cutting opens out on the northern side as the route skirts a hill, parallel to Hornsey Lane where some apartment blocks have been built. The route bridges Stanhope Road on a footbridge replacing the original structure. The route continues on an embankment to a brick-built bridge over Northwood Road, beneath which traffic can flow in only one direction at a time. The surrounding ground rises rapidly and the route becomes a cutting at the end of which the portals of the southern pair of Highgate tunnels come into view. Vestiges of line-side electrical equipment for the planned 1930s electrification of the line and part of the structure of the old Highgate station are visible through the tunnels. The main route ends here.
A further shorter section of the walk begins along Muswell Hill Road, just beyond Cranley Gardens, where the road overbridge crosses the old line. On the left (western) side of the road a primary school completely occupies the site of the former Cranley Gardens station
and the old trackbed. The walk continues opposite via steps down to the trackbed towards Alexandra Palace, which skirts a hill. The span of the seventeen-arch viaduct over St James's Lane gives a view eastwards and southwards over London. The route ends with a reconstructed overbridge under Muswell Hill itself. At this point another primary school has been built on the trackbed. Further remains of the rail route can be seen in Alexandra Park
.
The Capital Ring
goes through the Walk between Highgate and Finsbury Park.
, ash
, birch
, hawthorn
, cherry
, apple, holly
, rowan
, sycamore
and yew
), but a few additional species have been planted (field maple
, hazel
, black Italian poplar
and white poplar
).
More than three hundred species of wild flowers have been recorded on the Parkland Walk. They range from commonplace to exotic. Species sighted include Michaelmas daisies, golden rods, buddleia and Guernsey fleabane.
have been recorded. Hedgehog
s benefit from the proximity of adjacent homes and occasional feedings from homeowners. Fox
es are plentiful and muntjac
(a small species of deer) are seen occasionally. A colony of slow-worms thrive along the grassy embankment. More than sixty species of bird have been seen along the walk and many breed here. Parkland Walk is known to be an important site for bats in the London context, providing important foraging habitat and an excellent dark commuting route. A significant bat roost is known to exist in the vicinity.
Along the walk just before the disused platforms at Crouch End, a man sized green spriggan
sculpture by Marilyn Collins
had been placed in one of the alcoves of the wall on the right at the footbridge before the former Crouch End
station. This was thought to be a tribute to a ghostly 'goat-man' who haunted that particular area in the mid 1980s. Local children playing out in the evenings would 'dare' each other to walk the Parkland Walk from the Crouch End Hill bridge to the Crouch Hill bridge in the darkness. The sculpture, and Parkland Walk generally, provided the inspiration for Stephen King
's short story "Crouch End
".
There is also a myth that trains could still be heard rumbling along the route close to the Highgate tunnels, even after tracks had been lifted. This is unfounded, as is the ghost of a workman who threw himself in front of a train near the tunnels at Highgate station.
Another rumour regarding the failure of the route cited that the whole area had been cursed by gypsies who were evicted from the pre-Alexandra Palace
site. They cursed the Palace construction project and "all connected proposals".
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
and Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
, which follows the course of the railway line which used to run between Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a 46 hectare public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringay, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first of the great London parks laid out in the Victorian...
through Stroud Green
Stroud Green, London
Stroud Green is the name of a suburb located adjacent to Finsbury Park in north London, England. Stroud Green ward is within the London Borough of Haringey. On its south-western side the Stroud Green Road forms part of the boundary with the London Borough of Islington...
, Crouch End
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...
, Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
and Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
to Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
.
It is a Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
(LNR) and a Site of Metropolitan Importance. It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990 and is London's longest LNR.
The walk is almost all in Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, but a short stretch by Crouch Hill is in Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
.
(Crouch Hill Park in Islington is to the south of the Islington stretch and immediately bordering on the Parkland Walk) The route follows the bridges and cuttings of the line, passing through tunnels on each side of the closed surface section of Highgate station
Highgate tube station
Highgate tube station is a London Underground station on Archway Road, Highgate, not far from Highgate Village in north London. It is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Archway and East Finchley, in Travelcard Zone 3....
, which is closed to walkers for safety reasons. The route between the northern end of the Highgate Tunnels to the Northern line depot at Wellington Junction is used by trains entering the depot, while the rest of the cutting round Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood is a 28 hectare area of ancient woodland in North London, lying between East Finchley, Highgate Village, and Muswell Hill. It was originally part of the ancient Forest of Middlesex which covered much of London, Hertfordshire and Essex and was mentioned in the Domesday Book...
from Wellington Junction to Cranley Gardens
Cranley Gardens railway station
Cranley Gardens railway station was a station in the Muswell Hill area of north London. It was located between Highgate station and Muswell Hill station at the junction of Muswell Hill Road and Cranley Gardens...
is outside the wood’s fence, not officially part of Parkland Walk, and so is allowed to stay overgrown.
History
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
(LNER's) line from Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a 46 hectare public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringay, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first of the great London parks laid out in the Victorian...
to Edgware
Edgware railway station
Edgware railway station was a London and North Eastern Railway station in Station Road, Edgware, Greater London. It is not to be confused with the London Underground Northern line Edgware station approximately 200 metres to the north east.-History:...
constructed in 1867 by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
Edgware, Highgate and London Railway
The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in north London. The railway was a precursor of parts of London Underground's Northern Line and was, in the 1930s the core of an ambitious expansion plan for that line which was thwarted by the Second World War...
, with the branch to Muswell Hill and Alexandra Palace added in 1874. Plans were published by London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
in the 1930s for its incorporation as part of the Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
(The Northern Heights Plan) but the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
stopped the work at an advanced stage.
After the war the development plan was abandoned but passenger trains continued to run on this line until 1954. The service was reduced to freight haulage and tube traffic, until its final closure in 1970.
Tracks and infrastructure were removed and most of the platforms and station buildings demolished. The Parkland Walk was officially opened in 1984 following extensive re-surfacing and improvements to access.
Outline of the route
From the Finsbury ParkFinsbury Park, London
Finsbury Park is an area in north London, England which grew up around an important railway interchange at the junction of the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney...
end the route starts from the western side of the existing East Coast Main Line beside a foot overbridge that gives access from the eastern end of Oxford Road to the Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a 46 hectare public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringay, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first of the great London parks laid out in the Victorian...
open space itself. The route rises on an embankment overlooking the back gardens of the Victorian suburban houses. The route then bridges Upper Tollington Park before crossing Stapleton Hall Road at a point where the Gospel Oak to Barking rail
Gospel Oak to Barking line
The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London as part of the London Overground network. It is sometimes known as the Goblin , although this is a nickname rather than an official title...
route also passes beneath the road. The station building of Stroud Green station still survives, but there are no traces of the trackside buildings. The embankment then gives way to a cutting as the land rises north-westwards. The route continues beneath overbridges carrying Mount Pleasant Villas, Mount View Road, and Crouch Hill. Immediately after passing under the Crouch Hill to the left can be seen a large concrete block house originally built to house switching gear for the Northern Heights Line as part of the plans to incorporate the line into the tube system. The blockhouse was used for a number of years by Islington Council to house a youth project, but is at present (November 2011) closed while extensive building operations are carried out by Islington Council. These building operations involve the significant refurbishment of the block house, and the reinstatement of a substantial area of Metropolitan Open Land to the south of the Parkland Walk as the "Crouch Hill Park." Further to that the "Crouch Hill Recreation Centre" building which used to be visible from the walk is being demolished, it having been closed in 2004. It will be replaced by a new building which will house Ashmount Primary School and the Bowler's Nursery. Beyond the site of the new building is a foot overbridge dating back to the original railway which will be retained and will connect Hazelemere Road, in Haringey to the Crouch Hill Park in Islington when the building operations are complete in Autumn 2012. Until then the Park is closed and cannot be accessed from the Parkland Walk, with a number of public rights of way having been suspended. At this point the still intact but partly overgrown platforms of Crouch End Station
Crouch End railway station
Crouch End railway station is a former station in the Crouch End area of north London. It was located between Stroud Green station and Highgate station on Crouch End Hill just north of its junction with Hornsey Lane...
remain at the end of which the route passes under the site of the former station building and Crouch End Hill.
A further shorter section of the walk begins along Muswell Hill Road, just beyond Cranley Gardens, where the road overbridge crosses the old line. On the left (western) side of the road a primary school completely occupies the site of the former Cranley Gardens station
Cranley Gardens railway station
Cranley Gardens railway station was a station in the Muswell Hill area of north London. It was located between Highgate station and Muswell Hill station at the junction of Muswell Hill Road and Cranley Gardens...
and the old trackbed. The walk continues opposite via steps down to the trackbed towards Alexandra Palace, which skirts a hill. The span of the seventeen-arch viaduct over St James's Lane gives a view eastwards and southwards over London. The route ends with a reconstructed overbridge under Muswell Hill itself. At this point another primary school has been built on the trackbed. Further remains of the rail route can be seen in Alexandra Park
Alexandra Park, London
Alexandra Park is an 80 hectare, Green Flag Award and Green Heritage winning landscaped park in the Borough of Haringey in north London.-Overview:...
.
The Capital Ring
Capital Ring
The Capital Ring is a strategic walking route that is being promoted by London's 33 local councils, led by the City of London Corporation in partnership with the Greater London Authority and its functional body for regional transport, Transport for London, through which much of the funding is...
goes through the Walk between Highgate and Finsbury Park.
Flora
No trees were permitted to grow close to the track when the railway was operational. The range of trees found today has grown up in the last fifty years. Most arrived naturally (oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
, cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, apple, holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
, rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
, sycamore
Sycamore Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, is a species of maple native to central Europe and southwestern Asia, from France east to Ukraine, and south in mountains to northern Spain, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. It is not related to other trees called sycamore or plane tree in the Platanus...
and yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
), but a few additional species have been planted (field maple
Field Maple
Acer campestre, common name Field Maple, is a maple native to much of Europe, north to southern Scotland , Denmark, Poland and Belarus, and also southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains...
, hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
, black Italian poplar
Black Poplar
Populus nigra, the black poplar, is a species of cottonwood poplar, the type species of section Aigeiros of the genus Populus, native to Europe, southwest and central Asia, and northwest Africa....
and white poplar
White Poplar
Populus alba, commonly called abele, silver poplar, silverleaf poplar, or white poplar, is a species of poplar, most closely related to the aspens . It is native from Spain and Morocco through central Europe to central Asia...
).
More than three hundred species of wild flowers have been recorded on the Parkland Walk. They range from commonplace to exotic. Species sighted include Michaelmas daisies, golden rods, buddleia and Guernsey fleabane.
Wildlife
The great variety of plant life sustains a wide range of animals. Twenty two species of butterflyButterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
have been recorded. Hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s benefit from the proximity of adjacent homes and occasional feedings from homeowners. Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es are plentiful and muntjac
Muntjac
Muntjac, also known as Barking Deer and Mastreani Deer, are small deer of the genus Muntiacus. Muntjac are the oldest known deer, appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland....
(a small species of deer) are seen occasionally. A colony of slow-worms thrive along the grassy embankment. More than sixty species of bird have been seen along the walk and many breed here. Parkland Walk is known to be an important site for bats in the London context, providing important foraging habitat and an excellent dark commuting route. A significant bat roost is known to exist in the vicinity.
Urban legends
Spriggan
Spriggans are legendary creatures known from Cornish faery lore. They are particular to West Penwith in Cornwall.-Spriggans in folklore:Spriggans were depicted as grotesquely ugly, and were said to be found at old ruins and barrows guarding buried treasure and generally acting as fairy bodyguards....
sculpture by Marilyn Collins
Marilyn Collins
Marilyn Collins is a London based sculptor, known internationally, who has exhibited in many parts of the world.She has several installations on display in public gardens in the UK, a notable example being the Spriggan set in the Parkland Walk, which is reputed to have inspired Stephen King to...
had been placed in one of the alcoves of the wall on the right at the footbridge before the former Crouch End
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...
station. This was thought to be a tribute to a ghostly 'goat-man' who haunted that particular area in the mid 1980s. Local children playing out in the evenings would 'dare' each other to walk the Parkland Walk from the Crouch End Hill bridge to the Crouch Hill bridge in the darkness. The sculpture, and Parkland Walk generally, provided the inspiration for Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's short story "Crouch End
Crouch End (short story)
Crouch End is a horror story by Stephen King, originally published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos , and republished in a slightly different version in King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection . It contains distinct references to the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft...
".
There is also a myth that trains could still be heard rumbling along the route close to the Highgate tunnels, even after tracks had been lifted. This is unfounded, as is the ghost of a workman who threw himself in front of a train near the tunnels at Highgate station.
Another rumour regarding the failure of the route cited that the whole area had been cursed by gypsies who were evicted from the pre-Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
site. They cursed the Palace construction project and "all connected proposals".