Population: 212,300
Owner occupiers: 50%
Unemployment: 18.9%
Haringey is a place of contrasts. There are multi-million-pound houses
in Highgate, while flats in Tottenham can be bought for under £50,000. Highgate Cemetery,
with its world-famous tomb of Karl Marx, is actually in neighbouring Camden, but when the
Father of Socialism told the workers of all the world to unite, he could not have guessed
that in the late 20th century there would be so many languages spoken in the local
council's main offices. In Haringey you can have your old fridge taken away by ringing the
council's customer care team, who will also take your old bedstead, but there is no such
thing as a free lunch - council tax here is one of the highest in the country.
Getting there
Quick connections to the West End are through the Victoria line with stations at Finsbury
Park, Seven Sisters and Tottenham Hale. Finsbury Park is also on the Piccadilly Line,
which goes on to stations at Manor House, Turnpike Lane, Wood Green and Bounds Green.
Highgate and East Finchley are on the Northern Line.
What to do
Alexandra Palace with its park is a natural magnet for special events and days out. While
awaiting major redevelopment, which is often heralded but never happens, the skating rink
is still open. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club at White Hart Lane attracts thousands,
while the less boisterous may prefer the 16th century Bruce Castle Museum and borough
archive. Jackson's Lane Community Theatre is a local cultural centre at Archway. There are
sports and leisure centres at New River, home of the successful athletics club, Tottenham
Green and the Park Road Pools at Crouch End.
Where to shop
The biggest centre is the Shopping City at Wood Green, and its extension at Green Lanes.
The usual retail names are to be found at Muswell Hill Broadway, Crouch End Broadway,
Tottenham High Road and Archway.
Open spaces
In addition to Hampstead Heath, which runs along the south western border on the Camden
side, the major open spaces in Haringey are Finsbury Park, Alexandra Park, Highgate Wood,
Coldfall Wood and Queens Wood. There are large golf courses at Highgate and Muswell Hill
and recreation grounds at Crouch End, White Hart Lane, Belmont, Lordship, Chestnuts, Down
Lane and Markfield. The Lee Valley Regional Park runs along the eastern boundary.
Schools
There are an impressive 4,523 nursery places in Haringey. The best of the 77 primary
schools are voluntary-aided church schools: St Martin of Porres, St James's Church of
England, Our Lady of Muswell and St Gilda's (RC) and St Michael's C of E Junior. Best of
the others are Rhodes Avenue, Tetherdown, Muswell Hil1, Campsbourne Junior and Coleridge.
In secondary education there are only nine schools and a wide gap between the two
Independent schools, Highgate (boys) and Channing (girls) and the others. The
independents' pupils scored 99 and 98 per cent GCSE passes in the A-C grades. The best
comprehensive, Fortismere, lags behind with only 64 per cent successes, while Highgate
Wood and Hornsey School for Girls are even worse with only 40 per cent. The White Hart
Lane and Langham are at the bottom of the heap with only 10 per cent GCSE success. For
further education there are adult literacy and maths classes at the College of North East
London in Tottenham.
Health care
The Whittington Hospital (with A and E) is just across the border in Camden, off Highgate
Hill. Equally close but in neighbouring Enfield is the North Middlesex Hospital (also A
and E). St Ann's, within the borough, has no casualty ward.
Who lives there
Maureen Lipman, Alison Steadman, Lesley Garrett, Chris Jagger, Lynda Bellingham, Gary
Olsen, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart (but not together), Bruce Kent, Sting, George
Michael, Tom Wilkinson, Douglas Hodge. Bob Dylan may or may not have bought a house in
Crouch End.