Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the

London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey ( , same as Harringay) is a London boroughs, 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 ...

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is a suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentieth-century ...

East Finchley East Finchley is an area in North London, immediately north of Hampstead Heath. Like neighbouring Muswell Hill, it straddles the London Boroughs of London Borough of Barnet, Barnet and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey, with most of East F ...

and

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, England, from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described as one of "a new breed of urban villages" in London ...

. It has many streets with

Edwardian architecture Edwardian architecture usually refers to a Baroque Revival architecture, Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular for public buildings in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to 1914 is commonly inclu ...

History

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

presence in the area has been attested to through the discovery of Roman coins near Southwood Lane and Muswell Hill Road. The earliest records of Muswell Hill date from the 12th century. The

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

, who was the Lord of the Manor of Haringey, owned the area and granted , located to the east of Colney Hatch Lane, to a newly formed order of nuns. The nuns built a chapel on the site and called it Our Lady of Muswell. The name ''Muswell'' is believed to come from a natural spring or well (the "Mossy Well"), said to have miraculous properties. A traditional story tells that Scottish king

Malcolm IV Malcolm IV (; ), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 1141 – 9 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon ...

was cured of

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...

after drinking the water. The area became a place of pilgrimage for healing during medieval times. The

River Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A small part of Belgiu ...

, which has its source in Muswell Hill and Highgate, derives its name from this district; it was originally known as the ''Mosa'' or ''Mosella''. Until the 1950s, the town's name was often pronounced "Muzzle Hill". In the 18th century Muswell Hill was a scattered village consisting mainly of detached villas with large gardens. In 1787 one commentator wrote that nowhere within of London was there a village so pleasant or with such varied views. Little had changed by the middle of the 19th century. One of the houses of the time was ''The Limes''. This house occupied the angle of Muswell Hill Road with Colney Hatch Lane and was a three-storeyed house with portico and two-storeyed wing approached by a double carriage drive through impressive gateways. The large grounds of the house extended to Tetherdown and included a lake. Opposite ''The Limes'' was Muswell Hill pond and beyond that the ''Green Man'' inn, built of stone and likely dating to at least 1552. Colney Hatch Lane itself was part of an ancient route from London to the north, and was once known as Muswell Hill Lane. Further down the hill past the ''Green Man'' was ''The Elms'', a squat three-storeyed house later improved by

Thomas Cubitt Thomas Cubitt (25 February 1788 – 20 December 1855) was a British master builder, notable for his employment in developing many of the historic streets and squares of London, especially in Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury. Background The s ...

standing in , part of the grounds of which were laid out by

Joseph Paxton Sir Joseph Paxton (3 August 1803 – 8 June 1865) was an English gardener, architect, engineer and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Member of Parliament. He is best known for designing the Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde ...

. A short distance down the north side of Muswell Hill was ''The Grove'', which was three storeys high and had nine bays with pedimented projections at each end. It stood in of grounds which contained a avenue of oaks. In 1774 the house was occupied by

Topham Beauclerk Topham Beauclerk ( ; 22 December 1739 – 11 March 1780) was a celebrated English wit and a friend of Samuel Johnson and Horace Walpole. Early life Topham Beauclerk was born on 22 December 1739 in Pall Mall, London. He was the only son of Lord ...

. ''The Elms'' was demolished in 1900 to make way for Dukes Avenue.

19th century

A little farther down the hill stood ''Grove Lodge'', also in wooded grounds. Altogether there were eight properties in Muswell Hill worthy of note in 1817. Muswell hill odeon

Parallel with Muswell Hill was a track known as St James's Lane which ran across a triangle of wasteland. By the middle of the 19th century, houses were already dispersed along the lane at the foot of which was ''Lalla Rookh'', a two-storeyed villa with a wide verandah. Other buildings there were apparently cottages or huts, both single and in terraces. It was not until the end of the 19th century that Muswell Hill began to be developed more densely from a collection of country houses to the London village that it is today. The development was spurred by the opening in 1873 of

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...

, a massive pleasure pavilion built on the most easterly of north London's gravel hills and intended as the counterpart to the

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

on Sydenham Hill in south London. Alexandra Palace was served by a branchline railway from Highgate, with an intermediary station at Muswell Hill (see below). The foot of Alexandra Palace was served by another rail network with connecting services to Finsbury Park and Kings Cross stations.

20th century

Most development was initiated in the early 20th century when the current street pattern was set out and elegant Edwardian retail parades were constructed. The shopping centre is based on roads that form three sides of a square: Fortis Green Road, Muswell Hill Broadway and the extension of the Broadway into Colney Hatch Lane. At each node point is a church: United Reformed, Church of England, Methodist, and Roman Catholic. One of the nodes, opposite St James CoE, was also the site of the ''Athenaeum'' music hall (later demolished with the site redeveloped as a supermarket), opposite which a surviving

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

Odeon cinema was built in the 1930s. The site of the Ritz, a cinema formerly at the top of Muswell Hill on the next node to the east, has been redeveloped as offices. Until the mid-20th century there was a rail branch line, the

Muswell Hill Railway The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was a railway in North London, England. 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 t ...

, from

which passed through Muswell Hill, terminating at a station at

. It was intended under the Northern Heights plan to integrate this into the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

Northern line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs between North London and South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. It carries more passengers per year than any other Underground linearound 340million in 2019making it the bu ...

; some contemporary

tube map The Tube map (sometimes called the London Underground map) is a schematic transport map of the lines, stations and services of the London Underground, known colloquially as "the Tube", hence the map's name. The first schematic Tube map was des ...

s (e.g. th
1948 map
showed the line as being under construction. However, this plan was cancelled after the Second World War, and the railway line was abandoned in 1954. The line was later converted to become the

Parkland Walk The Parkland Walk is a linear green pedestrian and cycle route in London, which follows the course of the railway line that used to run between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, through Stroud Green, London, Stroud Green, Crouch End, High ...

. In 1964, three young Muswell Hill residents, the brothers Ray and Dave Davies and Pete Quaife, formed

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, the Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock groups of the era. The Davies parents’ home at 6 Denmark Terrace, Fortis Green, remains a magnet for rock music tourists. In 1950, Paul Andrew Smith was born in Muswell Hill at 12 Crown Road, and later became a founding member of the band

Wednesday Wednesday is the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. In English, the name is derived from Old English and Middle English , 'day of Woden', reflecting ...

, formed in 1967. Their record success included the chart topping hit,

Last Kiss "Last Kiss" is a song written by Wayne Cochran and first recorded by Cochran in 1961 for the Gala label. Cochran's version failed to do well on the charts. Cochran re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963. It was revived by J. Frank Wi ...

, followed by a series of top ten records in Canada, Australia and the USA. They earned several Juno nominations, a Maple Leaf Award, Gold record award and were nominated into the Hall of Fame with a lifetime achievement in 2022. In 1979

Wetherspoons J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a British pub company operating in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim ...

opened their first pub, on

Colney Hatch Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern ...

Lane. In March 2013 and June 2020 Muswell Hill was named one of the five most desirable places to live in London in the ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' "Best Places To Live" guide.

Administration and representation

The hill was part of the Bishop of London's Manor of Hornsey, an area served from the medieval period by the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Hornsey Hornsey () is a district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Haringey. It is an inner-suburban, for the most part residential, area centred north of Charing Cross. It adjoins green spaces Queen's Wood to the west and Alexand ...

. Parishes were originally ecclesiastic in purpose, but from the Tudor era onwards had a civic as well as ecclesiastical purpose. In 1903, the area of the civil parish of Hornsey became the

Municipal Borough of Hornsey The Municipal Borough of Hornsey was a local government district in east Middlesex from 1867 to 1965. History In 1867, a Local board of health, Local Board was formed for part of the civil parish of Hornsey (parish), Hornsey. The rest of the p ...

, within the administrative county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. Then in 1965 Hornsey merged with

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

and

Wood Green Wood Green is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms ...

to form the modern

. Northern parts of the N10 postal area, sometimes also regarded as part of Muswell Hill, were part of the parish of

Friern Barnet Friern Barnet () is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane (running north and south), Woodhouse Road (taking westbound traffic towards No ...

, which subsequently became

Friern Barnet Urban District Friern Barnet Urban District was a local government area in Middlesex, England created in 1883 from the civil parish Friern Barnet. It was succeeded by the London Borough of Barnet in 1965 as one of the smaller of its contributory predecessor di ...

before becoming part of the

London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in north London, England. Forming part of Outer London, the borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It is the ...

. The area is in the Hornsey and Friern Barnet parliamentary constituency.

Geography

Close to Alexandra Park and Highgate Woods, Muswell Hill is a mainly Edwardian north London suburb. Muswell Hill Broadway and Fortis Green Road, the main shopping streets, still maintain their historic character with most of the original facades preserved above street level. The area has a synagogue and six churches, one of which has been converted into a steak house.

Education

Primary schools

* Coppetts Wood Primary School and Children's Centre * Coldfall Primary School * Eden Primary * Hollickwood JMI School * Muswell Hill Primary School * Norfolk House Preparatory * Our Lady of Muswell RC Primary School * Rhodes Avenue Primary School * St James C of E Primary School * Tetherdown Primary School

Secondary schools

* Alexandra Park School *

Fortismere School Fortismere School (simply referred to as Fortismere) is an 11–18 coeducational comprehensive foundation secondary school with sixth form in Muswell Hill, Greater London, England. In 2016, it was ranked by ''The Sunday Times'' as the 12th b ...

Special schools

* Blanche Nevile School. A school for deaf and hearing impaired children, based on the sites of Highgate Primary School and

. *

TreeHouse School TreeHouse School is a non-maintained special school and sixth form for autistic children and young people aged 4 to 19. The school is located in the London Borough of Haringey, England, and is operated by the charity Ambitious about Autism. Chi ...

, based at the Pears National Centre For Autism Education.

Transport

Rail

Muswell Hill is not directly served by a

tube Tube or tubes may refer to: * ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a Japanese rock band * Tube & Berger, the alias of dance/electronica producers Arndt Rör ...

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by ...

station. Nearby tube stations include

Bounds Green Bounds Green is a suburb to the north of Wood Green, in the London Borough of Haringey and London Borough of Enfield in north London. Parts of it are also known as New Southgate, but most of New Southgate lies in the London Borough of Enfield ...

(),

Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in Harringay, north London, England. The park lies on the southern-most edge of the London Borough of Haringey. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal ...

( ),

(), Turnpike Lane () and

(). National Rail () services pass to the east of Muswell Hill, calling at

and

. Trains are operated by

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great N ...

and

Thameslink Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...

to destinations such as

Moorgate Moorgate was one of the City of London's northern gates in its defensive wall, the last to be built. The gate took its name from the Moorfields, an area of marshy land that lay immediately north of the wall. The gate was demolished in 1762, but ...

, Enfield and

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...

. To the south of Muswell Hill, London Overground () trains serve

Crouch Hill Crouch Hill is a street in north London, England, running between Crouch End and Stroud Green in the boroughs of Haringey and Islington. It is not to be confused with Crouch End Hill which runs between Crouch End and Hornsey Rise. (The two ...

station between

Gospel Oak Gospel Oak is an area of north west London in the London Borough of Camden at the very south of Hampstead Heath. The neighbourhood is positioned between Hampstead to the north-west, Dartmouth Park to the north-east, Kentish Town to the south-ea ...

and

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking, 1965–1980 ** Municipal Borough of Barking, 1931–1965 ** Barking (UK Parliament constituency) ** Barking (electoral division), Greater ...

, via

South Tottenham South Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. Location South Tottenham occupies parts of the N postcode area, N15 and N postcode area, N17 London postal district, postal districts. It is bordered in the south by St ...

Bus

Muswell Hill Broadway and Muswell Hill West are both served by London Buses, providing the area with a direct connection to the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

and the West End. Buses also serve nearby stations.

Road

The A504 passes east–west through Muswell Hill. Eastbound traffic is carried towards

and the A10. Westbound destinations include

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

and the M1. The A1201 terminates at Muswell Hill. Southbound destinations along this route include

and

Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...

. Highgate is to the south of the district and can be reached via Muswell Hill Road. To the north,

and Whetstone can be reached via Colney Hatch Lane. Both routes are numbered B550. The A1 passes to the south of Muswell Hill, carrying traffic southbound towards Archway,

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

and the

. To the north, the route crosses the

North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London. It runs from Chiswick in the west to North Woolwich in the east via suburban north London, connecting var ...

(A406), and traffic can reach destinations such as

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross, close to the Hertfordshire border. It was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it b ...

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

and

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

Cycling infrastructure Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of bicycle pedal, pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the ...

in Muswell Hill is limited. The now-defunct

London Cycle Network This is a list of cycle routes in London that have been waymarked with formal route signage include 'Cycleways' (including 'Cycle Superhighways' and 'Quietways) and the older London Cycle Network, all designated by the local government body Tra ...

developed two signposted routes through Muswell Hill: * Route 6 – an incomplete but signposted route from

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

, passing through the Broadway on main roads. * Route 54 – an unbroken but signposted route to

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

via

following main roads. Between

Highgate Wood Highgate Wood is a 28 hectare (70 acre) area of ancient woodland in North London, lying between East Finchley, Highgate and Muswell Hill. It was originally part of the ancient Forest of Middlesex which covered much of London, Hertfordshire and E ...

and

, the route skirts around the southeastern edge of Muswell Hill on a traffic-free

shared-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, Bridle path, bridleways and ra ...

Campaigns

The Muswell Hill

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

Group campaigns to reinstate a historic railway line which ran between Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park, via Muswell Hill. The group says that the line would relieve congestion on local roads and that an electric railway would improve local air quality. The Haringey Cycling Campaign is a local cycling lobby group.

Demography

The 2011 census showed that the N10 postal area (including parts of

) had a population of 27,992 in the 2011 census. The same census showed that in the much smaller Muswell Hill electoral ward of the London Borough of Haringey, 84% of the population was white (65% British, 16% Other, 3% Irish). 40% were irreligious and Christian each, while the Jewish population stood at 5.3%.

Places of interest

* Alexandra Park *

Golf Course Allotments The Golf Course Allotments are allotments in the Muswell Hill area of North London, United Kingdom. At over 11.5 acres they are the second largest allotment site in the London Borough of Haringey (who also owns them). As with nearly all allotmen ...

(the largest allotment site in the area) * The Guy Chester Centre of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church * Oliver Tambo Memorial Statue at the Albert Road Recreation Ground * Muswell Hill United Synagogue * The Furlong pub in Colney Hatch Lane was the first ever

pub, under the name "Martin’s Free House" * St James's Church Hall – historic church hall located in Muswell Hill

Cultural references

* In the war romance film ''

The Americanization of Emily ''The Americanization of Emily'' is a 1964 American black-and-white black comedy anti-war film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Paddy Chayefsky, and starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn, Joyce Grenfell, a ...

'' (1964), Emily's mother lives in a house in Dukes Avenue. Exterior shots show Alexandra Palace in the background. * In the 1970s BBC TV comedy series ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

'', the principal character,

Norman Stanley Fletcher Norman Stanley Fletcher, commonly nicknamed "Fletch", is the main fictional character in the BBC sitcom ''Porridge'', and the spin-off, '' Going Straight''. He was played by Ronnie Barker. In the pilot episode, Fletcher claims to Mr. Barrowclo ...

, played by

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...

, hailed from Muswell Hill. External shots of Fletcher's house in

Going Straight ''Going Straight'' is a British television sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. The programme was a direct sequel to the sitcom ''Porridge'', which all four were inv ...

were filmed in Lauradale Road. *

recorded the 1971 LP ''

Muswell Hillbillies ''Muswell Hillbillies'' is the tenth studio album by the English rock group the Kinks. Released on 24 November 1971, it was the band's first album released through RCA Records. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, w ...

'', which included the song "

Muswell Hillbilly "Muswell Hillbilly" is a track recorded by British rock band The Kinks. It served as the title track to their 1971 album, ''Muswell Hillbillies''. Lyrics and music The lyrics of the track "Muswell Hillbilly" see the singer being forced from his ...

". * The Yorkshire Television sitcom '' That's My Boy'' (1981–1986), starring

Mollie Sugden Isabel Mary Sugden (21 July 19221 July 2009), known professionally as Mollie Sugden was an English actress and comedian. She was best known for being an original cast member in the British sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' (1972–1985) as senior ...

and

Christopher Blake Christopher Blake (born Peter Ronald Gray, 23 August 1949 – 11 December 2004) was an English actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best remembered for starring in the British sitcoms '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) and '' That's My Boy'' ( ...

, made frequent references to Muswell Hill, as the family lived in the area throughout the first four seasons. * Series one of the 1993 sitcom ''

Sean's Show ''Sean's Show'' is a British television situation comedy, first broadcast on Channel 4 between 15 April 1992 and 29 December 1993. Stand-up comedian Sean Hughes co-wrote and starred as a fictionalised version of himself, aware that he is livin ...

'' is set in Muswell Hill. * The ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' episode "

The Idiot's Lantern "The Idiot's Lantern" is the seventh episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on 27 May 2006 on BBC One. It was written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Euros Lyn. The ...

" (2006) is set in Muswell Hill, during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. * The

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

song "Driving in My Car" includes the line "I've been far, I drive up to Muswell Hill". * ''Muswell Hill'' is a 2012

Torben Betts Torben Betts (born 10 February 1968, in Stamford, Lincolnshire) is an English playwright, screenwriter and actor. Biography Betts attended the University of Liverpool, where he read English Literature and English Language, and originally train ...

play which "hold a mirror up to middle-class delusion".

People from Muswell Hill

:''See

People from Muswell Hill The term "the people" refers to the public or common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. In contrast, ...

and

People from Fortis Green The term "the people" refers to the public or common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. In contrast, a ...

categories''. Singer-songwriter Rose Gray was born in Muswell Hill on 31 December 1996.

John Logie Baird John Logie Baird (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first mechanical Mechanical television, television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the fi ...

was the first person to transmit moving pictures, now called television. The first public broadcasts were from nearby Alexandra Palace before WW2. His scanning, rotating disc system was later replaced by a more modern electronic system. The former John Baird pub, now the Village Green, in Fortis Green Road was named after him. Musicians

Ray Ray or RAY may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), the bony or horny spine on ray-finned fish Science and mathematics * Half-line (geometry) or ray, half of a line split at an ...

and

Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...

, founding members of

, grew up in Muswell Hill, the album title ''

'' being an obvious reference to their youth. They allegedly played their first ever gig in the Clissold Arms in Fortis Green. Musician

Michael Kiwanuka Michael Samuel Kiwanuka (born 3 May 1988) is a British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is currently signed to Polydor Records. His debut album '' Home Again'' (2012) went gold in the United Kingdom, while his second album ...

was born and raised in Muswell Hill; he was the winner of the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

2020 for his album ''

Kiwanuka Kiwanuka may refer to: * Prince Wasajja Kiwanuka (born 1980), royal prince from Buganda Kingdom, Uganda *Benedicto Kiwanuka (1922–1972), first prime minister of Uganda * Maria Kiwanuka (born 1955), Ugandan economist, businesswoman and politicia ...

'' and a nominee for the 2021 63rd

Grammy Award for Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...

. His album '' Love & Hate'' went to Number 1 on the UK albums chart in 2016. Former KGB agent

Alexander Litvinenko Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (30 August 1962 ( at WebCite) – 23 November 2006) was a British-naturalised Russian defector and former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who specialised in tackling organized crime, ...

lived in Muswell Hill from his exile in 2000 until his assassination in 2006. The group

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

started in the Muswell Hill family home of

Simon Nicol Simon John Breckenridge Nicol (born 13 October 1950) is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in t ...

. The house, Fairport, is on the south side of Fortis Green near the junction with Tetherdown and Fortis Green Road. The serial killer and necrophile

Dennis Nilsen Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 – 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and Necrophilia, necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983. Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two ...

committed his later murders in his Cranley Gardens flat in Muswell Hill and became known as the "Muswell Hill Murderer". A resident for a short time in Muswell Hill was the Russian-born England

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

star Prince Alexander Obolensky, who died in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

in an aircraft accident in 1940 while training as an RAF pilot. Philip Martell, musical director for Hammer House of Horrors, lived in Woodland Gardens Musician, author, poet, wit and great English eccentric

Vivian Stanshall Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British uppe ...

lived his final years in Muswell Hill, dying in a fire in his Hillfield Park flat in 1995. Poet Michael Wayne Rosen, known for his children's stories and communist roots, is currently resident in this area. Composer

Daniel Blumberg Daniel Blumberg (born 1990) is an English artist, musician, songwriter and composer. He is known for his score for the 2024 film ''The Brutalist'', for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music and the Academy Award for Best Original ...

, known for his Oscar winning score for ''

The Brutalist ''The Brutalist'' is a 2024 Epic film, epic Historical drama, period drama film directed and produced by Brady Corbet, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mona Fastvold. It stars Adrien Brody as a History of the Jews in Hungary, Jewish-Hungarian ...

'', grew up in Muswell Hill.

Nearest places

Nearest stations

Alexandra Palace railway station Alexandra Palace railway station is on the Great Northern Route that forms part of the East Coast Main Line, and takes its name from the nearby Alexandra Palace in the London Borough of Haringey, north London. It is down the line from and is ...

Bowes Park railway station Bowes Park railway station is in the London Borough of Haringey in north London, and is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 3 and Travelcard Zone 4. It is down the line from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by Great Northe ...

Hornsey railway station Hornsey railway station is in Hornsey in the London Borough of Haringey, north London. It is on the Great Northern route that forms part of the East Coast Main Line, down the line from , and is situated between to the south and to the north ...

* New Southgate station The nearest tube stations are: *

* Turnpike Lane *

References and notes

External links

Muswell Hill & Fortis Green Association
- has some good historical pictures etc.
History of Muswell Hill - Hornsey Historical Society
- articles, books, postcards etc {{Authority control Districts of the London Borough of Haringey Areas of London Places formerly in Middlesex District centres of London Hills of London