Exploring the Fascinating Mysteries & Stories of Crouch End, North London (4K)
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- čas přidán 11. 03. 2023
- Join me on a London walking tour through the fascinating mysteries and fantastic stories of Crouch End in London's northern heights. From the spooky Parkland Walk where the King of Horror Stephen King had a mystical experience which became a short story, to a brilliant story involving Bob Dylan. There's also the theory that two powerful ley lines cross beneath the Victorian clocktower, originally the site of a wooden cross that gives the area its name. Crouch End was also where some of the key scenes of Shaun of the Dead were filmed and Will Self set a short story here, The North London Book of the Dead. We visit the legendary Kings Head pub, the Harringay Arms, the Queens, Tottenham Lane, Hornsey Town Hall, Hornsey Library, Church Studios, Crouch End Hippodrome and much more.
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It's Sunday......it's John Rogers!!!
It’s Monday…it’s John Roger’s …Sydney time …great walk as usual
Thanks for another good one John. I was born in Tottenham and one of my earliest memories was in my dads car in about 1954 being driven past the Clock Tower and asking him "is that the clock that they rock around?". Love the spooky stories. More please.
Lived off Crouch Hill when I first came to London in 1982. Always had a soft spot tor this area of the capital. So pleasant to take this walk with you John.
glad you enjoyed it Mark
Hornsey Library was built (began) in 1962. Before that, it was a quiet public gardens where we used to stop on our way to The Broadway, shopping.
Spanish Moon records store used to be down the road from the old church recording studios on the opposite side of the road. Annie Lennox worked there and we met her, Dave Stewart and other band members from The Tourists there. Fantastic record shop. I grew up in Hornsey 1961 - 1985 so it’s great to see Crouch End again. Hornsey Library was my second home from home, wonderful memories of the place and it really kickstarted my education and love of knowledge.
Love the look of Crouch End, thanks for the walk!
I was born and grew up in and around this area for 25 years, and I consider myself really fortunate that my Mum decided to move to and stay here when she arrived in London. So many fond memories of Crouch Hill, Hornsey Rise, the Parkland walk. I was a massive train nerd, so being able to walk the length of this abandoned railway between Finsbury Park and Highgate was fantastic enough, but the history behind it still fascinates me to this day.
What you said at 7:55 - 8:18 especially resonates with me. Sure, you have the impressive skyline of the City, the heritage of Westminster, the buzz of the West End, but for myself (and I'm sure a lot of people) London IS places like Crouch End, Highgate, Hampstead, Hornsey. Such a melting pot of communities, culture and creativity, not to mention the beautiful green spaces and the breathtaking views from the hills.
Hornsey perhaps, but Highgate and Hampstead are not really melting pots by London's standards.
@gwangjuboy1 I've lived on the outskirts of Highgate and Hampstead - believe me, I know they're pretty much a law all to themselves - but I'm talking collectively, not individually.
Enjoyed that, John. Your mention of Dennis Nillson reminded me of a school trip back in 1983(!) which was my first proper visit to London. My main memory is of walking the streets of Soho with a guitar-loving friend in a fruitless attempt to find Denmark Street and its musical delights. It was a miserable, snowy February day and the newspaper billboards were reporting the discovery of his work (and also the kidnapping of Shergar, which I'm sure was the same day) - it wasn't just the cold sending a shiver down my spine that day! 😄
Interesting how the police waited for Nilsen to return home at 5.30 instead of going to his place of work to question him. Don't think they would do that today.
That’s quite a memory Mark
What a great walk john,as ex londoner never really explored this part of London,just goes to show what a great city this is,always exploring who better to show the great JR,thanks john.
Very interesting stroll. Thanks for sharing it! Looking forward to more around Alexandra Palace.
Having moved to Oslo 21 years ago, these walks fill my heart.
great video, grew up in crouch end hornset rise, lived there again 10 yeras ago great memories.
I think that walking through the streets of London with this guy would be fantastic. So many interesting stories. Thank you.
👋🏻An East Texas Howdy to you John Rogers, from the banks of the Muddy Sabine! Just wanted to say I turnt on me phone & your walk to the Romano-British burial mounds popped up, never saw the channel before that. Soon as I speak it’s obvious I’m Texan🤠Good manners ( hold doors, yes/no ma’am/sir, concern for those in need) is part of our Texas character, I myself feel it came with the English Gentleman spirit I was born with. My tribe came over in 1871, granny was from Soham, old East Anglia, Pawpaw was up around Manchester, never can tell if thats old Mercia or Northumbria...Anyhow I love seeing the old Island’s countryside, the hollow ways, foot paths are my faves, but Im also drawn to the small narrow rivers that meander through the land...Anyhow, just felt like 👋🏻 and wishing you and all my British brothers and sisters long and good health! One last thing, theres a coastal fishing village here in the Carolinas that still have the old accent from back home, its still here on YT....Alright brother, Have a good’un👋🏻
Blimey that brought back some memories. From memory The Mountview Theatre was on the corner of Crouch Hill and Cecile Park where we lived. Judy Dench had a theatre school at the back of it. I remember seeing Annie Lennox a couple of times on the bus from Archway, this was during the Tourists phase pre Eurythmics. Tom Robinson I believe lived there at that time and I seem to remember Adam Ant was a past student of the Art School. The Kings Head was our local and I remember going to a few gigs at the Queens. Your description of a mix of bed-sits, hippies and pensioners about summed it up. I seem to remember a lot of music being practiced down our street. Great walk as ever John, cheers
Correctly remembered on the Mountview and the Judy Dench theatre school. Joanna Lumley lived in the mid 70s at the other end of Cecile Park. Tom Robinson and Ian Dury also at that time. Annie Lennox worked in a record store on the Broadway, so you probably did see her on a bus coming down Crouch End Hill
@@glenbetton3146 cheers Glen, I'm now trying to remember the name of the record shop as I think they had a branch at Archway where I worked in the office block above the station
Absolutely fascinating walk, thanks John
thanks Gabriella
Quick comment before I watch the video…has anyone read the short story “Crouch End” by Stephen King? He really captures the strange feeling London can have in the height of summer. I bet you’ve spoken about it in the video John haha. Good to have you back anyway mate.
Thanks for showing me another section of London, I enjoy being introduced to these neighborhoods.
Another decent walk John. Thanks. I lived in Muswell Hill in the late 70s and in Colney Hatch Lane was a real ale bar, in which the manager was a guy called Tim Martin. He cut his teeth on this business and then went on to start Wetherspoons 🍻
Oh and Madness used to get their haircut a few doors up the road 😊
He opened the very first Weatherspoons in Muswell Hill, by the way.
I have heard/read that Dylan story many times, but it still makes chuckle!
A deeply interesting area of London, John. Enjoyed this walk immensely! 👍
On the subject of the undead....
Kim Newman, British author (best known for his 'Anno Dracula' series) and horror film expert lived in Crouch End (perhaps still does).
In his novel 'The Quorum', one of the main characters lives in Cranleigh Gardens.
And of course, Crouch End Vampires FC, longstanding amateur football club, currently members of the Southern Amatuer League. They were formed in the late 19th century, so pre-date more recent undead connections.
Thanks John for taking me on another great little stroll,there's a lovely little film about Dylan in Crouch End with Eddie Marsan as Bob and the late and sadly missed Paul Ritter as Dave.
Brilliant Howard, will have to seek it out
I grew up in crouch end and being in a process of reflecting/reviewing and attempting to understand myself and aspects of my life at the moment, a rabbit hole of researching a number of themes brought me to your video and there are some bizarre connections it helped me to make with some of my own experiences there which were actually quite comforting and reassuring to learn, perhaps connecting some dots and also just adding to my fondness and respect for the area. I also go back there once or twice a year and in spite of some dark experiences/memories I have from there from years ago, I love the area and walking it’s streets and actually always feel good when I’m there.. I’m glad you decided against going to cranley gardens..
Crouch End is a lovely place. I have some nice memories of taking afternoon 'leg stretching have a cuppa' breaks from some pretty full on guitar arranging sessions, in The World Cafe.. Most inspiring to think that Dave Stewart's church studio was just opposite. Indeed the area is steeped in music vibes, also undeniably spooky ones, both perhaps because of the famous lay lines.. I remember a FORMIDABLE pint of Fullers ESB just down the road from the cafe. Too soporific for doing much after, but delicious if at leisure. Nice one John! 🌟👍
Thank you! Will be tracing your steps later this week.
Great video, John. I loved the story about Bob Dylan and Dave. Crouch End was also the home of jazz guitarist Bert Niblett and his Club Django, from the 1950s up to the year 2000. He was a massive fan of Gypsy Jazz and Django Reinhardt, and the club was a meeting place for the London jazz scene. My Dad went to play guitar there a few times in the late '60s.
At the end of the street that Hornsey Library is in, there's a manhole cover where you can see and hear the Stonebridge Brook. It starts here in Crouch End and flows down to the River Lea, somewhere near the Markfield Brook. There are a few places in Hornsey where you can spot it running beneath the streets.
thanks so much for that info on the Stonebridge Brook Joe - somebody sent me some info about a lost river further down in Harringay that I could locate on old maps (unmarked) but with no name - I wonder if its the same - it makes its confluence with the Lea in Markfield Park so I guess it must be?
@@JohnRogersWalks Hi John, I think it flows under Effingham Road in the Harringay Ladder, and then crosses Green Lanes. You can definitely hear a river flowing under the manhole covers in that street. I haven't followed it any further than that, but I know the information boards in Markfield Park mention it meeting its confluence with the Lea there. Sorry, there is no Markfield Brook, of course! I meant the park.
Hi John, an excellent walk with you, as usual - The Crouch End Hippodrome was, when I worked in that location in the mid 80’s the UK offices of a Greek Cypriot Tour operator called Best Travel aka Cypriana and Grecian Holidays. I remember that the layout was unusual, you entered through a relatively narrow corridor then it opened out into what seemed to me to me a massive office space - bit like the Tardis. I arrived from rural Suffolk to answer holiday complaint letters. I lived on the Holloway Rd and though I remember the Clock tower the rest of the street scapes are lost to memory. Thanks for reminding me of this and greetings from the South Island of New Zealand. All the best Jonathan
Thanks John Fabulous Video , one of my favourite places in London, it looks a lot more tidy and clean than when I lived nearby in the early seventies, it was bed sitter and squats, full of students , musicians , hippies and artists, glad you turned off main road and walked down Hornsey Rise , I used to walk down that way often , probably going to procure some weed ! We had a community concert near the site of the old station, bands and folk music it was great , but it was summer, parts of the old route were overgrown and a real quagmire of mud and water ! Kings story is really unsettling and scary , portals through the thin veils separating alternative dimensions and realities , there was a witches coven in Crouch End ,there were voodoo priests and congregations , there were magicians and wizards , it was very alternative and somewhat dangerous place , it is a cut off place even now , legends say that a giant megalithic stone once stood on the site of the clock tower to mark the intersection of the Ley Lines , what strange arcane stories are lost in the mists of prehistory !
There's also a short story , which was in the same anthology as the King story , which is all about ghosts travelling up the old railway line , can't remember the title ! This video was made more bittersweet having to wait two weeks for its posting , but it was wonderful , thank you so much , see you soon , Simon 💗
I love to visit my daughter and grandsons in Muswell Hill. I enjoy exploring! Thanks! I want to come over from Pennsylvania again to see the interior of the Ally Pally. We went to the pub in Hornsey where the Kinks hung out!
We live in palmers green, two stop after hornsey. It's a beautiful old town of crouch end. Lovely atmosphere with few Asian favourite restaurant close by. Thank you John for explaining the history. Look forward to the next walk-'
Thank you, John. Another little gem of a walk.
Cracking walk John
Love the bit about Bob Dillon meeting a bloke called Dave. This walk has some of the best residential housing absolutely beautiful
Nice to have you back. Sunday restored.
I hope your dad is okay.
He’s in great form thanks
Thanks a lot for another captivating video! I' ve never been to Crouch Hill but it looks rather interesting and the view over Alexandra palace was stunning!
Thanks Laura
I too have so far only walked the southern section of the Parkland Walk, so Alexandra Palace remains an unreal apparition seen from the train between Cambridge and King's Cross. It's a magical moment when you get up close to somewhere only seen for years from the train. My wander further north took me to the ancient watery Coldfall Wood, and to St Pancras & Islington Cemetery, home to more burials/internments than anywhere else in the UK, a tree house, and the rusting remains of a car, covered in ivy.
Thanks..my family lived in park Road in 1900s and I was a copper around these parts...really violent in the 90s
Friend rented in Crouch End with partner in the 90’s a family with kids had to literally walk through friends flat to get to their own rented flat above! Thanks for videos I am so glad I came across you they are always such a treat.
lovely walk - thank you!
Another interesting walk through Crouch End John and amazing how many hills there are on the edge of London.Thorougly enjoyable as always!!
Your reference to The Salisbury on Green Lanes brought back so many memories for me. I lived just around the corner from there in the mid-90s and I remember buying wonderful olives and watermelon from the Turkish shops nearby. Used to get the bus up to Crouch End where a mate of mine was living. Not been that way in almost 30 years so it was great to see it all again. Thank you!
At last!!! Thanks, John.
Splendid walk. It's a whole new view of London for me! I have to watch it again now...
glad you enjoyed it Jennifer
My uncle Christopher Evans was a student at the Hornsey college of Art, in the 1960s. He lived in a bedsit with a toilet on the 3rd floor.
The usual enjoyable feast - thanks John 👍🏻
Great video! I lived there in the early 80s, loved it then and love it now, although I so rarely go back. Now you've given me the impetus to do so again
I used to ski the artificial slope at Alexander Palace, back in the day, quite a hard fall if you wiped out. Lived in Fortis Green for a while, used to go to Banners cafe in CE. Fading memories.
What an absolute gem of London. Fabulous walk and fabulous buildings, thank you
Thanks Catie- I love it up there
Cheers John!....Sunday complete!👌
Enrichment of the soul and knowledge.thank you John.
thanks very much Keith
@@JohnRogersWalks thank you take care.
Thoroughly entertaining watch and walk of another part of London I've never been to. Can't help thinking I missed out on so much in my 22 years of living there.
So thank you once more for helping fill the void.
Many thanks Reaper - such a great area to explore
I used to live in muswell Hill and Crouch End, and thank you, it warmed my heart.
Thank you John a great video .at the time when Dylan was staying with Dave Stewart .a photographer friend rang me to say he was photographing Dylan and Stewart recording would l like to go and meet Dylan! I have been kicking myself ever sinc efor saying no thank you.
I used to love the charity shops in Crouch End got some great books from them
Thanks John, great memories from when i lived at Turnpike lane and ventured out around Crouch End back in the late eighties.
Sublime as always John, hope you enjoyed your time with your Dad.
Love how the Virgin Active Health Club is flanked by Marie Curie on one side and a funeral parlour on the other 20:10
Thank you John for that lovely walk, an area I only visited a few times to see relatives way back long ago. 💕🇦🇺
Thank you !
What a fascinating area. Such amazing architecture above the bland shops
great video, John. quite enjoyable. love the reference to Steven King!
Konk Studios in Tottenham Lane was one of the first artist owned (The Kinks) studios in London when it opened back in 1973 - still operational, I think....
Great walk John, interesting area isn't it..we alllove the channel and all your work big love
Thank you John another nice walk so many memories came flooding back for me, a girl and me bought a house in Crouch end in the early 80’s and yes she was hippy. Funny though she told everyone we lived in Muswell Hill. How little I knew of the place in the six years I live there with her. I adored the story about the man rediscovering his mother after death in Crouch end. That is what Crouch end seem to me in the 1980s..
Thank you for bringing some nice memories back for me
Enjoyed that 😃
Thanks for video John!!
Cheers Tom
On a trip to London with a twin rover ticket, me and my mate found ourselves on a bus going through muswell hill .we spotted an abandoned railway, we got off and followed the course of the railway until we came upon a massive building on the top of a hill, we hadn't a clue what it was. We had to ask somebody! "That's Alexandra Palace". Another wonderful philosophical walk, John, thanks for that!
Thank's John. Stay safe.
cheers Dave
Awwww superb walk, most enjoyable. So long ago now but I stayed with a friend in the area.
Great walk John Thanks.
Love the Bob Dylan story!🎤
A great video of a fascinating area. I pictured Dave's face when he saw Bob Dylan, bet he played it cool "Hello Bob how's it going not seen you for ages."
Great to see Crouch End a place myself and my family know well having lived in Wood Green. My mum's mum worked in Crouch End and two members of the family owned a greengrocers in Crouch End.
As usual John, superb...👍.
Thanks Barney
Great video John, an area of London i need to re-explore!
What a great walk, thank you, John. The Bob Dylan story reminded me of a phone call I got in I believe the early 2000s: a friend rang one evening to tell me that one of their friends who lived across the Assiniboine River here in Winnipeg had opened her door that day on hearing a knock and found Bob Dylan on her doorstep, a taxi idling at the curb. She owned the house that Neil Young had spent his teenage years in and Dylan wanted to visit his friend’s childhood home. She gave him a brief tour as the cabbie waited!
fantastic story Pat - I wonder if there's a compilation of Dylan sightings?
My friend is trying to get me to move to Crouch End so this is great for making my mind up 😄
Another great northern heights walk is here at last.
just order your book can not wait to read it. keep up the good work
Thanks Paul
Very nice stroll. Crouch End has some lovely buildings.
Thankyou John, I thoroughly enjoyed that it felt as though I was walking with you .
Thanks Peter
As John said "This is London I love it".
Many thanks for making this film - it was very interesting, and not just because I lived there once! To fill in a gap, the Town Hall once had a concert hall/theatre. I saw my first ever pantomime there in the late 1950s and I believe that the Kinks played one of their first gigs there in the 1960s. My personal story is that I lived in Crouch End (Weston Park) from birth until I was about 5. I attended Rokesley Infants School for a while until we moved to Muswell Hill. My parents had had a flat in the infamous Cranleigh Gardens when first married, so it is quite likely that I was "created" there. The Crouch End I remember was , basically, grotty. It wasn't long after WW2 and there were many bombsites that hadn't been rebuilt on yet and quite a few old-fashioned shops, such as a Sainsburys with counter service and some food items still rationed. I remember also that our GP was Dr Samuel whose wife was Edith Summerskill (later Baroness) who was also a GP. I believe they lived locally at the time - there would certainly have been a surgery in Crouch End.
Great Crouch End film thanks john😊
Cheers Trevor
Another interesting one John. I have very recently recommended your channel to two work colleagues so hopefully two more viewers for you.
Brilliant thanks Scott
Such a great Dave story ! I wonder if the lady of the house recognised Sir Robert of Zimmerman? " So what do you for a living ' Bob ' ? " . " Troubadour Ma'am " " How nice - another slice of Victoria Sponge ? ' .
Thanks for the guide 👏👏👏
My pleasure Lila
Thanks for the video. I moved to the area right before the Pandemic hit (on a street you can see in the Shaun of the Dead movie) and I am still enjoying exploring the area and walking around. Great to hear some history.
I waited and hoped for the Bob Dylan story, and, as usual, you didn’t disappoint!
Thanks John, yes Crouch End is a strange place, bumped into David Farrant once in the Co-Op...
Really Ralph - I realised I left the Highgate Vampire story out of this video probably because I've repeated it many times. Do tell more - was he buying lots of garlic?
I can top that.Once bumped into Jack Bruce in Budgens!
I love Parkland walk, I need to make a wildlife focused video there, I once met a bloke in a pub who swore blind he'd seen the ghost of a bear down there.
I’m not surprised Ian
@@JohnRogersWalks The joys of the Worlds End pub in Finsbury Park back in the mid 90's, home to more than a few fantastic local characters!
Fantastic John.
thanks Graham
I love Crouch End, nice vid of my old stomping grounds.
I have just found you on CZcams John. I am really enjoying your walks and learning the hidden history of London. Thank You!
Thanks Timothy- welcome to the channel
Great stuff
Great Video.
A great long walk to do would be down from Highgate to Hampstead to Belsize Park , Haverstock Hill, Primrose Hill and over to Regents Park and down to Soho - 5 miles of greenery and parks. London is an amazing place for walking.
I walk my dog 🐕 all around where you walked in this video.
great stuff JR
Thanks Redjacc
I lived in Stapleton Hall Road very near the Parkland Walk for a while, been to Crouch End many times and still visit. The Art House Cinema has a little cafe which does nice coffee if you're out that way again John.
Thanks for the walk and interesting stories - I hadn't heard the Dylan one before!
Hello from Morocco 🇲🇦
Thank you for all informations ❤❤
Fantastic video!! Bonjour from France John! you should also do the Hampstead district that I like... Thank you very much my friend.