is an area in the
London Borough Of Haringey in London, England.
It is a suburban development situated 6.2 miles (10 km) north of
Charing Cross .
Muswell Hill is in
Postal District N10 and the area is mostly in the
Hornsey And Wood Green constituency.
The earliest records of Muswell Hill date from the 12th Century. At this time the
Bishop Of London , who was the Lord of the Manor of
Hornsey , owned the area and granted 65 acres (263,000 m²), 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 Ladie of Muswell’.
The name Muswell is believed to stem from a natural spring or well, which was said to have miraculous properties. The story has it that a Scottish King was cured of disease after drinking the water of the spring/well and that this led to the area becoming a place of pilgrimage during medieval times. The
River Moselle , which has its source in the area, derives its name from this district - it was originally known as the River Moswell.
(in regard to the Scottish King it should be noted that Muswell Hill Manor in Oxfordshire was said to be owned by The King of Scotland in the 12th Century)
At the top of a hill, it is not directly served by any tube or train stations, despite being a popular place for central London
Commuter s to live. Until the mid-20th century there was a rail branch line, the
Muswell Hill Railway , from
Highgate which passed through Muswell Hill, terminating at a station at
Alexandra Palace , and there was a plan to integrate this into the
London Underground Northern Line ;
Tube Map s of the time showed the line as under construction. However, this plan was cancelled after the 1939-45 war, and the railway line was abandoned in
1954 . It is said that the diggers of the line came upon a deep pit filled with the remains of plague victims located directly on where the station was planned, and they refused to proceed any further.
Close to Alexandra Park and Highgate Woods, with something of a village atmosphere, Muswell Hill has developed from the staid suburb it was in the
1950 s to become fashionable, with a selection of trendy bars and restaurants. Many parts boast spectacular views over London, and the area hosts a disproportionately large number of actors, journalists and other media folk. Most commuters reach London by bus (there are direct routes both to the
City and the
West End ), or connect with the underground at
Highgate or
East Finchley .
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The British pop/rock band
The Kinks titled their
1971 album
Muswell Hillbillies in reference to the birthplace of
Ray and
Dave Davies .
Just across the road from the house where the Davies brothers grew up on Fortis Green is a house called Fairport. This was the family home of Simon Nicol, and his band,
Fairport Convention , was named after it.
The serial killer
Dennis Nilsen carried out some of his gruesome murders in Cranley Gardens in Muswell Hill.
In the popular 1970s BBC TV comedy series
Porridge , the principal character called Fletcher, played by
Ronnie Barker , claimed his family came from Muswell Hill.
, made his last home in Muswell Hill, dying there in a fire in
March of
1995 .
Crouch End Festival Chorus (founded 1973) famous for performances at BBC Proms, multiple film scores, and promotion of its own concerts of varied classical and modern music rehearse at Fortismere School every Friday night.
This unusual shop front was built in July 2004 by Chris Ostwald as a 'homage' to Spanish architect
Antoni Gaudi . The local Council served an enforcement notice on it in 2004, to force its demolition, as the Council claimed it was out of keeping with the 'Edwardian Splendor' of the other Muswell Hill shopfronts. As most of these shopfronts are ugly modern aluminium replacements, most residents of Muswell Hill support the campaign to retain this fine example of creative and imaginative design, as its Gaudi roots date back to 1905-1907 when Gaudi's
Casa Batlló and Muswell Hill were first created.
Over 10,000 people have signed a petition to plead the Council to allow the shopfront to stay. The matter is still currently under discussion.
Nearest places:
Places of interest:
Nearest railway station:
Nearest tube stations:
(Roughly equidistant)
