Arkady, I wondered when I did the survey why we can't have more than 1 definition? I think I live in Stroud Green AND Finsbury Park, and it's Finsbury Park that I use in my address to minimise postal misdirection and to explain the general area I'm in (because people can look at a map and see the park and the Tube).

Also, it's an either/or thing, as there has to be a fixed non-overlapping boundary for the Neighbourhood Forum to have an electorate.

Well Papa L, the results so far bear you out. There is fairly wide distribution over the area I expected. But so far (and I’m yet to compile them on the map so this is just from memory) out of the 35+ submissions there are two clusters, one centred in the streets around Lorne/Albert and one centred on Wray Crescent, including Thorpedale, Birnam, Moray and Corbyn (though one Corbyn submission wasn’t sure whether they were in SG or FP). Lots in and around Mount View and Woodstock too.

So far nothing north of Hanley or west of Crouch Hill (except one in Trinder Rd, but I’m told that’s in Camden).

Because of the way post-codes work in unpopulated areas, we seem to have grounds to claim the Finsbury Park duck pond.

It's probably quite a good demographic indication of the user base of Stroud Green Org.   

Interesting that there is a historic split between Lower Stroud Green - the rough and ready neighbourhood around SG Road - and the much posher Upper Stroud Green around the east end of Mount view Road, Elyne Road, Stroud Green Library, which associates strongly with Stroud Green Residents Association.

SG Residents Association may be attempting a territorial aggrandisement, lebensraum or a putsch.  They stuck a leaflet through my door this week.

58 submissions so far.

Someone on either Oakfield or Beatrice put themselves as N1 instead of N4.  Alternatively, someone thinks that Dalston is in Stroud Green.

SG.org has a reader on Turnpike Lane.

Various submissions from people on the western Hanley Rd area.  Mostly Stroud Green, but a bit of an FP/Upper Holloway tussle too. 

Someone on Prah Rd put in a tentative Stroud Green claim - good on you.

One or two Stroud Green rejectionists on Regina, whish surprised me.

I have counted Moray Road as Stroud Green AND Finsbury Park. How about you, Miss Annie?

If you look at Google Maps, Stroud Green is officially at the junction of Ferme Park Road & Stapleton Hall Road. Or at least, it used to be - right now it seems to be at the end of Cecile Park, just before Gladwell Road. Huh.

@ harpistic - Yeah Google Maps moved Stroud Green to Crouch End recently.

@ADGS - I used to make that case too.  But John Hinshelwood's recent history suggests that the name Stroud Green was first applied to the wide area through which 'Stroud Green Lane' ran.  Further, he is sceptical of the early maps that show SGT as historically being centred on the 'Fiveways' junction, arguing that they are only indicative and that settlement was more widespread throughout the area.

I picked up John Hinshelwood's Stroud Green – a History and Five Walks the other day on my first ever visit to the little Hornsey Historical Society shop and read it with interest.

As Arkady mentions he does suggest that Stroud Green originally covered the full stretch of what was Stroud Green Lane (now road) and with farms and land stretching east / west too.

I like his findings that even a couple of hundred years ago Stroud Green was a pretty ill-defined area.

It's a fascinating book and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Stroud Green, as half of it is actually the most comprehensive history of the area I've read - and then the other half is the walks. It's got some great pictures in too.

No, n4 is a clearly defined geographic area. Stroud Green on the other hand, is a state of mind. 

I checked the Google map, even by a state-of-mind definition, it definitely appears to have moved Stroud Green to Crouch End. That should continue to confuse outsiders to the concept of Stroud Green nicely.

All of it?  If not, where would you draw the border?

@Arkady,

Local government boundaries apart, one of the things that sets 'Stroud Green' apart from 'Finsbury Park' as a place is that massive set of railway bridges at the bottom of SGR, and the fact that through-buses don't go under them.  It's a very effective psychological boundary.

Yup, because the bridge is too low. But why can't we have some single-decker buses?! Would be nice if we had buses which went beyond Finsbury Park!

@harpistic @miss annie

The 236 used to continue northwards under the bridges, and finished in  SHR, as far as I remember. Very useful. I wish it still did. Why doesn't it?

There's information about the 236's history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Buses_route_236

Judging by the survey results that excludes most people who regard themselves as being in Stroud Green.

I hope to publish them soon, by the way.  Over 100 submissions so far.

Or for Londoners, The Blind Beggar.

The road outside the Stapleton Tavern is cobbled because it was a bus stand or turning point - early horse drawn buses - so I've heard.   Couldn't get up the hill.  Precursor of the 236?

I love the idea of Stroud Green being like the Tardis. BTW, I don't live in SG.

There was someone on Burgoyne Rd too.

@ ADGS & Gardener Joe, Yes, Holloway Rd runs through Holloway - but this is because the area is named after the road not the other way round. The road was The Hollow (or Hallow) Way. Some dispute over this being Hallow (holy) or Hollow (wide). Can't remember where I learnt this but it was on radio or telly years ago. I can't think of any instances of 'roads' being named after the places they are in (as opposed to 'high streets'). I'm still of the thought that Stroud Green rd originally lead to, rather than ran through Stroud Green, although now it obviously does.

@Misscara. I am indeed Turnpike Lane. But as we know I practically live at Sugar Lounge. I should have put that as my postcode.

Beware! Hinshelwood is sometimes failible ... e.g. placing (wrongly) some parts of Mount Pleasant Crescent in Islington, despite suggesting (correctly) elsewhere in the same text that these are in Haringey. At best this is Indicative of some poor editing and at worst indicates an insecure grasp of the material he is using .... compensated to some degree by the attractive and confident style of writing. However, this book is readily available and its sale supports our local history society; it provides a good-enough summary overview of the area's history - more is right than is wrong - with a pleasing smattering of entertaining vignettes. But for safety this book should be read alongside more established (admittedly more dry) scholarly texts such as the Victoria County History series.