Archway

NorthNineteen

This morning I walked over to Spoke (new cafe/bar on Holloway Rd - which is excellent) and I was amazed at how many properties between Hornsey Road and Holloway Road are being rennovated, refurbished, extended.  I counted 10 houses on my way there and back having complete overhauls and at least the same amount having major works.  It really is quite incredible.  I've always felt that Archway has lagged behind it's neighbours but it appears no more. The chasm between those that can afford to buy privately and those in social rented seems to be widening, it's all a little worrying isn't it?<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span>

TheMimsy

Agree.<div><br><div>I have heard of a regeneration plan of the station area, where the Tower is, the Post Office, Library etc.</div><div>Wonder if this will ever happen and if it's going to be like the Finsbury Park/John Jones thing.</div><div><br></div><div>Incidentally, I noticed a nice cafe'/bakery on Fairbridge Road, past the Hornsey Road carpet shop.</div></div>

ADGS

You'd be hard pressed to make the tower/library area much worse. That said, I'm sure modern developers could have a good try. 

Mirandola

The Fairbridge Road cafe is Libertea. Good place and very very beautiful owner.

pie eater

Libertea is on Marlborough rd. the Fairbridge rd one is Yasar Halim (not sure on the spelling). They have another one in Finchley and a shop on Green Lanes. They also sell meat which saves a trip to Sainsos if you live around Hornsey rd. they serve Illy coffee.

Mirandola

I was just logging in to apologise for getting that wrong!

miss annie

The roads around Archway have been getting more popular for years, there are a lot of unconverted Victorian houses and it's ten minutes trot over to Parliament Hill side of the Heath. Friends of mine lived in St Johns Rd for years. It's nice round there and apparently the nurseries are lovely and they have a very active NCT group if you're in the market for that sort of thing. There have been rumours of Archway tube complex being developed for as long as I've lived in North London (twenty years or so), it has to happen sometime I suppose.

conformable_kate

the Shakespeare roads off St Johns Rd were being referred to as 'Lower Highgate' fifteen years ago! At the same time as bits of SG were appearing in estate agents as 'Crouch End borders'. 

Papa

The Whitehall Park bit of Archway is very expensive - the St Johns Grove bit too. <div><br></div><div>More so than Stroud Green, and I reckon Stroud Green has a lot more going for it.</div><div><br></div><div>There are still plans to kill off the Archway gyratory/roundabout element - I am not sure they will ever pull that off.</div><div><br></div><div>Highgate Slopes is my favourite estate agent's description of Archway that I've seen.</div>

nick_m

You may well have passed a large pile of rubbish that we are responsible for! We're making the move over that way (Upper Holloway?) due to the obvious reasons that it's a damn sight cheaper than SG for property. We were priced out of SG a long time ago and that area has some really good primary schools; an amazing number for such a small area, really. I think that pre-last summer when property prices were going ballistic, a lot of families in this area were looking for somewhere that is close in to town still, but not so extortionate. At the time it fit the bill - lot's of 'un-modernized' and yet quality housing, with good schools. Hence all the renovation projects. It certainly lacks the buzz of SG Road, but it's catching on and Spoke is an example of that. And the Landseer pub is one of my favourites. The only problem is no SG.org! UH.org anyone?

djmattyoung

Spoke is nice, good addition to Holloway Road. 

NorthNineteen

I always think Upper Holloway isn't a real place - surely it's just Archway?

kreuzkav

Holloway road is quite an interesting road and I think it changes as it goes uphill.  The Highbury end has an inner-city but specialist feel to it with its fetish shops, central library et al.  Then its kebab shops, boozers until upper holloway overground station.  It goes a bit la de da then at Archway Tower you get a feeling of 1960s Labour we're looking after you but the architecture will be brutal.

Arkady

"1960s Labour we're looking after you but the architecture will be brutal."<div><br></div><div>That's a wonderful way of putting it!</div>

Sutent

@kreuzkav. Where is the fetish shop? Don't think I have ever seen it

kreuzkav

Near central library.  I think there's a few.  They've been there for a while.  Never been in them as it's not my scene but I've known a few people who have.  The stretch of Holloway road between Highbury and Islington and Central Library reminds me of New York for some reason.  

Sutent

Thanks Kreuzkav. Will look out for them.

kreuzkav

<div><br></div><div><br></div>Seems like the other two have closed down according to this article. <div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

kreuzkav

Article   http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/atsuko-kudo

miss annie

They've made clothes for Lady Ga Ga and Madonna among others. My first north London flat was above Travelmania on that first bit of Holloway Rd. Jones Bros (John Lewis) was just about still there, and there was a small Sainsburys where we did our minuscule weekly shop - more or less where Waitrose is now. Royal Mail has Archway in Upper Holloway, its postcode is N19. If it were the other way round Upper Holloway would have a higher numbered postcode.

Papa

Nice slogan Kreuzkav - we could broaden it beyond politics though to<div><br></div><div>The 1960s - ruining areas with the unintended consequences of good intentions for decades to come</div>

Arkady

That lower stretch has changed radically in the last few years.  The opening of the Lamb pub - run by the folks from Season - was when I first noticed.  There are fancy cake shops and everything now.

NorthNineteen

That's kind of my point, Upper Holloway is only a postcode designation name - people I know who live round that area would either refer to themselves as Archway or Tufnell Park.<div><br></div><div>Didn't realise The Lamb was run by Season, what else do they run?  It's on that stretch where Vagabonds is now isn't it?<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>

Arkady

Yep, that stretch.  Nothing else as far as I know.<div><br></div><div>I used 'Upper Holloway' when I lived on Sussex Way.  <span style="font-size: 10pt;">The only time I've heard 'Upper Holloway' used by others to describe a place was in the Shaftesbury - the previous owners claimed that that was where the pub was located (!).  </span></div><div><div><br></div></div>

JoeV

<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">It's marked as Upper Holloway in the AtoZ. Archway is only used for the tube station and the junction.</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">From Wikipedia:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">'Until quite recently, Archway did not designate a specific area. Most people referred either to Highgate, Islington or Upper Holloway, a name that is now used for little besides the nearby railway station and the post office. The term Archway became popularised as a result of Londoners' tendency to indicate their local area by reference to the nearest Underground station...'</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archway,_London</span><br></div></div>;

Arkady

@JoeV - see also Finsbury Park!

Perflexed

A panoply of various optimistic initiatives re; Archway/Upper Holloway/Base-Camp-Highgate  <a href="http://www.planarchway.org.uk/development.html">here</a><div><br></div><div>I do hope something can be done with the traffic clogged, humanity crushing bollockary of the 'Archway Gyratory' which I have always considered a counter-gonad to the one in the Elephant, but obviously somehow superior in a totally unjustified North London kind of way.  </div><div><br></div><div>@ Arkady & JoeV </div><div>The most obvious example of this location replacement is of course 'London Bridge' on the Northern Line (and later forming part of the Jubilee line extension) There was of course no actual 'London Bridge' it was pure clerical error, yet despite the limited financial resources of the 1940's war-coalition government they were embarrassed into compelling 'land girls' to build an actual bridge (near to the station)  during the WWII . It was all well documented on a recent Woman's Hour. </div>

Papa

@Perflexed another local example is, of course, Arsenal<div><br></div><div><br></div>