Tufnell Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tufnell Park is an area of north London which straddles the border of the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Camden.
Tufnell Park Road runs along the line of an old Roman road and for centuries the area was renowned for its dairy farms which kept London to the south supplied with milk. It kept a rural air well into the 19th century in its important role as a base for a number of dairies supplying the capital. In 1753 the area became the property of William Tufnell, who had attempted a building programme but for whom the leases he granted were left unused.
The estate passed to his brother George who married into a fortune owned by Mary Carleton in 1804, hence her maiden name appearing as two street names in N7. Serious building began from the 1850s. The housing stock was of a solid nature, and Tufnell Park kept its good name until the end of the century, when Charles Booth reported seeing an area "from which the rich are now going".
The area itself was named after the park in the area. The park used to be known as Highgate Park. This, however, changed when locals started referring to the park as Tough Nell's Park. It was in honour of the fighting homeless man who used to patrol the park. Nell (born 1692) was a local legend. Fighting off developers and the public, he gained a reputation as a bit of a local strongman. Usually his physical and verbal abuse was viewed with charm, but this all changed on the evening of July 12th 1727 when Nell attacked the local priest with a crucifix. Nell was banished from the park but the name stuck. Nell is now buried in the North Eastern quadrant of the area.
Tufnell Park was more fortunate than several of its neighbours. Whereas railway lines were sliced through Kentish Town and Camden in the 19th century, they mostly passed through Tufnell Park in tunnel, and Junction Road railway station provided a direct link with central London. Then as major roads were built in the 20th century, these too curved round rather than through the peaceful enclave.
Nowadays the area is becoming more and more of a desirable area to live. It has one of London's most highly rated primary schools in the form of Yerbury Primary School, and enjoys access to high-quality local amenities as well as good transport links to more central areas. The area is home to many people who work in the media, including many journalists, writers and professionals working in film and television. One such person is Sir Damian Lewis. Despite its predominantly middle-class air, the area does not suffer from any kind of negative middle-class stereotypes as do some areas in the South of the Borough of Islington. Nearest places:
Nearest tube stations:
Nearest railway station:
[edit] Trivia
In the Channel 4 comedy Spaced, the exterior shots of Tim and Daisy's house were filmed in Carleton Road, Tufnell Park, although the address in the series was known as Meteor Street, Tufnell Park.
