Harringay
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Harringay is an area of North London in the United Kingdom. Originally a part of the former Municipal Borough of Tottenham it is located at the southern end of the London Borough of Haringey (note the different spelling - Harringay is the name of the area and Haringey is the name of the borough).
It is bounded in the north by Turnpike Lane and West Green Road, in the east by Black Boy Lane and Hermitage Road, in the south by Finsbury Park and Seven Sisters Road, and in the west by Wightman Road and the Great Northern Railway line.
It is home to a large Cypriot immigrant population, both Greek and Turkish Cypriot, living alongside one another.
Its main street is called Green Lanes (in the plural), and this has many common high street shops, as well as a large Sainsbury's supermarket, a new retail park including a Homebase store, one of Britain's first ever "drive-thru" McDonald's restaurants plus several pubs (including the Pevsner-noted Salisbury Hotel). It is most notable, however, for its many Turkish and Kurdish bakeries, vegetable and kebab shops. It has two railway stations (Harringay and Harringay Green Lanes), and has a tube station at its north and south ends: Manor House and Turnpike Lane. These stations are mainly in Travelcard Zone 3, with Manor House also in Zone 2 as it marks the border between these zones.
Due to its location on the Piccadilly Line and the 29 bus route, it is a popular area with students at the University of London. As a result of its population of students and immigrants, a lot of people are just passing through. Changes to the make-up of this transient population occur fairly frequently, with an influx of people from Eastern Europe (especially Poland) having been noticeable recently. People of Greek heritage - both from Cyprus and mainland Greece - have largely moved away from the area in recent years, meanwhile, and Greek-owned businesses along Green Lanes are now few and far between.
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[edit] Organised Crime in Harringay
The area was recently home to the infamous Turkish gangster, Abdullah Baybasin, head of a Turkish/Kurdish crime syndicate reported to have controlled up to 90% of Britain's heroin trade. Known as 'Uncle', Baybasin emigrated from Turkey in 1997 and, on the strength of the reputation of his elder brother 'Emperor' Huseyin (currently serving a life sentence in Holland), and his ruthless methods of persuasion, soon began to mastermind a drugs cartel operating behind the front of a Green Lanes social club. Linked to numerous murders, 'Uncle' has a reputation as a colourful, if sinister, figure. After being injured in a gun-fight by a rival, he is confined to a wheelchair. Baybasin was sentenced to 22 years in prison at Woolwich Crown Court, London, on 15th May 2006. He will serve 10 years for drugs offences involving 2.5 kilos of heroin and a further 12 years for conspiracy to blackmail.[1]
[edit] Notable Residents
Notable residents have included:
- Robert Edward Cruickshank (1911-1929?), World War 1 hero and recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Pat Cadigan (1996-Present), science fiction writer hailed as the "Queen of Cyberpunk"
- Rob Fenner (2001-Present), acclaimed power electronics musician also known as Noire.
- Matthew Douglas (2002-2006), acclaimed musician and actor
- The Lahmachums (2006-), reggea and drum and bass 5-piece, creators of recent hits such as 'Craig make the dinner' and 'Me Like Tall Girl, Me Like All Girl'
[edit] Nearby places
- Hornsey
- Muswell Hill
- Finsbury Park
- Stoke Newington
- Seven Sisters
- Turnpike Lane
- Crouch End
- Wood Green
[edit] External links
- The Trouble with Harringay on the name difference between Harringay and Haringey
