Perhaps surprisingly Highgate has not always been the fashionable and sought after place it is today, indeed there was in medieval times a leper hospital at the foot of Highgate Hill! In the 1800's a number of infirmaries, isolation hospitals and workhouses were dotted around the area, Whittington Hospital dates back to 1901, when the 9 acre site of The Smallpox Hospital was taken over.

Everything wasn't all doom and gloom however, and in the mid to late 19th century developers began the process of suburbanising what was largely open space, although major development did not take place until towards the end of the century. Until at least 1894 "The Miltons" was part of Hornsey Ln. Farm, and the area that is now Chomeley Park and Crescent between our office and The Village was all open fields. Between this date and 1913, Southwood Ave, "The Miltons", and Talbot Rd were all built and Shepherds Hill was graced with splendid villas.

Transport in Highgate and Archway has always been a bone of contention. The horse drawn trams had to terminate at the foot of Highgate Hill, at the Archway Tavern as the hill was to steep for them to climb, and to make matters worse, they could not divert up Archway Rd, as the original Archway Bridge was too narrow for them to pass through! In 1884 a solution was reached when the first cable tramway in Europe was built up Highgate Hill, although the line was out of action between 1892-97 due to technical problems. There was however some local opposition to the trams, as it was believed that cheap public transport would make their previously exclusive area accessible to the "lower classes"!

The Archway Bridge was believe it or not, originally intended as a tunnel, but the roof caved in due to insufficient bricks being used to line it, bringing Hornsey Lane down onto Archway Road (so cowboy builders aren't just a modern phenomenon!). This was then converted into a cutting, traversed by a Roman style viaduct, restoring Hornsey Lane to its rightful position. It was opened in 1813. The second Archway Bridge, which is the bridge you can see by looking south from our office was opened in 1900, the level of the roadway was also dropped by around 30ft and the bridge remains much the same today; it remains one of North London's most recognisable landmarks.

We hope that you have found this little piece of history interesting and if you are considering moving home, we hope Simon Clarke can be of assistance to you in the future.

Contact the office: i@simonclarkeresidential.co.uk