The Borough of Haringey has put together a very good guide for anyone interested in researching any aspect of local history. They call this nuts and bolts pamphlet, Haringey History Tool Kit – and that’s pretty much exactly what it is. It explains in clear language what archives are and where you can find different relevant documents stored on sites throughout the borough, including census returns, parish records, rate books, photographs and maps. Worth clicking here to take a quick look: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/sites/haringeygovuk/files/haringey_history_toolkit.pdf
I rather like their very clear brief history:
Haringey – A Brief History
The London Borough of Haringey was created in 1965. It joined up its three predecessor
authorities: the borough of Tottenham, the borough of Wood Green and the borough
of Hornsey.
Each of these areas had grown from country villages with farms and market
gardens, to become suburban towns, now part of Greater London. Today, we use the
name ‘Haringey’ to cover these three quite distinct areas.
The once rural landscape of Haringey has been developed and shaped by different
influences. Over the centuries, good communication links by road through Highgate,
Wood Green and Tottenham, and the River Lea (on the Tottenham borders) have
maintained connections with the City of London and the busy docks of the River Thames.
This gave rise to a thriving agricultural community, helping to feed people in the City of
London. By the 18th century, wealthy City merchants had made their home in these
districts, attracted by both living in the country and working in the nearby City.
The coming of the railways from 1850 onwards, allowed better transport links and
stimulated significant population growth. Affordable housing was built for people
moving out from the cramped and poor living conditions of the City to the new suburbs
of North London. New work and market opportunities arose, with large-scale
industries along the Lea Valley and smaller businesses throughout the borough.
These changes have brought a steady influx of newcomers and new lifestyles over
hundreds of years. Some have moved on, others have settled for generations. Haringey
today has become a diverse multicultural community of 225,000 residents, with nearly
200 different languages spoken.
Over half of the population has come from a culturally
diverse background. All have transformed and defined the character of the borough we
know today.
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