Wood Green

History

In the latter half of the 19th century and before urbanisation, Wood Green was part of Tottenham and covered by woodland called Tottenham Wood: hence the original name of the area, Tottenham Wood Green. The 18 acre area was auctioned off as 'Wood-Green' in 9 separate plots on 13 August 1806 by local agent Prickett and Ellis at Garraway's Coffee house in Cornhill,London.

Incidents

Two bombs planted by the Provisional IRA exploded at the Shopping City complex on 10 December 1992, injuring 11 people, including four police officers. The bombs were hidden in two separate litter bins about 200 yards away from each other.

Governance

In 1894, Wood Green was created as an urban district, and later a municipal borough, of Middlesex. In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, the Municipal Borough of Wood Green was abolished and its area merged with that of the Municipal Borough of Tottenham and the Municipal Borough of Hornsey to form the present-day London Borough of Haringey.

The constituency of Wood Green was created in 1918 and existed until 1983 when it was split. Some of the constituency was transferred to the neighbouring seat of Tottenham, but most was merged with the Hornsey parliamentary constituency to form the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency. Since 2015, the seat has been represented in the House of Commons by the Labour Party MP, Catherine West.

Geography

There are no Streets in Wood Green (only Roads, Avenues, Closes etc.).

Wood Green lies between 66 ft (20m) and 98 ft (30m) above sea level.

Demography

Wood Green is mostly represented by the Noel Park ward (southern) and Woodside ward (northern). In the 2011 census, the largest ethnic group of Noel Park was Other White, 27%, followed by 25% White British, making the total white groups (with Irish) 55%. The Woodside ward was likewise, the figures being 30% and 23% respectively, whereas 8% were Black African.

Economy

Wood Green is a busy urban activity centre with a sizeable shopping area with two cinemas, bars, nightclubs, numerous restaurants and cafes and a shopping area, The Mall, close to the tube station. The High Road, the main shopping spine, is part of Green Lanes and stretches from the Wood Green tube station to the next stop on the Piccadilly line, Turnpike Lane, and is lined with shops along its route.

The Chocolate Factory was set up by Haringey Arts Council in 1996 to develop artists' studios, and now has a second building. The project houses 200 local artists, music, film and multi media studios, photographic studios, and several performing arts organisations.

Television

The nearby Alexandra Palace played a leading role in the development of public service television in the UK. Wood Green also played its part in the history of commercial television.

In November 1936, the BBC opened its TV service at Alexandra Palace. In1955, with the opening of Lew Grade's London weekend franchise Associated Television (ATV), The Wood Green Empire in Lymington Avenue was home to variety programmes on Independent Television (ITV); one of which was The Arthur Haynes Show, starring the host himself and his straight man Nicholas Parsons.

Only the frontage of The Wood Green Empire survives, it is now a branch of the Halifax, but the studios and former production offices of BBC TV at Alexandra Palace as well as the familiar TV mast survive and are being converted into a visitor attraction. The ATV operations moved to Elstree and Borehamwood (now BBC studios) and the BBC News department, which was the only unit remaining at 'Ally Pally' after BBC Television Centre was opened in the 1950s, moved to White City, west London in September 1969. The Alexandra Palace was then used for the production of joint BBC/Open University (OU) programmes for a while, but all OU programmes are now produced in Milton Keynes where the OU's headquarters are located.

The now-demolished bus depot at Wood Green was used for location filming by London Weekend Television for their 1970s situation comedy On The Buses.

London Underground

Wood Green tube station is on Wood Green High Road with Bounds Green tube station to the north of the area and Turnpike Lane tube station to the south, all are on the Piccadilly line.

Railway

Alexandra Palace, formerly known as "Wood Green for Alexandra Park", is on the East Coast Main Line. It has services in to Kings Cross and Moorgate and out to Hertford and Welwyn Garden City. Bowes Park serves the Hertford Loop Line branch of the East Coast Main Line. Until the 1960s, a branch line of the former Great Eastern Railway network crossed the Wood Green High Road at a station called Noel Park; providing connections to Stratford and North Woolwich.

Buses

A bus station is located at Turnpike Lane, there are also many buses that stop outside Wood Green tube station. It is the starting place of many bus routes including the 29 to Trafalgar Square.

Education

Primary

Secondary

Higher

Middlesex University has a halls of residence for 161 students in Wood Green.

Drama

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, a drama school located in Wood Green.

Dame Judi Dench is President of the school.

Sport

London Skolars are a semi professional rugby league team that compete in the Kingstone Press League 1 based at New River Stadium in Wood Green. They annually hold the Middlesex 9s rugby league tournament which also takes place at the New River Stadium.

Public services

London Ambulance Service responds to medical emergencies in Wood Green. Home Office policing in Wood Green is provided by the Metropolitan Police Service, which has a station on the High Road. Statutory emergency fire service is provided by the London Fire Brigade. Wood Green Crown Court is on Lordship Lane.

Notable people

Notable appearances