Located in North London in the London Borough of Haringey, Crouch End is situated in a valley south of Muswell Hill, Wood Green and Hornsey, and north of Finsbury Park and Archway, with Hornsey to the east and Highgate to the west.
Packed with lots to see and do, Crouch End features a great selection of schools, open green spaces and a good sense of community. The area is dominated by a busy town centre with a fine range of shops, coffee shops, bars and restaurants, while there is a distinct open feel to the area, thanks to a large number of green spaces.
Once a medieval route from London to the north of England, Crouch End, which was governed as part of Hornsey, was a mainly wooded area containing farms and villas, including Crouch Hall, built in the 17th century at the intersection of what came to be known as Crouch End.
The area changed rapidly in the late 18th century from a largely rural area to a prosperous middle-class suburb, due to a sharp rise in professionals, including clerical workers moving to the area looking to commute into the city, thanks to the development of the railway in the area. Many of the old houses were demolished and replaced with housing aimed at the middle-class.
Crouch End attracts many different types of property buyers and tenants, from professionals and families to first-time buyers and students. It is also very popular with buy-to-let investors. But property prices and rents are not cheap, which explains why the area is predominantly middle class.
Crouch End offers an amazing array of shops, services, restaurants, bars and cafes, with a perfect blend of old and new.
Shops on the Broadway include upmarket restaurants and supermarkets, such as the recently opened Waitrose, as well as numerous cafes and bars spilling out onto the pavements. There is also a long-standing baker, Dunn’s, as well as two butchers, a fishmonger and a greengrocer.
Whether one is looking for traditional English grub or somewhere that serves something a little more exotic, there is no shortage of gastropubs, elegant restaurants, wine bars and pubs to suit all tastes.
Commonly known as the ‘People’s Palace’ or Ally Pally, Alexandra Palace looks out over north London from a height. Its altitude rewards casual walkers with spectacular views, and its commanding location and 190-odd acres of leafy parkland mean it’s often mistaken for a magnificent palace of regal importance.
In reality, it’s an offbeat arts/entertainment centre that’s making a renewed bid to pull in Londoners for nights out, after decades in the doldrums. In 2018, it re-opened the massive theatre space that had been out-of-action for decades, giving it a makeover that left its most picturesquely crumbling bits intact. So far, it’s offered a mix of touring large-scale plays, seated gigs, and kids shows. The adjoining East Court is back in action too, offering an airy conservatory-like space where theatregoers can drink, mingle and take tea. These additions join the venue’s existing indoor ice-skating rink, expo hall and a vast gig space where you can catch big names and the odd clubbing event.
Hopefully, this renovation will mark a new chapter in Ally Pally’s troubled history. Built in 1873 as a palace for the people, it has experienced bad luck including two devastating fires (the first just two weeks after it opened; the second in 1980 after it was rebuilt), years of poor funding and periods of bad management.
Despite this, Ally Pally continues to hold a spot in the heart of Londoners, and a proud place in history as the birthplace of the world’s first regular public television broadcast by the BBC in 1936. There’s a bonfire night every year, a boating lake, pitch and putt course, and deer enclosure.
