David Farrant who reported the Highgate Vampire sadly passed earlier this year . Thank you for taking me around his old stomping ground . He will be sadly missed xxx
John Rogers he was a big part of the vampiric legends around Highgate Cemetery and lived up for years in a eyrie nearby fighting off pushy landlords who tried to oust him . Xxx there is a fb page about the Friends of David Farrant . Xxx thank you I love your walks xxx
Nice walk. I used to live next to the Parkland Walk in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the tracks were taken up and still remember the trains passing through and watching them from my window. Back then there were no trees and the embankment was all grass which was a haven for butterflies and grasshoppers. Up to the 1980s the bat sanctuary tunnels were still open and you could walk through them to Highgate overground station and the tube station. There used to be a small railway cottage there too. There were big plans in the mid 1970s to build a dual carriageway along the length of the Parkland Walk, although luckily local residents fought against it and it was abandoned and become a local nature trail instead. So things could have turned out very different. PS You missed the last part of the track on Muswell Hill Rd. You were almost at the entrance @14.41. If you went on a bit and turned left down a small path you would have entered the final few hundred meters that went on to Alexandra Palace.
Lovely to see this John. It was my teenage haunt, along with many other friends from Crouch End and Archway in the 70s. We called it the Wooden Bridge because, well there used to be a wooden bridge that crossed the old tracks. The story of Stephen King and his mystical meeting, which may have been with a Spriggan, could just as well have been something much more corporeal. According to the locals (I was an Archway girl so relied on them for the mythology of the area) long before that abandoned line was made a public amenity and nature walk, some old bloke who lived to the side of it got fed up with kids carousing up there till all hours so he got himself a billy goat and let it roam free on the line. It wasn't a friendly goat by all accounts. This would have been in the 60s. Allegedly the Hells Angels did for the poor old goat. BUT my friend Cath and I had another far from mystical sighting along there in the 90s. She lived on Florence Rd with a path to the railway right beside her house. We heard that Finlay Quaye the singer was in concert at Finsbury Park and we quite liked him, but not enough to buy a ticket, so we decided to hoik over to the Park one Sunday afternoon and listen from outside the arena. As we strolled along towards where the line turns at Ferme Park Rd, I could see this young fella with his back to me, standing facing away from us, apparently intent on some houses in Ferme Park. Took no notice of him till we got a bit nearer and I saw that he was trying to force a baguette into his jeans pocket at the side. We had to pass him to get to the Park, and it was then I realised that it wasn't a baguette he was waving about ... I tried to tell Cath but frankly I was too awestruck by his baguette to say anything for two hundred yards. She'd seen it too and was equally dumbstruck. Just hope the person he was semaphoring to in Ferme Park enjoyed the spectacle
@@JohnRogersWalks your welcome. I did the same whan I first moved into Haringey. I'm new to your channel and finding it quite fascinating. It's an incredibly simple yes compelling concept. On a purely selfish note, I was wondering if you have any plans to do some purely brownfield exploring? I find the mix between concrete and nature beautiful, it's kind of Ballardesque ,. Cheers.
I always look forward to your latest videos posting. I appreciate your spontaneous, improvisational narratives with such interesting information. And, of course, the lovely/interesting shots often stop me in my viewing to pause for a bit to view certain frames that resonate. The soundtracks are always beautifully integrated too. I love the quirky, experimental aspects. Thanks again for these beautiful offerings.
So happy to have been on this walk in the snow. It was the Odeon cinema before, and I used to go for Saturday Morning Pictures - sherbet fountain, Captain Scarlett (I think it was) and kids chucking things off the balcony. I'm pretty sure that Sainsburys was one of the first 'supermarkets' of London. I can remember them having ONE brand of yogurt - Yale Valley: strawberry, vanilla and toffee. Happy days . . . If you do another in Muswell Hill, don't forget the incredible 'Martyns' coffee roasting shop - ahh, the smell!
great memories Kate - many thanks for sharing. When I first moved to Harringay (from Forest Gate) in 1991, I wandered up to Muswell Hill and became obsessed with it for a while.
quality great walk john loved the bat sanctuary we learn so much on these walks do like the background music you use keep up the fantastic work mate already looking forwaed to the next one steve
I use to live on avenue rd, crouch end. It was next to the nature walk, i use to jog to Finsbury Park and back and I remember the scary green goblin on the wall near the crouch end side of the nature walk. I went there recently and it was super busy. It use to be quite around 2012-2014.
I live on Hornsey Lane and remember it as somewhere no-one seemed particularly interested in Now it's the place to be Jogging there now is pretty pointless its like trying to jog down Oxford Street weaving in and out of the oblivious masses
This is a very evocative place for me. I grew up next to the railway line and spent a significant portion of my childhood and teenage years in the 70s and 80s getting up to no good there at all hours of the day and night before it was called the Parkland Walk and was just an abandoned railway line. In those days it was largely deserted and empty except for the kids, homeless and the odd weirdo and flasher lol.
Doing this walk today! A grey day and not as charming in the snow but it's good to be out and about whatever the weather. Happy memories of doing this walk all the time a few years ago, it'll be good to revisit. Thank you John for inspiring us to explore London and keep fit!
Another great walk. Always interesting to see what winter looks like in your part of the world. Winter is a little snowier in Canada, lol. Your walk has inspired our lunch selection. Off to get some chips. Looking forward to your next walk.
Thanks so much Dawn - you can't go far wrong with chips as long as you practice moderation. Although we complain about the snow here in London, I went to Iowa in February once and it was -15 with two-feet of snow so I can only imagine what it must be like in Canada
It's actually a very varied walk - have done it countless times, but always enjoy. The was a spur line to Ally Pally, which went from Highgate, through Cranley Gardens and Muswell Hill to the palace. The Muswell Hill station was at the top of the hill itself, opposite the current Weatherspoons pub, The Mossy Well.
From What I can understand, the parkland walk was a standard gauge branch line that ran up to Alexander Palace. Whether it was a single line with passing loops to allow trains from the opposite direction to pass, I am unsure. I think the branch line ran through Muswell Hill, then to the rear of Alexander Palace and finally closed in 1954.
Great walk John along a fascinating walkway. Would be great to find some then and now photos of the railway so might trawl the internet this evening. I do know there were two standard gauge tracks along the entire route. With a constantly growing population it does make you wonder why lines like this one closed. Compliment time - at the end of the video you said "thanks for coming on this walk with me". You do have a knack of making the viewer really feel they are on a walk with you. Regards, Richard
Apparently the line was barely used, so Beeching shut it. Easy to idealise, but Ally Pally is still perceived as a very hard to get to venue, and it still remains something of a white elephant.
This is our local walk, John, and I've done it literally hundreds of times, with my wife, kids, friends and dogs. It's a good one for youngsters (of all ages) and those with mobility issues, as it's reasonably short and flat.
Hi John thanks for continuing to post these great videos. I want to do one of your walks while in London in April - I think I just found the one! Regards, Steve
One of my local walks as I live on archway road opposite highgate wood. Next weekend I will be walking the new river path from Hertfordshire to Angel in a single day. Maybe the last walk. Enjoyed this channel a lot. Thanks John
Best of luck with that New River walk North Circular, I've been meaning to do that for a while but can never quite set off early enough. Hope it goes well
It was a steam railway up to early fifties, was supposed to be a tube line from Moorgate and Highgate but WW2 scuppered that and there was no money afterwards so abandoned leaving Muswell Hill with no rail link at all !!!! Shame , great video I used to do trainspotting from the footbridge at Finsbury Park.....
Hi John, another great video and a place I know only too well. Your very first and last shots with the locked gates and the view from the train are you coming full circle as it were. You were at Railway Fields Nature Reserve which used to be the old Harringay Goods Yard by that line. Part of the old branch from the main line into the yard is still set in cobbles as you walk up the slope to the visitor's centre. How on earth did you miss the Spriggan looming over you out of the brick arches as you told of all the spooky stuff?!
Loved seeing that tunnel entrance fascinating but good that it now used for wild life xxx i think I have all your walks on my liked list really look forward to them John so totally get that guy you met x
Just stumbled across you, as is the UA-cam way. Just watched 4 films in a row. Really great stuff. I'm an Islington boy so particularly liked the ones you did around that area. IF television was any good this is the sort of stuff that would be on it. As it's not any good, thankfully we have UA-cam. You have a good presenting style. Music is good too. I'll have to look out for your books now!!
Thanks so much Arturo - fantastic to read comments like this. I had many happy years in Islington. There should be a special video from that area coming soon
i've commented before on how your videos are relaxing, making it a bit easier for me to sleep -but on the other hand, i do tend to stay up a bit later watching them 😉
Great video. I'm surprised you never walked to the Southern edge of Highgate where the famous cemetery is, Karl Marx headstone or over the street in the older part where Hammer filmed scenes for their horror films. We used to go to this park section back in the early-mid 70s...so many great sunny memories. Edit=Its great to see people walking around without masks on...when you said you smell food and you will find somewhere warm...it made me sad that's these simple pleasures of going into a cafe and having a cuppa with some scrambled eggs on toast without question are now gone.
Thanks very much Grazia - the story is called 'Crouch End' - seems like it was written when it was still an abandoned railway line before the Parkland Walk was created
Hi John - you mentioned needing ideas for your 100th vlog - how about either focusing on the site / ruins of the Crystal Palace or maybe the site / ruins of Nonsuch Palace?
John, Would you be up for a Crouch End walk at some time? I've done some research on the area and have lived her for nigh on 30 years. I would love to exchange ideas and reflections with you. Send more in hope than in expectation!
Wonderful video, John. Terrible weather aside I always love your winter walks. Never knew the story about Steven King in Highgate(it does have kind of a Shining vibe to it). Given That, Sean of the Dead, and all the other spooky connections, maybe you should revisit Highgate around Halloween.
you missed the old highgate station, converted to tube layout b4 the war never used, you can see the remains over the fence behind highgate tube station
No it was standard Gauge and yes it went to Ally Pally via Highgate. You can see old Highgate high level station today. The ghost is a Victorian girl in a black dress with a mark on her cheek. Station is Crouch End..revised for my finals on these platforms! The line was part of the Northern Heights project but the projected extension from Edgware to Elstree was scrapped after the war.
Now wondering what pub you used to drink in back then. I used to be found in the Queens most weekends, maybe heading after hours to The Catacombs or The Roby, for the wonderful Club Dog!
We mostly drank in the Suffolk Punch, the second Wetherspoons pub I think so the cheap ale was a real novelty. Also occasionally the Salisbury, which one day was closed for the filming of the Chaplin movie with Robert Downey Jr.
The Salisbury that was a proper locals pub back then, no wonder they used it for filming the whole place is amazing. I recently went there and couldn't buy 2 pints for a tenner, maybe we should've headed up to the Suffolk Punch.
FINSBURY PARK WAS OPENED AS A PUBLIC PARK IN FEB 1869 ON PART OF THE EX HORNSEY WOOD, GIVING THE NAMS OF FINSBURY PARK TO THE AREA AREA THAT WAS JUST HORNSEY BEFORE. SEVEN SISTERS ROAD RAIL STATION WAS RENAMED FINSBURY PARK NOV 1869.
It's a shame you didn't continue onto the Parkland Walk North, John, which starts at the bottom of Woodside Avenue, and went right up to Ally Pally. It goes across a viaduct, with great views of London (I know you are a view fan). It's Trevor Barre, by the way (not sure how I lumbered myself with this abstruse handle). I used to manage mental health wards in the former St. Lukes Woodside Hospital, which is now, guess what, 'luxury' private dwellings. The care home opposite has now been demolished, and I just wonder what will take it's place?
Tge railway line along what is now the Parkland Walk was standard gauge double track. If the Northern Heigts scheme had come to operating, it would have been part of the LU Northern Line.
Bush Hill Park golf course in Enfield contains similar remains of earthworks which further investigation may reveal have some sort of connection with the same Prehistoric, Iron Age and Post-Roman Cultures linked to the ancient structure that you explore in Highgate Woods. More here if you have the time to peruse. historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1002047 This link from the Megalithic Portal might likewise be of interest and relevance: www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7804
Do you have an e-mail John? If so I can send you something more substantial than just links- ie. maps and scanned documents that you can't upload to UA-cam.
Another superb walk John. From your comments in the video, you might be interested in my recent video of the section of the Capital Ring between West Ham and Woolwich.
I found your channel a couple days ago and I've been enjoying working my way through your videos SO much. Watching and listening to you talk about the history, legends and superstitions about areas I'm familiar with has been really uplifting after a year of being cut off from being able to exist in and explore my city. It's also reminded me of how much beauty there is in London that's still potentially accessible during the pandemic. So sincerely, thank you for these videos!~
HARRINGAY GREEN LANES STATION PATH IS NOT ON THE PARKLAND WALK. TRAINS RAN FROM FINSBURY PARK TO HIGHGATE AND ALEXANDRA PALACE, RUNING THROUGH FROM KINGS CROSS AND BROAD STREET,UNTIL THE SERVICE WAS WITHDRAWN AS OF 5 JULY 1954, BUT NEVER BECAME PART OF THE NORTHERN LINE AS PLANNED, DUE TO 1939 - 45 WAR, SO THE ELECTRIC CABLING WAS INSTALLED, BUT WAS NEVER USED.THE NORTHERN LINE NORTHERN HEIGHTS EXTENTION WAS PLANNED, FINSBURY PSARK TO HIGHGATE AND BIA MILL HILL EAST AND MILL HILL THE HALE AND EDGWARE TO ELSTREE AND BUSHEY HEATH-, HIGHGATE TO MILL HILL EAST SECTIONTION ONLY WAS OPENED. NORTHERN LINE ELECTRIC TRAINS USED THE FINSBURY PARK TO HIGHGATE LINE TO GET TO THE SEPARATED DRAYTON PARK NORTHERN LINE.
Enjoyed that. I remember a particularly torturous walk up there in the wee small hours in the early 90s, carrying guitars and amps, tripping our tits off and having to deal with a French girl who decided anything that constituted plantlife was out to get her. Coincidentally, the PW appears in that manuscript, you know the one ;)
Good timing, something pleasant to watch whilst having my evening dinner, I do enjoy John's videos.
Nicely done. The first day of spring in the northern hemisphere is March 20th. It’s been a nasty winter in Niagara Region. Thanks, Peter
Thanks for that Peter - that's a relief, I believe we might have more snow coming over the weekend
David Farrant who reported the Highgate Vampire sadly passed earlier this year . Thank you for taking me around his old stomping ground . He will be sadly missed xxx
very sorry to hear that Morrigan
John Rogers he was a big part of the vampiric legends around Highgate Cemetery and lived up for years in a eyrie nearby fighting off pushy landlords who tried to oust him . Xxx there is a fb page about the Friends of David Farrant . Xxx thank you I love your walks xxx
Nice walk.
I used to live next to the Parkland Walk in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the tracks were taken up and still remember the trains passing through and watching them from my window.
Back then there were no trees and the embankment was all grass which was a haven for butterflies and grasshoppers.
Up to the 1980s the bat sanctuary tunnels were still open and you could walk through them to Highgate overground station and the tube station. There used to be a small railway cottage there too.
There were big plans in the mid 1970s to build a dual carriageway along the length of the Parkland Walk, although luckily local residents fought against it and it was abandoned and become a local nature trail instead. So things could have turned out very different.
PS You missed the last part of the track on Muswell Hill Rd. You were almost at the entrance @14.41. If you went on a bit and turned left down a small path you would have entered the final few hundred meters that went on to Alexandra Palace.
Lovely to see this John. It was my teenage haunt, along with many other friends from Crouch End and Archway in the 70s. We called it the Wooden Bridge because, well there used to be a wooden bridge that crossed the old tracks. The story of Stephen King and his mystical meeting, which may have been with a Spriggan, could just as well have been something much more corporeal. According to the locals (I was an Archway girl so relied on them for the mythology of the area) long before that abandoned line was made a public amenity and nature walk, some old bloke who lived to the side of it got fed up with kids carousing up there till all hours so he got himself a billy goat and let it roam free on the line. It wasn't a friendly goat by all accounts. This would have been in the 60s. Allegedly the Hells Angels did for the poor old goat. BUT my friend Cath and I had another far from mystical sighting along there in the 90s. She lived on Florence Rd with a path to the railway right beside her house. We heard that Finlay Quaye the singer was in concert at Finsbury Park and we quite liked him, but not enough to buy a ticket, so we decided to hoik over to the Park one Sunday afternoon and listen from outside the arena. As we strolled along towards where the line turns at Ferme Park Rd, I could see this young fella with his back to me, standing facing away from us, apparently intent on some houses in Ferme Park. Took no notice of him till we got a bit nearer and I saw that he was trying to force a baguette into his jeans pocket at the side. We had to pass him to get to the Park, and it was then I realised that it wasn't a baguette he was waving about ... I tried to tell Cath but frankly I was too awestruck by his baguette to say anything for two hundred yards. She'd seen it too and was equally dumbstruck. Just hope the person he was semaphoring to in Ferme Park enjoyed the spectacle
Hi John, the opening shot was actually a place called Railway Fields. It's lovely, small but lovely.
Ah thanks Ben, I actually went in there years back but somehow got it confused with the entrance to the Parkland Walk
@@JohnRogersWalks your welcome. I did the same whan I first moved into Haringey.
I'm new to your channel and finding it quite fascinating. It's an incredibly simple yes compelling concept. On a purely selfish note, I was wondering if you have any plans to do some purely brownfield exploring? I find the mix between concrete and nature beautiful, it's kind of Ballardesque ,. Cheers.
I always look forward to your latest videos posting. I appreciate your spontaneous, improvisational narratives with such interesting information. And, of course, the lovely/interesting shots often stop me in my viewing to pause for a bit to view certain frames that resonate. The soundtracks are always beautifully integrated too. I love the quirky, experimental aspects. Thanks again for these beautiful offerings.
thank you so much for that comment Carole, I really love making these videos and means a lot that people appreciate them
I have a feeling I say this a lot, but this is a favourite walk. So many intriguing places and stories. Thank you!
So happy to have been on this walk in the snow.
It was the Odeon cinema before, and I used to go for Saturday Morning Pictures - sherbet fountain, Captain Scarlett (I think it was) and kids chucking things off the balcony. I'm pretty sure that Sainsburys was one of the first 'supermarkets' of London. I can remember them having ONE brand of yogurt - Yale Valley: strawberry, vanilla and toffee. Happy days . . . If you do another in Muswell Hill, don't forget the incredible 'Martyns' coffee roasting shop - ahh, the smell!
great memories Kate - many thanks for sharing. When I first moved to Harringay (from Forest Gate) in 1991, I wandered up to Muswell Hill and became obsessed with it for a while.
quality great walk john loved the bat sanctuary we learn so much on these walks do like the background music you use keep up the fantastic work mate already looking forwaed to the next one steve
thanks so much Steve - this was a much better walk than expected, learnt a lot myself, it's a world of wonder out there just around the corner
I use to live on avenue rd, crouch end. It was next to the nature walk, i use to jog to Finsbury Park and back and I remember the scary green goblin on the wall near the crouch end side of the nature walk. I went there recently and it was super busy. It use to be quite around 2012-2014.
I live on Hornsey Lane and remember it as somewhere no-one seemed particularly interested in Now it's the place to be Jogging there now is pretty pointless its like trying to jog down Oxford Street weaving in and out of the oblivious masses
This is a very evocative place for me. I grew up next to the railway line and spent a significant portion of my childhood and teenage years in the 70s and 80s getting up to no good there at all hours of the day and night before it was called the Parkland Walk and was just an abandoned railway line. In those days it was largely deserted and empty except for the kids, homeless and the odd weirdo and flasher lol.
Loved this walk - thank you for bringing us along.
thanks Roxy it was a real pleasure
I just recently found your series of walking tours. Fantastic!
Doing this walk today! A grey day and not as charming in the snow but it's good to be out and about whatever the weather. Happy memories of doing this walk all the time a few years ago, it'll be good to revisit. Thank you John for inspiring us to explore London and keep fit!
Another great walk. Always interesting to see what winter looks like in your part of the world. Winter is a little snowier in Canada, lol. Your walk has inspired our lunch selection. Off to get some chips. Looking forward to your next walk.
Thanks so much Dawn - you can't go far wrong with chips as long as you practice moderation. Although we complain about the snow here in London, I went to Iowa in February once and it was -15 with two-feet of snow so I can only imagine what it must be like in Canada
It's actually a very varied walk - have done it countless times, but always enjoy.
The was a spur line to Ally Pally, which went from Highgate, through Cranley Gardens and Muswell Hill to the palace. The Muswell Hill station was at the top of the hill itself, opposite the current Weatherspoons pub, The Mossy Well.
Fantastic stuff John. Great to see the tunnel getting used as a bat sanctuary. Snows almost gone here, just some left on the hills.
Thanks Jag - we don't deal with snow very well in London, the whole place grinds to a halt. Been enjoying your 'Snowburbia' videos
Both in like a walk in winter woods. Thank you so much.
I loved this episode and thank you for the memory of the Madness concert... I was there with my dark glasses and Porkpie hat
Thanks Dave - I really enjoyed the walk and revisiting old memory grounds
a little icy magic ... thanks John.
Just watched this one...great film of course...you mentioned the Madness gig Madstock in 1992....I was there...one of the greatest gigs ever 🙌
I live round here! Green lanes is one of the coolest streets in london in my opinion
From What I can understand, the parkland walk was a standard gauge branch line that ran up to Alexander Palace. Whether it was a single line with passing loops to allow trains from the opposite direction to pass, I am unsure. I think the branch line ran through Muswell Hill, then to the rear of Alexander Palace and finally closed in 1954.
Great walk John along a fascinating walkway. Would be great to find some then and now photos of the railway so might trawl the internet this evening. I do know there were two standard gauge tracks along the entire route. With a constantly growing population it does make you wonder why lines like this one closed.
Compliment time - at the end of the video you said "thanks for coming on this walk with me". You do have a knack of making the viewer really feel they are on a walk with you.
Regards, Richard
Thanks so much for that Richard - yes some old photos would be great, also from its abandoned phase too
Apparently the line was barely used, so Beeching shut it. Easy to idealise, but Ally Pally is still perceived as a very hard to get to venue, and it still remains something of a white elephant.
This is our local walk, John, and I've done it literally hundreds of times, with my wife, kids, friends and dogs. It's a good one for youngsters (of all ages) and those with mobility issues, as it's reasonably short and flat.
Hi John thanks for continuing to post these great videos.
I want to do one of your walks while in London in April - I think I just found the one!
Regards,
Steve
thanks so much Steve - I have a long list of future walks to work through, going to be a great Spring-Summer
One of my local walks as I live on archway road opposite highgate wood. Next weekend I will be walking the new river path from Hertfordshire to Angel in a single day. Maybe the last walk. Enjoyed this channel a lot. Thanks John
Best of luck with that New River walk North Circular, I've been meaning to do that for a while but can never quite set off early enough. Hope it goes well
There is something very soothing about your videos. Super interesting as well. Just ordered your book. Keep up the great work
It was a steam railway up to early fifties, was supposed to be a tube line from Moorgate and Highgate but WW2 scuppered that and there was no money afterwards so abandoned leaving Muswell Hill with no rail link at all !!!! Shame , great video I used to do trainspotting from the footbridge at Finsbury Park.....
Thanks for the info Leslie
Hi John, another great video and a place I know only too well. Your very first and last shots with the locked gates and the view from the train are you coming full circle as it were. You were at Railway Fields Nature Reserve which used to be the old Harringay Goods Yard by that line. Part of the old branch from the main line into the yard is still set in cobbles as you walk up the slope to the visitor's centre.
How on earth did you miss the Spriggan looming over you out of the brick arches as you told of all the spooky stuff?!
At the time this was shot the Spriggan sculpture was hidden behind scaffolding for repairs to the wall behind.
Loved seeing that tunnel entrance fascinating but good that it now used for wild life xxx i think I have all your walks on my liked list really look forward to them John so totally get that guy you met x
thanks Norma, yes I love things like the bat project and nature reclaiming urban infrastructure
Another great one... cheers
many thanks indeed - I really enjoyed it, although I didn't actually get a coffee at the end
Just stumbled across you, as is the UA-cam way. Just watched 4 films in a row. Really great stuff. I'm an Islington boy so particularly liked the ones you did around that area. IF television was any good this is the sort of stuff that would be on it. As it's not any good, thankfully we have UA-cam. You have a good presenting style. Music is good too. I'll have to look out for your books now!!
Thanks so much Arturo - fantastic to read comments like this. I had many happy years in Islington. There should be a special video from that area coming soon
Thank you, I did enjoy that walk.
great video, i used to live in haringey many years ago
fantastic area - I lived there for a year in the early 90's - very happy memories
i've commented before on how your videos are relaxing, making it a bit easier for me to sleep -but on the other hand, i do tend to stay up a bit later watching them 😉
Thanks so much for watching - I massively appreciate all your comments
Great walk
Thank you John I’m soon to move to Bounds Green with an Arabian greyhound and no garden so this is much appreciated 🙏
Great video. I'm surprised you never walked to the Southern edge of Highgate where the famous cemetery is, Karl Marx headstone or over the street in the older part where Hammer filmed scenes for their horror films. We used to go to this park section back in the early-mid 70s...so many great sunny memories.
Edit=Its great to see people walking around without masks on...when you said you smell food and you will find somewhere warm...it made me sad that's these simple pleasures of going into a cafe and having a cuppa with some scrambled eggs on toast without question are now gone.
loved it
LOVE the way its EDITED. I got something to learn from here. You got new Subscriber John.
Thanks Innerview
that story by Stephen King is called 'Crouch End' and its in nightmare and dreamscapes. Its a lovecraftian tale set in London, i really liked it
Hi John great film & walk, what was the short story you refer to by Steven King x
Thanks very much Grazia - the story is called 'Crouch End' - seems like it was written when it was still an abandoned railway line before the Parkland Walk was created
John Rogers-thank you John for the prompt reply I will look for the story x
Hi John - you mentioned needing ideas for your 100th vlog - how about either focusing on the site / ruins of the Crystal Palace or maybe the site / ruins of Nonsuch Palace?
Hi Steve - many thanks that's been a really popular suggestion
John,
Would you be up for a Crouch End walk at some time? I've done some research on the area and have lived her for nigh on 30 years. I would love to exchange ideas and reflections with you.
Send more in hope than in expectation!
your on the right path John
The first road shown was my road - Lothair Road - .. what memories growing up there...
Wonderful video, John. Terrible weather aside I always love your winter walks. Never knew the story about Steven King in Highgate(it does have kind of a Shining vibe to it). Given That, Sean of the Dead, and all the other spooky connections, maybe you should revisit Highgate around Halloween.
thanks Ross - that's a great suggestion, I should go to Highgate Cemetery looking for the Vampire
Excellent video John - and Stephen King's 'Crouch End' is a great short story. Very weird and H.P.Lovecraftian.
Thanks - yes it's a seriously creepy story, tells you a lot about the impression of the place that King formed when he was there
Hauntingly beautiful w music to match,thank you from a Vampiress.
you missed the old highgate station, converted to tube layout b4 the war never used, you can see the remains over the fence behind highgate tube station
No it was standard Gauge and yes it went to Ally Pally via Highgate. You can see old Highgate high level station today. The ghost is a Victorian girl in a black dress with a mark on her cheek. Station is Crouch End..revised for my finals on these platforms! The line was part of the Northern Heights project but the projected extension from Edgware to Elstree was scrapped after the war.
Now wondering what pub you used to drink in back then. I used to be found in the Queens most weekends, maybe heading after hours to The Catacombs or The Roby, for the wonderful Club Dog!
We mostly drank in the Suffolk Punch, the second Wetherspoons pub I think so the cheap ale was a real novelty. Also occasionally the Salisbury, which one day was closed for the filming of the Chaplin movie with Robert Downey Jr.
The Salisbury that was a proper locals pub back then, no wonder they used it for filming the whole place is amazing. I recently went there and couldn't buy 2 pints for a tenner, maybe we should've headed up to the Suffolk Punch.
BTW Thanks for reply and keep up with the great videos. I now live in Spain and really love watching and reminiscing about my old home town.
It was the most severe three inches of snow I've ever experienced
I could barely walk but decided to give the huskies a day off
@Jamie Shepherd You guys !!!! You're going to hell !!!!
@Lennox Callen Your poor girlfriend. I hope she leaves you
FINSBURY PARK WAS OPENED AS A PUBLIC PARK IN FEB 1869 ON PART OF THE EX HORNSEY WOOD, GIVING THE NAMS OF FINSBURY PARK TO THE AREA AREA THAT WAS JUST HORNSEY BEFORE. SEVEN SISTERS ROAD RAIL STATION WAS RENAMED FINSBURY PARK NOV 1869.
It's a shame you didn't continue onto the Parkland Walk North, John, which starts at the bottom of Woodside Avenue, and went right up to Ally Pally. It goes across a viaduct, with great views of London (I know you are a view fan).
It's Trevor Barre, by the way (not sure how I lumbered myself with this abstruse handle).
I used to manage mental health wards in the former St. Lukes Woodside Hospital, which is now, guess what, 'luxury' private dwellings. The care home opposite has now been demolished, and I just wonder what will take it's place?
Tge railway line along what is now the Parkland Walk was standard gauge double track. If the Northern Heigts scheme had come to operating, it would have been part of the LU Northern Line.
Can you do Priory Park in Crouch End, I grew up there in the 80s
I used to live round the area, however I knew it as the Woodland Walk. And I do believe it's haunted.
You didn't continue the parkland walk to from Cranley gardens to Muswell Hill!?
The walk made me google, "what do bats do in winter?" I would've thought they migrate but they hibernate.
Bush Hill Park golf course in Enfield contains similar remains of earthworks which further investigation may reveal have some sort of connection with the same Prehistoric, Iron Age and Post-Roman Cultures linked to the ancient structure that you explore in Highgate Woods. More here if you have the time to peruse.
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1002047
This link from the Megalithic Portal might likewise be of interest and relevance:
www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7804
brilliant thanks Rupert - I'll take a look at those links
Do you have an e-mail John? If so I can send you something more substantial than just links- ie. maps and scanned documents that you can't upload to UA-cam.
Thanks that would be fantastic- fugueur99@gmail.com - much appreciated
1867 was also the year of publication of Marx’s Capital, volume one - I mention for no particular reason. Enjoyed the video, as usual.
That's a great reference point, thanks. I believe the brilliant Gareth Evans recently celebrated the anniversary at the location it was published.
Did you do the Moselle walk?
This was called Wooden Bridge by the locals in the early 80s
Another superb walk John. From your comments in the video, you might be interested in my recent video of the section of the Capital Ring between West Ham and Woolwich.
Many thanks voxley - I'll take a look at your Capital Ring video
I found your channel a couple days ago and I've been enjoying working my way through your videos SO much. Watching and listening to you talk about the history, legends and superstitions about areas I'm familiar with has been really uplifting after a year of being cut off from being able to exist in and explore my city. It's also reminded me of how much beauty there is in London that's still potentially accessible during the pandemic. So sincerely, thank you for these videos!~
HARRINGAY GREEN LANES STATION PATH IS NOT ON THE PARKLAND WALK. TRAINS RAN FROM FINSBURY PARK TO HIGHGATE AND ALEXANDRA PALACE, RUNING THROUGH FROM KINGS CROSS AND BROAD STREET,UNTIL THE SERVICE WAS WITHDRAWN AS OF 5 JULY 1954, BUT NEVER BECAME PART OF THE NORTHERN LINE AS PLANNED, DUE TO 1939 - 45 WAR, SO THE ELECTRIC CABLING WAS INSTALLED, BUT WAS NEVER USED.THE NORTHERN LINE NORTHERN HEIGHTS EXTENTION WAS PLANNED, FINSBURY PSARK TO HIGHGATE AND BIA MILL HILL EAST AND MILL HILL THE HALE AND EDGWARE TO ELSTREE AND BUSHEY HEATH-, HIGHGATE TO MILL HILL EAST SECTIONTION ONLY WAS OPENED. NORTHERN LINE ELECTRIC TRAINS USED THE FINSBURY PARK TO HIGHGATE LINE TO GET TO THE SEPARATED DRAYTON PARK NORTHERN LINE.
thanks for that Peter
Enjoyed that. I remember a particularly torturous walk up there in the wee small hours in the early 90s, carrying guitars and amps, tripping our tits off and having to deal with a French girl who decided anything that constituted plantlife was out to get her. Coincidentally, the PW appears in that manuscript, you know the one ;)
Great story Scarlett and timely reminder to read your book
King was staying with Peter Straub in the latter writer's Hornsey gaff, so I'm told.
King was staying with his fellow author Peter Stroub, with whom he collaborated. I thought Stroub actually lived in Hornsey
THAT IS NOT TE PARKLAND WALK THAT IS BY HARRINGAY GREEN LANES STATION, BUT THE OLD GOODS YARD, NOW ONE OF LONDONS LITTLE KNOWN SECRET GARDENS.
I saw a comment on here about the graffiti artist robbo(RIP) i replied to it as i knew him,where have all the comments about him gone?
Sorry to hear about robbo’s passing Nasrei
@@JohnRogersWalks thx john,
1888 IS NOT A DATE, A S A DATE IS A D DAY, MONH YEAR, YOU DO NOT HAVE A DATE ON A YEAR !!, YOU WOULD BE WAITING FOR YOUR LADY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.