Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park | |
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Harringay, London[1] | |
Area | 110 acres (45 ha) |
Opened | 1869 |
Designer | Frederick Manable [2] |
Operated by | London Borough of Haringey |
Open | 24 hours |
Awards | Green Flag Award 2007–2018[4][5] |
Designation | Grade II Listed[3] |
Public transit access | Finsbury Park, Manor House, Harringay, Harringay Green Lanes |
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Finsbury Park is a
Finsbury Park should not be confused with Finsbury, which is a district of Central London roughly 3 miles (5 km) to the south, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington.
History
Before the park
The park was landscaped on the northeastern extremity of what was originally a woodland area in the Manor or Prebend of Brownswood. It was part of a large expanse of woodland called Hornsey Wood that was cut further and further back for use as grazing land during the Middle Ages. In the mid-18th century a
Creation of the park
During the early part of the second quarter of the 19th century, following developments in Paris, Londoners began to demand the creation of open spaces as an antidote to the ever-increasing urbanisation of London. In 1841 the people of Finsbury on the northern perimeter of the City of London petitioned for a park to alleviate conditions of the poor. The present-day site of Finsbury Park was one of four suggestions for the location of a park.[7]
Originally to be named
During the wars
During the
During the
Regeneration
Through the late 20th Century the park began to fall into a state of disrepair with most of the original features gone by the 1980s. This decline was worsened in 1986 when the then owner, Greater London Council, was wound up and ownership was passed on to Haringey Council, but without sufficient funding or a statutory obligation for the park's upkeep.[10]
A £5 million
Facilities
The park has a mixture of open ground, formal gardens, avenues of mature trees and an
The
Culture
Live music
The park has hosted many live music performances[14] and music festivals including: the Irish-themed Fleadh (Irish for ‘festival’; 1990–2003),[15] Great Xpectations Festival (1993),[16] Big Gay Out (2004–2005),[17] Rise Festival (2006–2010) and Wireless Festival (2014–2019, 2022–).
By the 2010s, the number of live festivals decreased, as local council finances were stretched thin. Furthermore, there were the issues of damaged park property and yellowing, unsightly grass, as well as no-entry blockades due to the special events. Local residents would be inconvenienced and prevented from accessing select areas and thoroughfares of the park, often for several days at a time, during the run of a festival. Local MP David Lammy went as far as to say: "There are parts of the park that look like the Serengeti—a bald dust bowl where there was once grass."[18]
A local group, The Friends of Finsbury Park, (unsuccessfully) took
Filming
Finsbury Park has been used as a filming location for
References
- ^ a b Haringey Council boundaries classify the park as being within Harringay Ward - Haringey Council generated Google Map showing the ward boundaries.
- ^ a b "Finsbury Park, Finsbury, England". ParksandGardens.org. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Finsbury Park". Historic England. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Finsbury Park". Green Flag Award. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Simon Allin (2018). "Finsbury Park stripped of Green Flag award after damning report". Islington Gazette.
- ^ ISBN 0-9540637-0-8.
- ^ The Times, 9 August 1869
- ^ War Office Official Topical Budget (Media notes). Imperial War Museum. May 1918.
Newsreel item on the break-up of a pacifist meeting in Finsbury Park, London
- ISBN 978-0-19-991150-9.
- ^ Jackson, Hazelle (October 2006). "Rising from the Ashes:The Resurrection of Finsbury Park". London Gardens Trust. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Heritage Lottery Fund Improvements". Haringey Council. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Finsbury Park Bowls Club". bowlsclub.org. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Finsbury Park Skatepark". The Skateparks Project. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ Baggs, Michael (8 September 2016). "Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, RATM and more: The Biggest Finsbury Park Gigs Ever". Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ Wazir, Burhan (June 2003). "Irish acts in doldrums as festival is axed". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Great Xpectations Live". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (26 July 2005). "Big Gay Out". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Peyer, Robin de (11 July 2015). "Pictures show how Finsbury Park was left looking after the Wireless festival". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Peyer, Robin de (11 July 2015). "Pictures show how Finsbury Park was left looking after the Wireless festival". Standard. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "IN THE COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION) ON APPEAL FROM THE HIGH COURT QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION (PLANNING COURT) THE HON MR JUSTICE SUPPERSTONE [2016] EWHC 1454 (Admin)" (PDF). Judiciary.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Haringey on Film". Haringey Council. Retrieved 19 May 2020.