For a scan of a 1930s A-Z showing the route of the Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace section of this line, click here. London Transport had planned to take over the entire line (hence it being shown as 'under construction' on contemporary tube maps) and incorporate it into its Northern Line. The conversion works were disrupted by the second world war however: the works that were suitably advanced were completed but the remainder were shelved and never resumed. The map above shows everything except the plan to divert the section south of Finsbury Park onto the short underground line to Moorgate. |
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Comment
People indigenous to the area hold the Northern Heights line dear to their hearts. There will still be those who remember the line either in passenger service, seeing the later occasional stock transfers, or just the line still with its rails, yet even without those memories the subject of the line will cause strong debate. Perhaps it is the seeming waste of it; the line was so near to being converted to a tube line (thus securing its future). Perhaps it is its scenic nature or that it would be a useful line to have now; it still could easily be reopened as a railway. Regardless of that, some notable locals have fought hard over the years to prevent the line being transformed into a road or being sold off for housing. As a consequence, it now lies relatively intact as the Parkland Walk, which can provide a pleasant and leafy oasis of tranquility amongst the congestion of North London (though see later comments about vandalism, graffiti, the rain and mud etc). Certainly for this author as a child, the line provided mysterious
territory to explore and a multiplicity of questions to (non-local)
parents. Why was there a railway with no trains? Why stations
with no passengers? Where did it lead to? Will there be services
again? And so on. As for what the future holds for the line; to measure the
possibilities of it returning to railway use or perhaps tram
conversion, it is necessary to understand the reasons for its
closure. It was ostensibly closed because of a lack of passengers;
its custom drawn away by competing transport systems. The bus
service running between Muswell Hill and Finsbury Park offered
cheaper fares and a more direct route than the radial hill-avoiding
route of the railway. These days however, this advantage has
been negated by the huge increase in road traffic and the further
speed reducing introduction of road humps and speed cameras (never
mind the erratic bus services). For the last half century, the densely populated areas of Crouch End and Muswell Hill have been railwayless, reliance being solely on road transport. Many of the large houses in the areas are being converted to flats and there is insuffient road parking space for the extra cars caused by individually owned, rather than family shared cars. Given the poor public transport in the area, car ownership is entirely understandable, yet it would presumably (hopefully) be rendered less of a necessity with the introduction of an efficient rail or tram service to central London. The Parkland Walk as it stands now is struggling. It is difficult to police; weekend afternoons may be safe because of the numbers of people walking the line but at other times it is less so. Graffiti artists brazenly adorn the brickwork with their various levels of artistic skills. Some are actually quite good but the effect produced is still one of decay, urban desolation, and vandalism; not conducive to sustaining the line as a nature reserve or leafy retreat. It is often used for fly-tipping and rainy weather turns the track bed into a slippery mud path. There is a need for rail transport in Crouch End and Muswell Hill. Alexandra Palace would benefit from it also. The investment that would be required to reinstate the Northern Heights (southern sections) to a working rail or tram route is minimal (in the same way that the East London Line extensions are being done 'on the cheap' by utilising existing but disused rail routes). The disadvantages of the line's radial route are outweighed by the advantages of its reinstatement. The 'rail-closure-party' was in power when the post-war decision was made to abandon the pre-war works to convert it to a tube line, plans that would have seen it thriving under the benefits of investment and regular, reliable service. While the current government is in power, it should take the opportunity to address the public transport inadequacies of the area before the pendulum swings toward road building again. (May 2005)
*Modern day tube trains and trams would make short work of the line's gradients, as demonstrated by the DLR with its astonishing inclines. |
(Northern Heights Line)
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The area where the viaduct for the Northern Heights platforms at Finsbury Park used to be. They were demolished in the 1970s. This photograph dates only from March 2003 yet the area has changed considerably since then. An impressive new integrated ticket office/bus station has been built, improving the locality beyond measure.
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The line is high above street level at this point.
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For some interesting comparisons between the following photos and how the line was in 1970, have a look at Peter Wright's Northern Heights website. |
