Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
New River structure
I've notice it a couple of times before, but have never been able to figure out the purpose of the two-storey brick structure half-way down the accessible section of the river between Hampden Road mosque and the exit at Wightman Road.
Passed it again today and thought I'd ask those more knowledgeable about the district.
Is it an old set of chimneys, a tube system exhaust duct, even someone's garden folly 
?
Interested to know any opinions or definitive answers. Cheers, Terry
Tags for Forum Posts: chimneys, new river tower, river
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Martin (Woodside) on
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Never walked that bit Terry as I didn't know it was accessible, my feet are itching now. Is the exit not at the railway bridge at the bottom of Tottenham Lane, as that is the path of the river from Hampden Road, or is there a path to Wightman Road?.
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After googling earthing it, if it is the hollow building west of the top of Effingham Road (as the crow flies) I would guess it was a small pump-house, probably for a pipe or conduit, the thin part for the wheel and the square bit for the pump. How it was powered or where it pumped to is another question. I will have a proper look this coming weekend.
I'm sure it could be converted into a small secluded riverside dwelling and put on the market!.
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Permalink Reply by hob on
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If you type in harringay mysteries into search box on top right hand side of home page and then select A Tunnel under the Great Northern Line from results you get, you will see a discussion on this topic.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Will OAE's answer do you for the time being?
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Indeed, Hugh and Terry, that is the only answer you need. In fact, Nicky Morgan has been in touch with me yesterday, prospecting for custom built Victorian structures for her LibDem-free programme of academicisation for the area's failing schools.
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With the site of Haringey House being so near (between Hewitt and Allison Roads), if it was a pump-house is there any chance it was used to pump water to the buildings to the west of the grounds (using Hugh's old map) and they just left it there after the river was re-coursed. There is also a pump-house showing to the north of the grounds. Could we have some more of your splendid superimposition please Hugh?
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Just been to look at it, forget my pump-house theory, probably kiln or bakery chimney(s) with the main flue/upper part removed, almost certainly Victorian. If you look behind it (standing east) there is a small building made with the same brick but unattatched, it may have been associated with it.
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There's no building there on the Harringay House plans. So it is likely to have been built at the time the river was culverted under Hewitt Road. It seems likely that it's associated with the river. I've dropped a line to a contact at Thanes Water to see if they can unravel the mystery for us.
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In a moment of half-sleep I think I may have come up with the answer (pending your E-mail reply), the garage it is behind was apparently a fire station once, so it may be the remains of a drill tower for fire practice. The only thing that would prove this would be the presence of false windows on the side we can't see, QED.
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Sort of; the garage that fronts on to Wightman was once a depot of Hornsey District Council. See this discussion for more info. The other local one is where Wightman becomes Alroy - also now used as a garage.
The local fire stations were Hornsey Fire Station on Tottenham Lane next to where the Police Station is today and Harringay Fire Station on Conway Road (the first in the country to have a petrol driven fire engine). I think the tower is on Thames Water (formerly New River Company) land. So it's probably not related to the Council's use of the building just to the east.
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With discussion of this having surfaced again on two different threads this week, I've been having another quick look and realised one further issue - probably doesn't help though.
I noticed on one of the pictures supplied by Matt back in 2010 that there are two tiers to the tower. (The image also shows what looks like a doorway).
The earliest photo I have of the structure is from one of my North Middlesex Photographic Society photos from 1885. This shows the tower with just one tier. It could be that it's still under construction, or, and I think this the more likely explanation, it suggests that it might indeed have been built for venting. I wonder if it was built up to the first tier at construction when there were no houses then subsequently extended after the houses were built to ensure it was tall enough to vent above the levels of the houses.
This bird's-eye view from Google clearly shows the hollow nature of the structure:
Another long shot possibility has occurred to me. The tower stood opposite the place where a four or five arch viaduct used to carry the original Great Northern Line across the small valley created by the Stonebridge Brook. (See late nineteenth century watercolour picture I added in a comment here). It's just possible that this tower is a vent and access point to the culvert. (Access to culverted rivers is sometimes needed to clear blockages etc).
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