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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

This picture shows a Hornsey Fire Brigade street escape station at the junction of Lancaster Road and Stapleton Hall Road N4 in the late 1890's.

The cabin was manned 24/7 by a fireman. On receipt of a call, he would use a large wooden rattle to get assistance from the public to help push the escape to the job. Those helping would receive a few pennies for their assistance. This practice stopped when the ladders were mounted on horse drawn carts.

The buildings on the right of the picture were on the southern corner of Lancaster Road. Like most similarly situated buildings at the time, they housed coal merchants. Behind and above them the is the old station waiting room.

Both the fire station and the waiting room are marked on the 1893 OS map, as seen in the snippet below.

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Albums: Historical images of Stroud Green

Comment by Richard Woods on April 26, 2019 at 12:25

I do like the irony of the fire escape being kept alongside the coal merchants...

Comment by Ms on April 26, 2019 at 19:06

Fascinating! I wonder how long the fireman had to sound his rattle to get assistance in the early hours of the morning?  Hopefully people helped on the basis that it could be them the next time. 

Comment by Hugh on April 26, 2019 at 23:20

I imagine it was rather like analogous situations today. Some people were probably always willing to help; others hunkered down under their pillows and slept on.

Comment by Alan on September 1, 2019 at 21:27

Interesting to see the Post Office seems to be where William's Brothers was in the 50s/60s, In those tears it was within Johnsons, stationers, just by the 233 bus stop.

Comment by Hugh on September 1, 2019 at 21:57

You can see the post office in this photo

Comment by Lauren on May 8, 2022 at 22:23

So the post office was where the blue launderette is now. Whenever I walk that section of The Parkland Walk with someone, I always stop on the bridge and point out to them that 100 years ago they would have been standing on a railway, on top of a road, on top of a railway. 

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