# What's Turnpike Lane like?



## exleper (Dec 2, 2009)

I'm just about to move to the Haringey end of Green Lanes, and I'm vaguely aware it's not the most hip place in London.  Is there any hidden beauties of pubs I should be aware?  Whats shops/parks are good? Pros and cons from anyone who knows it well?


----------



## aylee (Dec 2, 2009)

I've lived there for the last three years after 12 years in and around the Brixton/Streatham/Dulwich/Herne Hill area.

The upsides:

- Reasonable transport links from Turnpike Lane tube and Hornsey station, with buses to Archway, Muswell Hill and Tottenham.

- Excellent grocery shops, some open all hours, to buy (mostly!) fresh veg and groceries and a range of interesting foreign produce .... most of the shops used to be Greek/Turkish/Cypriot but there is an increasing Eastern European presence.

- A few good pubs if you go down Green Lanes .... the Salisbury is a well-preserved Victorian boozer with good real ales, the Garden Ladder is a nice modern pub with good food and there are a couple down towards the south end as well.

- One or two good restaurants .... a very good curry house called Jashan on Turnpike Lane itself, a reasonable Italian down Green Lanes (the name of which I can't remember at the moment), and Muna nearer to Turnpike Lane tube which does excellent, really simple but tasty African food.  Some of the kebab shops and cafes are a cut above the usual greasy spoon as well.

- Proximity to Crouch End (walkable or take a 41 bus) and Muswell Hill (a 144 bus) for shops and restaurants.

- Proximity to Wood Green for shopping and two cinemas.

The downsides:

- I generally find it a bit dreary with not much of a social scene going on compared with South London.

- Few proper restaurants as distinct from cafes and kebab shops, with a few honourable exceptions (see above).

- No live music venue as far as I'm aware until you get over to Crouch End or go down to Camden.

- The pubs around Turnpike Lane itself are rubbish - one Wetherspoons full of dossers and the Queen's Head which is a contender for the worst pub I've ever been in .... the beer is dreadful, the pub is in shambling disrepair and it's usually almost deserted.

- Dodgy people hanging around Duckett's Common at night, though this is less of a problem than it used to be since they improved the lighting a couple of years ago.


----------



## Boycey (Dec 2, 2009)

the jai krishna on turnpike lane is an awesome veggie indian restaurant which is also cheap as chips and BYOB.

there are *loads* of excellent turkish restaurants on around the salisbury on green lanes, open super late and have very good prices.

excellent grocers around that part too.

the salisbury has it's moments but it's over priced and the clientele are (IME) unfriendly- best pub in the area by a country mile is the oakdale arms on hermitage road. a bit off the beaten track but well worth it.

there's a bar on hornsey high st that apparently has some pretty good music nights- it's not really my bag (mainly jazz) but people i know like it.

if you have a bicycle all of these places will be very close together, if not then the buses are pretty tedious.


----------



## dat brown skin (Dec 2, 2009)

Best way to describe is 'nondescript'.


----------



## editor (Dec 2, 2009)

It's awful. Dull, boring and bland. It has a soul-sapping kind of blandness.


----------



## London_Calling (Dec 2, 2009)

Yep, make sure you don't have sharp instruments in the house, and leave your shoelaces in the box outside the tube station.


----------



## Upchuck (Dec 2, 2009)

It's a main road with a park and a tube/bus station stuck on the sides.  There's nothing there but it's close to Wood Green, Crouch End, and Muswell Hill.  tbf it's a desperate area that reeks of poverty, urine, and crack.


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 2, 2009)

exleper said:


> I'm just about to move to the Haringey end of Green Lanes, and I'm vaguely aware it's not the most hip place in London.  Is there any hidden beauties of pubs I should be aware?  Whats shops/parks are good? Pros and cons from anyone who knows it well?


the salisbury's quite good, bianca's down nr harringay green lanes station's pretty good


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 2, 2009)

aylee said:


> - I generally find it a bit dreary with not much of a social scene going on compared with South London.


obviously south london's going to have more of a social scene than turnpike lane considering south london is considerably larger than turnpike lane, even when you put wood green into the scales.


----------



## Treacle Toes (Dec 2, 2009)

Best things are the abundance of buses, the tube and easy access to green lanes and assorted turkish grocers and restuarants.


----------



## Upchuck (Dec 2, 2009)

There's nothing there!  Seriously, at Turnpike Lane there's nothing, just boxes of rotting vege on the pavement.


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 2, 2009)

Rutita1 said:


> Best things are the abundance of buses, the tube and easy access to green lanes and assorted turkish grocers and restuarants.


& the occasional gun battles


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 2, 2009)

Upchuck said:


> There's nothing there!  Seriously, at Turnpike Lane there's nothing, just boxes of rotting vege on the pavement.


waiting for upchuck's next visit.


----------



## ericjarvis (Dec 2, 2009)

The Harringay ladder is a great place to live so long as you are willing to "go native". I wasn't impressed until one of our local councillors took me along Green Lanes collecting during the Miners Strike. There's a really neat social scene going on in those cafe's and kebab shops that isn't very visible. They make some absolutely devastating coffee, especially the Turkish clubs.

The Salisbury is a nice enough pub, but not really appropriate as a local. The Suffolk Punch has a better atmosphere but not as good beer. The best pubs are on the side streets.

If you treat it as a dormitory then it will be a dormitory. Get to know people locally and it's not bad at all. Not as good as Brixton, but where is?


----------



## vauxhallmum (Dec 2, 2009)

Jeez, it's not that bad is it 

The worst I was going to say was 'busy with traffic and people shopping'


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 2, 2009)

ericjarvis said:


> The Harringay ladder is a great place to live so long as you are willing to "go native". I wasn't impressed until one of our local councillors took me along Green Lanes collecting during the Miners Strike. There's a really neat social scene going on in those cafe's and kebab shops that isn't very visible. They make some absolutely devastating coffee, especially the Turkish clubs.
> 
> The Salisbury is a nice enough pub, but not really appropriate as a local. The Suffolk Punch has a better atmosphere but not as good beer. The best pubs are on the side streets.
> 
> If you treat it as a dormitory then it will be a dormitory. Get to know people locally and it's not bad at all. Not as good as Brixton, but where is?


has the suffolk punch reopened?


----------



## 8115 (Dec 2, 2009)

I was the happiest I've ever been there.  The Salisbury used to be great in the afternoon when it was empty, get a pint with friends and kick back.  All the local shops are great especially Dostlar and the one at the end of Seymour Road (may not be the same now).  Quick walk up to Wood Green, go to shopping city if only to marvel at how low-brow a mall can get.  Sainsburies up near Finsbury Park if you need a supermarket. 29 and N29 best buses evah.


----------



## 8115 (Dec 2, 2009)

Honestly, best bit of London in my view, seriously.  You won't regret it.


----------



## Boycey (Dec 2, 2009)

8115 said:


> Honestly, best bit of London in my view, seriously.  You won't regret it.



as much as any part of london can be- it's certainly up there but as someone else mentions you do have to go native: pretty much all the good stuff is waaay off the radar and not an option if you don't know people... can see how people would think there's nothing there... that's why it's good


----------



## Biscuit Tin (Dec 2, 2009)

editor said:


> It's awful. Dull, boring and bland. It has a soul-sapping kind of blandness.


Yes it's dull. Awful is a tad harsh - it's not that scary a place to live. Rotherhide is both dull and scary.


----------



## Biscuit Tin (Dec 2, 2009)

exleper said:


> I'm just about to move to the Haringey end of Green Lanes, and I'm vaguely aware it's not the most hip place in London.  Is there any hidden beauties of pubs I should be aware?  Whats shops/parks are good? Pros and cons from anyone who knows it well?



you got many late night shops. Finsbury park is very close by. Do your own research


----------



## editor (Dec 2, 2009)

Biscuit Tin said:


> Yes it's dull. Awful is a tad harsh - it's not that scary a place to live.


I didn't say it was scary. Just dull. I had to visit the place regualrly for years on end and my heart sank whenever I came out of the tube station.


----------



## Biscuit Tin (Dec 3, 2009)

editor said:


> I didn't say it was scary. Just dull. I had to visit the place regualrly for years on end and my heart sank whenever I came out of the tube station.


i know you didn't. I know this neck of the woods very well. I was just making a comparison - dull is better than scary.


----------



## aylee (Dec 3, 2009)

Pickman's model said:


> obviously south london's going to have more of a social scene than turnpike lane considering south london is considerably larger than turnpike lane, even when you put wood green into the scales.





I meant, of course, the area where I formerly lived .... Brixton/Streatham/Herne Hill/Dulwich.


----------



## rutabowa (Dec 3, 2009)

Good place to live in my opinion. Tara is one of my favourite restaurants in london and there's loads of good places ot eat, ace food shops (Yasar Halim) etc. no places to go out except pubs but that's fine for somewhere to live I think. also there is the Cypriot Potato Board based there and an excellent typewriter shop.
my favourite pub round there is the Old Ale Emporium as The Salisbury has too high ceilings, but they are both good reallly dependign on taste.


----------



## keithy (Dec 3, 2009)

I liked living there, I lived on the bit of tpike lane really close to the tube station.


Nobody has mentioned it yet, I will:

roaches, mice and rats.

Which bit are you considering moving to? Turnpike lane and the Haringey ladder are basically infested. You're lucky if you move there and get none of these little friends. Further towards Hornsey the better. Don't move to tpike lane or the haringey ladder if you do not want to encounter vermin. 



I've moved back up to Wood Green now because I can't cope with roaches in my bedroom, but do miss having everything on my doorstep. I like the people aswell. I work at Wood Green spoons so know a fair few people around wood green and turnpike lane, and I like that. It's nice and well lit, too, I always felt safe walking home no matter what time of night. That's just cos I lived on the main road though innit.

Really good transport links if you're near the station, tube and tons of buses going in all directions. Loved that bit of it.


----------



## mike desantos (Dec 3, 2009)

The Thai Orient karaoke looks an interesting nitespot, never made it inside myself.  
Jai krishna is great for dosas and starters, cheap at lunchtime, not too keen on their curries though.


----------



## smokedout (Dec 3, 2009)

wood green shopping city

says it all


----------



## smokedout (Dec 3, 2009)

aylee said:


> - The pubs around Turnpike Lane itself are rubbish - one Wetherspoons full of dossers and the Queen's Head which is a contender for the worst pub I've ever been in .... the beer is dreadful, the pub is in shambling disrepair and it's usually almost deserted.



used to be one of the best tho, back in the day


----------



## blossie33 (Dec 3, 2009)

Turnpike Lane's not bad  -  not for entertainment purposes maybe but it's very convenient for transport, shopping, eating out, Ally Pally Park, Stationer's Park, Finsbury Park, Muswell Hill/ Highgate Woods.

The Lane itself has some good, cheap Indian and continental foodshops and as, has been mentioned, there are lots of Turkish places in Green Lane. Fruit and veg in the area and from the stalls in Wood Green is very good value.

I lived in Stroud Green for a couple of years so I know the area fairly well. There are far worse places to live in London!


----------



## blossie33 (Dec 3, 2009)

smokedout said:


> used to be one of the best tho, back in the day



Yes, I agree.
Not been in there for years but a friend told me how rubbish it was now!


----------



## Upchuck (Dec 3, 2009)

It is a rubbish dive now.  It's dirty and rammed and all you can see are boxes on the pavement, the occasional chicken, and foreign people muttering into their robes.


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 3, 2009)

Upchuck said:


> It is a rubbish dive now.  It's dirty and rammed and all you can see are boxes on the pavement, the occasional chicken, and foreign people muttering into their robes.


yeh and we all know you don't like foreigners


----------



## Upchuck (Dec 3, 2009)

Pickman's model said:


> yeh and we all know you don't like foreigners



Being 'foreign' myself allows me this freedom


----------



## Pickman's model (Dec 3, 2009)

Upchuck said:


> Being 'foreign' myself allows me this freedom


if by 'being "foreign"' you mean 'being socially inadequate', the answer's no. and even if you mean by spending many years in the antipodes before they managed to get rid of you, the answer's still no.


----------



## smokedout (Dec 3, 2009)

blossie33 said:


> Yes, I agree.
> Not been in there for years but a friend told me how rubbish it was now!



i squatted on hermitage road for a couple of years in the early/mid 90s

loved it round there, queens head, george roby, silver lady, free festies in finsbury park, loads of squat parties

its shit now though

or maybe im just old


----------



## blossie33 (Dec 3, 2009)

smokedout said:


> i squatted on hermitage road for a couple of years in the early/mid 90s
> 
> loved it round there, queens head, george roby, silver lady, free festies in finsbury park, loads of squat parties
> 
> ...




It was late 90's when I used to go.
Used to be great with the bands in one room and the big snooker/ pool hall. Had some good nights in the place  happy memories.


----------



## Boycey (Dec 3, 2009)

smokedout said:


> wood green shopping city
> 
> says it all



it's "the mall" now- shopping city was just too close to shopping shitty


----------



## smokedout (Dec 3, 2009)

Boycey said:


> it's "the mall" now- shopping city was just too close to shopping shitty



its a travesty

a friend of mine recorded a version of London Acid City with the words changed to wood green shopping city 

was a classic


----------



## exleper (Dec 8, 2009)

No access to the internet and I return to find a flurry of responses.  Thank you everyone.

So, the general consensus seems to be as I suspected: it's hardly the most lively place in terms of nightlife etc, save for the odd decent pub, but good for transport and shops.  I'll take that.  Got a nice house so I can't complain.

Anyone local know if the Salisbury is still open?  I've walked past it a couple of times visiting the agents (haven't moved to the area yet) and both times it seemed fairly dead and closed up.  Heard a few good things about it, and it's an impressive building, so I was looking forward to my first pint there.  It would be a shame to hear it's died.


----------



## Boycey (Dec 8, 2009)

the salisbury has been gastrofied and is extremely over priced and all sorts of other things that put me off places like that... the oakdale a ten minute walk down st annes and down hermitage rd OTOH...


----------



## keithy (Dec 9, 2009)

i've said it before and I'll say it again: springfield tavern.

also, i like salisbury and they do a good pub quiz and give me free cake


----------



## Chz (Dec 9, 2009)

It's hard to take it seriously when proximity to Wood Green is presented as an "upside".


----------



## rich! (Dec 9, 2009)

Interesting to see some memories of boozers gone by in this thread - the Suffolk Punch and the Silver Lady in particular.

I was in a pub in Newcastle the other day, and the landlord revealed he used to run the Ale Emporium back when it opened up as a proper ale pub. Cue much reminiscing, and a simultaneous chorus of "Did you ever go down the Silver Lady?"

These days, the Salisbury has good (Fullers) beer, good food, and shocking prices (£4.50 a pint). The Ale Emporium is a glorified bookies parlour which CAMRA sem to like. The Garden Ladder is a restaurant converted into a pub, which whenever I go in I think I should spend more time in. The Earl of Beaconsfield I never make. The Wetherspoons on Turnpike Lane is good for ale, but is a little odd otherwise. There's the Westbury up Westbury Avenue - can't speak of it either way. Down West Green Road there's a couple of local boozers for local people... The Oakdale on Hermitage Road is an interesting example of what happens when a pubco mismanages a pub...

Turnpike Lane has a couple of really good indian supermarkets, and there are veg shops all the way down Green Lanes.


----------

