What’s going for it? The cranes are rising. Regeneration has arrived, not for the first time. Hot on its heels comes an upstart in skinny jeans: gentrification. Gentrifiers would hardly be the first new arrivals up the A10. Until the late 19th century, Tottenham was more like Hampstead, a posh, villagey affair clinging to the banks of the river Lea. Then the railways arrived, bringing the lower echelons and the rest of the known universe. Today, Tottenham is one of the most ethnically diverse spots on the planet, its extraordinarily ordinary streets singing with Kurdish, Portuguese and Congolese, its parks like Lordship Rec alive with tai chi and BMXers, and its shops selling anything from borek to bubble tea. It’s not all world peace and harmony, but as it braces itself for tens of thousands of new homes, let’s hope this latest change brings Tottenham the contentment it deserves.
The case against High unemployment and more than its share of social problems. It is trying hard to shake off the negative press after the 2011 riots; even Broadwater Farm 30 years ago casts a shadow still. Traffic very snarly around the North Circular.
Well connected? Very. Trains: three tube stations on the Piccadilly and Victoria lines (Oxford Circus in 15 minutes) and (count ’em) five train stations: Tottenham Hale is the fastest, with eight trains an hour to Liverpool Street (15 minutes), and four an hour to Stansted (40). South Tottenham is on the overground from Gospel Oak to Barking. Driving: 25 minutes to the M25; 40 to Stansted.
Schools Primaries: many are “good”, says Ofsted, with Holmleigh, Springfield Community, Crowland and Harris Academy Coleraine Park “outstanding”. Secondaries: Northumberland Park and Park View are “good”; Gladesmore Community “outstanding”.
Hang out at… There’s a lot of love for the Beehive and the Beavertown Brewery, but with Turkish cafes, goat curry and newbies like the Chicken Town social enterprise, you won’t go hungry.
Where to buy Plummest are the Clyde Circus conservation area, around West Green Road and Philip Lane, for Victorian semis and terraces. Tower Gardens Estate is an early 20th-century garden suburb and, today, very affordable. Gets a bit pricer in South Tottenham, around Seven Sisters and towards Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington. Terraces: £400,000-£950,000; Flats: £200,000-£450,000. Rentals: one-bed flat, £900-£1,500pcm; three-bed house, £1,600-£2,200pcm.
Bargain of the week A two-bed terraced house on the Tower Gardens estate, yours for £324,950 with Kings Group.
From the streets
Taslima Shahjahan “I love open spaces like Bruce Castle Park, Tottenham Marshes and the river Lea.”
Lorna Carsley “I’m loth to extol the virtues of N17 as it’s the last remaining affordable (depending on your definition) place to live in zones 2/3. But buses take you everywhere, and Lordship Rec is a lovely open space tucked behind Broadwater Farm.”
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