Opened: 22.8.1867
Closed: (Passengers) 5.7.1954 Finsbury Park - Highgate; 11.9 1939 Mill Hill East - Edgware
  (Goods) 6.10.1970 Finsbury Park - Park Jn; 1.6.1964 Park Jn - Edgware

STATIONS

- Seven Sisters Road (Holloway) (opened 1861) r/n 1869 Finsbury Park
- Stroud Green (opened 1881)
- Crouch End
- Highgate
- East End (Finchley) r/n 1887 East Finchley
- Finchley & Hendon r/n 1872 Finchley r/n 1894 Finchley Church End r/n 1940 Finchley Central
- Mill Hill East r/n 1912 Mill Hill for Mill Hill Barracks r/n Mill Hill East 1941
- The Hale Halt (opened 1906) r/n 1912 The Hale for Mill Hill
- Edgware GNR.

Motive Power Depots - Edgware one-track shed building destroyed in a blizzard c1885 but facilities continued to be used until the end of steam on the branch in BR days

HISTORY

A line between Finsbury Park and Edgware was promoted by the Edgware, Highgate & London Railway (EH&LR) and was opened by the GNR in 1867. There was a frequent passenger service from Kings Cross and Moorgate with the North London Railway working trains from Broad Street with about 30 mins allowed to cover the 8 miles between Finsbury Park and Edgware. Stirling and Ivatt 0-4-4Ts worked most trains supplemented from 1899 by Ivatt 4-4-2Ts while North London Railway 4-4-0Ts were also common. In 1907 Ivatt introduced his N1 0-6-2Ts replaced in the 1930s by Gresley N2s which were used almost to the withdrawal of branch services. The Mill Hill East - Edgware section closed to passengers in 1939 whilst, under a joint LNER/LPTB scheme in 1940/41, the section between Highgate (Park Junction) and Mill Hill East was electrified and came under the control of London Transport. The remaining section of this line from Finsbury Park - Highgate closed to passenger in 1954 and the non LT lines closed to goods traffic in 1964. The section between Finsbury Park and Highgate was retained for LT stock movements finally closing in 1970.


ROUTE - WHEN OPEN

Finsbury Park - Park Jn

At Finsbury Park (GR313868) the branch began each side of the main lines, the down track climbing on arches between the two down main slow tracks to join the up line which crossed all the main lines on a flyover before descending to the extreme east side of the station. It then swung west bridging the Tottenham & Hampstead Junction Joint line at Stroud Green. Further west it passed under Crouch Hill then Crouch End Hill at Crouch End station before turning NW and passing through a tunnel to reach the high level Highgate GNR station (GR286881) which was above the later Northern Line underground station at this point. It then passed through a second tunnel to reach Park Junction where the Alexandra Palace branch diverged north. Gradients were not easy, the climb up Highgate Bank from Finsbury Park varied between 1 in 75/50 before the summit was reached at Park Junction (GR281885).

Park Jn - Mill Hill East

Beyond Park Junction the Northern Heights line headed NW to Church End (r/n by LT Finchley Central) where the branch to New Barnet turned away north and this line continued NW over the Dollis Brook Viaduct to Mill Hill East.
Mill Hill East - Edgware (single track)
From Mill Hill East (GR240915) it swung SW passing under Sanders Lane, Page Street, Deans Road and Watford Way as it turned NW alongside the later M1. It then passed under the M1, the Midland main line and Bunns Lane to reach Mill Hill for the Hale station which was adjacent to the Midland's Mill Hill Broadway. Now heading west it passed under Deans Lane then over Deans Brook and the Northern line to reach Edgware GNR station (GR194918) 300yds south of the LT station, with both termini located in Station Road (A5100).

ROUTE - TODAY

Finsbury Park - Park Jn

The whole of the section between Finsbury Park and Highgate has been converted into a cyclepath - the Parkland Walk. The trail starts from the park entrance at the bottom of Stroud Green Road just before the railway bridges [currently closed due to rebuilding]. A footbridge carries it over the main line to join the trackbed and ends at the twin bores of Highgate No 1 tunnel with an exit into Holmesdale Road. It is then necessary to detour around Highgate station by walking along Archway Road and Muswell Hill to enter Highgate Woods and pick up the trackbed of Alexandra Palace Branch (see below).

Park Jn - Mill Hill East

The section between Park Jn and East Finchley is used by LUL to access their Highgate Depot. The Northern Line from Camden Town surfaces at East Finchley and has taken over the line to Mill Hill East (and New Barnet).

Mill Hill East - Edgware

Access to the trackbed can be gained from the embankment beyond the buffer stops at Mill Hill East station where the formation is landscaped. A clear footpath can be followed through a lightly wooded section and through Copthall sports fields (with the large modern sports centre on your left) as far as Page Street where the headquarters of the construction company Laings blocks further progress. Little remains between Page Street and the M1 but the shallow cutting west of The Hale for Mill Hill station can be paralleled along the edge of Lyndhurst Park. It ends at gates forming the entrance to a nature reserve built along the line as far as Deans Lane. A section of densely overgrown rough ground that emerges at the bridge over Deans Brook which is passable but a little further on are two wire-topped gates which have to negotiated before emerging into the vast car park of the Broadwalk Shopping Centre - built on the site of Edgware GNR station.

Edgware - Bushey Heath

The planned pre-war extension of the line from Edgware (London Transport station, not the GNR station) to Bushey Heath was abandoned after the new Green Belt legislation would have prohibited new housing being built in the vicinity. Some works were begun however: the twin tunnels taking the line under Station Road north of Edgware station were constructed; their abutment wall still exists at Rectory Lane, and the remains of the aborted construction of Brockley Hill station exist just north of Edgware Way.

RELICS

Stations

- Finsbury Park : still open (Kings Cross suburban service)
- Stroud Green : access stairway but no trace of platforms, station house below at street level is an information centre
- Crouch End : platforms and bricked up remains of station building
- Highgate (high level) : platforms and platform buildings are intact, the island platform is heavily overgrown, station building converted into a residence
- Highgate (low level), East Finchley, Finchley Central and Mill Hill East : still open (Northern Line)
- Mill Hill for the Hale: mostly covered over by spoil taken from the slip road connection for the M1, a small piece of platform survives under Bunns Lane bridge
- Edgware GNR demolished : site now a large car park for the Broadwalk Shopping centre.

Bridges: Finsbury Park - Highgate
Plate girder bridge carrying up line over main lines at Finsbury Park station removed
Most other bridges in place including:
Masonry viaduct over Stapleton Hall Road and South Tottenham - Gospel Oak line at Crouch Green
Plate girder bridge over Mount Pleasant Villas
Bridge carrying Mount View Road
Footbridge at south end of Crouch End station in place and renovated
Bridge over Northwood Road (very narrow for vehicles)
Double-arched bridge carrying Shepherd's Hill blocked in.

Bridges: Mill Hill East - Edgware
Three-arch brick bridge carrying Sanders Lane intact;
Underpass under Page Street blocked off
Three-arch brick bridge carrying Bunns Lane (on east side of M1) demolished when Bunns Lane was realigned;
Three-arch brick bridge carrying Bunns Lane (at The Hale for Mill Hill station) in place but arches bricked up;
Bridge over Deans Brook and Northern line at Edgware wired off but passable.

Tunnels - Highgate No 1 332yds twin bore: sealed at both ends; Highgate No 2 139yds twin bore: open at station end sealed at NE end.
Loco sheds - Edgware (GR191920) on north side of station,

 

 

GNR HIGHGATE (PARK JN) - ALEXANDRA PALACE (1 miles)
(Alexandra Palace Branch)

Opened 24.5.1873
Closed (Pass) 5.7.1954 (Gds) 18..5.1957
Stations Highgate (opened 1867); Cranley Gardens (opened 1902); Alexandra Park (Muswell Hill) r/n 1875 Muswell Hill; Alexandra Palace.

HISTORY

This branch was opened by the Muswell Hill Railway (MHR) on the 24 May 1873, the same day as Alexandra Palace opened. The railway carried 99,000 passengers in the first 16 days, then the Palace was burnt out and the line closed for two years until it was rebuilt. Between 1875 and 1898 the Palace was closed seven time and so was the railway. It was absorbed by the GNR in 1911 and they operated a frequent service of trains from/to Moorgate/Kings Cross; including eleven on Sundays all of which terminated at Muswell Hill. Conductor rails were laid as part of the 1936 electrification scheme but the war intervened and they were taken up in 1955. In BR days trains started from Finsbury Park the journey to Alexandra Palace taking 17 minutes. There were 23 trains on weekdays, usually worked by auto-trains with N7 0-6-2Ts in charge, but there were none on Sundays. The service was withdrawn in 1954 and, three years later, the branch closed to all traffic.

ROUTE - WHEN OPEN

It diverged from the Finsbury Park - Edgware line at Park Junction (GR281886) and curved NE alongside Highgate Wood to Cranley Gardens where it passed under Muswell Hill Road. Swinging north it soon passed under Muswell Hill to reach the station of the same name. Continuing NE the end of the line was reached at Alexandra Palace station (GR295901) located at the south end of The Avenue but overshadowed by the huge bulk of the Palace's north west face.

ROUTE - TODAY

The line can be picked close to Park Junction by entering Highgate Woods from Muswell Hill. Cranley Gardens station has been built over by a school but from there to Muswell Hill it has been converted into a cyclepath part of the Parkland Walk which ends at the underpass of Muswell Hill. Most of the remaining section towards Alexandra Palace has been built over by another school, a council depot and other buildings.

RELICS

Stations

- Highgate (high level) platforms and platform buildings are intact, the island platform is heavily overgrown, station building on original platform converted into a residence
- Cranley Gardens demolished - site occupied by a primary school
- Muswell Hill demolished - site occupied by a primary school
- Alexandra Palace station building restored and in use as a community centre.

Bridges - most bridges in place including:
Muswell Hill Viaduct (GR288894)17 arches over St Jame's Lane;
Brick bridge over a drive in the palace grounds on approach to Alexandra Palace station
Footbridge at Alexandra Palace station site.

 

(The white text above courtesy of Ralph Rawlinson   ©2005.)

The area where the viaduct for the Northern Heights platforms at Finsbury Park used to be. They were demolished in the 1970s. (Mar 2003)

Facing the other way and the 'missing' bridge over Stroud Green Road. The gates seen here provided the beginning of the Parkland Walk, though this section has been closed for rebuilding - the small viaduct carrying the line through Finsbury Park has been demolished to allow integration of the line into the park itself. Previously it was a separate, hidden part and illegal activities were known to be taking place there. (Mar 2003)

Bridge over Upper Tollington Park, the road that actor Bob Hoskins grew up in. (Mar 2003)

The bridge over Upper Tollington Park. (Mar 2003)

(Mar 2003)

The site of Stroud Green station, the first one northwards from Finsbury Park. The station was added in 1881 to provide for the population growth in the area. The only indication at track level that there was ever a station there, is provided (in this photo) by the wooden platform support stumps. Today, even these have disappeared. This view, from the southern end of the platform location, is looking north toward the Highgate direction.

Looking south from the northern end of the platform area (i.e. the opposite view from the photo above). That this view is from the other side of the Stapleton Hall Road bridge, and that there are the wooden platform support stumps here as well, shows that the platforms not only existed on the bridge itself but extended either side of it as well.

More recent northward view with the top of the station house visible in the centre of the photo. The line is high above street level at this point. (Mar 2003)

The bridge over Stapleton Hall Road where the Stroud Green platforms were, and the station house is, still standing proud. The ticket office was located between the station house and the bridge but was burnt down.

Bridge over Mount Pleasant Villas. It was used here for filming a short GLC film pointing out the dangers of transporting nuclear waste by rail.

The day after filming.

Alternate view of the bridge shown above showing how the line skirted around the major hills en route to Highgate. (Mar 2003)

Track bed level of the Mount Pleasant Villas bridge. (Mar 2003)

Passing under Mount View Road. There is not much distance between the location of the photo above and this one but it demonstrates the sudden increase in the height of the land. (Mar 2003)

Under the bridge carrying Mount View Road. The next bridge along (Crouch Hill) collapsed in 1994 or so, during maintenance work to strengthen it! (Mar 2003)

The entirely ugly building that would have housed Crouch End sub-station had the electrification of the line been completed. (Mar 2003)

A little unexpected! (Aug 2001)

Approaching the Crouch End station site with the Hazelmere Road footbridge in view. The line seems to have been transformed into an unofficial gallery for various graffiti artists. On this visit, there were two of them (with filter masks!) blatantly spraying some of the untarnished brickwork. (Mar 2003)

View northwards of the platforms at Crouch End station.   (Photo by Dave Bosher - Oct 2004)   ©2004. Dave Bosher

The approach to Crouch End station looking back towards Stroud Green. The two people on the footbridge are family members of the photographer.

And the view from that footbridge in March 2003. The bridge has been restored now but was closed for a while after its dangerously corroded condition caused it to collapse.

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.