Park of the week

93. Priory Park

This is, I think, with the exception of East Finchley Cemetery which we visit each Saturday, the only open space of the 205 parks we've visited that we've been to more than once – he’d been there with his excellent keyworkers from Kisharon and liked it so much he asked to go back with me. 

Priory Park is one of the most popular parks in Haringey. It’s an irregular U shape with large open grassy spaces, an ornamental garden, tennis courts, paddling pool (used as a play area when there’s no water in it), café, toilets, playground, and large area for netball practice and junior cycling. It’s home to the Hornsey Pétanque Club. It was first awarded the Green Flag Award in 2003 and has kept it ever since.
The park was created in two sections. land at the eastern and southern ends were purchased in 1891 by the local authority and opened in 1896 as the Middle Lane Pleasure Grounds. In 1926 the western section was added, after the authority bought land that had been used for allotments during the First World War After the war an plan for the council to develop the field for housing was dropped on grounds of cost, and an expanded park was renamed Priory Park. Despite the name, there has never been (as far as is known) a priory on this site. The park is named after the sprawling estate that once covered the area and the 19th century mansion that stood inside it.  

The original eastern section of the park has bedding displays, walks, shrub beds and mature trees. The western section is mainly grassed, with lines of trees, with some of the grass left long to encourage wildflowers. That section also includes the Philosophers’ Garden, a quiet area bounded by hedges and fences. It is named after a group of local retired men who, from the nineteen thirties until the nineteen sixties, would meet daily in Priory Park. The Priory Park Philosophers became a social group, entertaining themselves and others, singing, playing cricket and bowls, and also raising money for charity. The garden includes a wildlife pond where newts and frogs have been seen, sculptures (for example “The Drop” shown below).

There’s no car park but we managed to find space to park on the street. There are entrances on Priory Road, Middle Lane, Barrington Road, Abbeville Road (all London N8).

Judith Field

Priory Park, 112 Middle Lane, London N8 8LN