Archway

What’s in a name?…Archway…

by exploringlondon

This north London district in the London Borough of Islington owes its name to a bridge which straddles Archway Road (part of the Great North Road or A1).

The bridge’s origins go back to the early 19th century when work began on a 230 metre-long tunnel underneath Highgate Hill which would allow users to bypass the hill’s steep gradient. If completed, it’s said it would have been the earliest road tunnel in Britain.

But in April, 1812, the tunnel collapsed and a cutting through the hill, utilising the work done on the collapsed tunnel, was then proposed. It would become Archway Road.

Hornsey Lane, however, ran across the top of the hill linking Highgate to its west to Crouch End in the east, and to ensure the lane remained when the cutting was completed, it was decided to build a viaduct to carry the lane across the cutting.

The bridge over Archway Road (the A1) as it is today. PICTURE: Google Maps

The resultant structure was designed by none other than John Nash in the style of a Roman aqueduct and opened in 1813.

Archway Road, which ran underneath the arch, was operated as a toll road until 1871.

The bridge, meanwhile, was demolished in 1900 and replaced by a cast iron bridge, designed by Alexander Binnie, which still stands.

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The area was referred to as Highgate Archway but gradually the Highgate was dropped and plain Archway adopted.

This was reinforced by the naming of the Tube station in Junction Road which was originally named Highgate when it opened in 1907 as the terminus of the Northern Line but was renamed Archway (Highgate) in 1939 and then just Archway in 1947.

Landmarks in this predominantly leafy residential area include the Whittington Hospital, originally built as the Holborn Union Infirmary 1877-79, on Highgate Hill.

On a similar theme, the Whittington Stone can also be found at the bottom end of Highgate Hill. It is said to commemorate the spot where Dick Whittington, having decided to leave London after failing to make his fortune, heard the Bow Bells ringing and turned back (the stone is topped with a statue of Whittington’s famous cat).

The green expanse of Hampstead Heath lies just to the west.

LondonLife – The Old Bailey and the notorious case of Dr Crippen…

by exploringlondon

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As well as being relevant to our recent focus on author Charles Dickens (as well as featuring in his works, some suggest he worked here as a court reporter), the Old Bailey (home of the Central Criminal Court) has been in the news recently for its role in the conviction of the  infamous murderer Dr Hawley Crippen. An American, Dr Crippen was tried and found guilty at the court of poisoning his first wife Cora and then of cutting her up (he was found to have hidden the body parts in the cellar of their home in Hilldrop Crescent, Holloway). He was hanged in 1910, having been arrested while fleeing on a ship to Canada with his mistress Ethel Le Neve. Now reportedly come plans to hold a posthumous retrial of the case in front of a judge at the Islington Museum. The event, which will be held later this year, is being organised by Archway-based human rights solicitor Greg Foxsmith and will see John Cooper, QC, defending Dr Crippen. The move comes follows an earlier investigation by US scientists who concluded from DNA evidence that the victim may have in fact been male. For a great read on the case of Dr Crippen – and the important role the new invention of the wireless telegraph played in his capture – have a look at Erik Larsen’s Thunderstruck.