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Sunday was gardens open day in Alexandra Park Road N22. A bunch of gardens at the junction with Palace Gates Road has opened annually for many years, showing gardens with all sorts of different characters: big, small, front, back, compact and rambling, and with all sorts of ingenious uses of space - around dustbins and pavement trees, in old baths and pots, and wherever. It was down to only three gardens this year, one of the stars having sadly (from thee street-gardening point of view) had to move away during the year.

The events also spilled out into the street for traditional (so they say) dancing with swords or clogs (clogs on female feet, swords in male hands). The dancers are accompanied by pipe or accordion, but more musicians are hidden away behind the plants, accompanying the tea and cakes and plant sales. This year was the last time, at least in its old form, that all this is going to happen, so here are some pictures for the record, or for those who've never seen it - especially the sword dancing, which is a very dramatic and visual experience. There was some talk of Welsh tunes being danced to, and there was another bloke wandering around waving a sword and giving orders which was probably the English contribution (... only joking).

Here are more pictures of sword dancing and plants:

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Did you know around 40% of Alexandra Palace is currently derelict?

But not for long, as there are plans to transform the eastern end of the Palace, opening up the most historically significant parts of the building - the BBC Studios where television was first broadcast, the Victorian Theatre and the East Court - and making them accessible to the public.

It's not going to be cheap, but The Heritage Lottery fund has contributed £18.6m towards a total restoration project cost of £26.7m, with the London Borough of Haringey having pledged £6.8m. So they're short of just over one million pounds to finish the project, especially the Victorian Theatre. 

I do urge you to watch the film showing a peek inside the theatre as it stands now (it's quite wonderful).

Every donation received through this campaign will go directly towards the theatre’s restoration, and every donation of £25 or more will receive a permanent tribute for playing a part in transforming Alexandra Palace.

Let's make this happen!!

Palace Gates Residents' Association website has a short report on the fete held two weeks ago, and an entertaining video which Kevin and Julie have made with some highlights from the event, with clips of Mike Solomon-Wiliams and the Three Deuces making music, Gustave the Magician making fun, and Raef Commissar moving his feet impressively - talents young and more mature giving everyone a good time on a miraculously (sudden) sunny afternoon. You can find it all here: http://www.palacegatesra.info/news/.

Members from all round our core area met at the Pavilion Cafe in Albert Road recreation ground for a very pleasant evening, chatting about local things, and discussing what the Alexandra Park Neighbours had achieved to date and where we should go from here. Susie Holden summed up our current position, saying that there are now 587 members, and that the amount of discussion of local issues, as well as offering and requesting information or help is increasing. We’ve also helped give birth to a new local group, the Friends of Ally Pally Station, who’ve begun their work with some beautiful new plant displays on the platforms, and who intend to go on to be an effective link between the community and the railway. Running the website has taken a leap forward with Judi’s revamp of the Facebook page, which has raised its content and attractiveness a great deal. There is a new door-to-door leaflet drop planned for September to increase membership again. For official purposes, mainly to do with finance, we have to have a committee responsible for decisions about running the site, and this now consists of Annabel Gregory, Susie Holden, Alex King, Ellika Mcauley and Ruth Miller.

Finance of the website is in a reasonable state, we are on track to have a regular income stream that will cover out expenses (in particular, an annual fee of – currently –  £216 for use of the Ning software). We have received £171.66 so far in donations and £690 from advertising. We are also due to receive a grant from the budget held by our ward councillors to help with promotion of the site and membership.

Ruth and Susie, who have been producing the Newsletter regularly, wanted to know what people thought about it, and everyone agreed it worked well and its format was suitable. We also looked at some new departures for things to post on the site, such as short articles about interesting people in the locality, and at promoting the website in the local press when an opportunity occurred. These ideas seemed promising.

If you have any other ideas or questions about the way the site is run or what could be on it, please do add them as a comment to this blog. And if you’d like a full copy of the AGM minutes send me a personal message through this site.

We are actively supporting the local campaign to save Muswell Hill and Crouch End Post Offices which are under threat.

The Post Office has announced this year its plans for a further franchising programme, which means that up to 100 Crown Offices in the UK are vulnerable to closure or franchising.

The first tranche is for 39 Crown Offices to be franchised and 3 actual closures.The proposed franchised Crown Offices in tranche 1 include those in Crouch End and Muswell Hill. A second tranche includes a further 40-50 Crown Offices to be franchised which could include other Haringey offices.

Closure and franchising of our High Street Crown Post Offices is detrimental to our local community. The plan to move Post Offices into shops such as WH Smith’s will mean a worsening of services, a potential loss of experienced staff and a possible deterioration of workers.

Together with unions and local residents in this Borough we will work hard to stop these franchising plans which will not only downgrade the service but have far reaching effects on local communities and their economies.

As well as petitions, protests and events outside of the two threated Post Offices the campaign is asking people to pledge to boycott any franchised service.

We will be out each Saturday campaigning to stop this happening .

A pic from Saturday's campaign outside WH Smith's store in Muswell Hill Broadway before the monsoon hit us!

Just to let you know that there will be a local vigil this Sunday, organised by the Crouch End Festival, to remember Jo Cox MP who was tragically murdered yesterday.

This will take place at 2.30pm outside Hornsey Town Hall.

The Green Rooms hotel in Station Road wants to convert its yard into a peaceful garden, a place where people can sit and lunch. but it needs some backing to action the plan. Help make Wood Green a better place for all!

Receive TWO COCKTAILS here in August when you pledge £15 to the Wood Green Lunch Garden project! That's a DEAL! (link: https://www.spacehive.com/woodgreengarden) spacehive.com/woodgreengarden

Look out for this new enterprise in Wood Green's Station Road. The arts hotel Green Rooms will also have a pop-up restaurant, cafe. bar. entertainment. There'll also be an 'open for all' garden. See what The Standard said about it. 

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/how-new-arts-hotel-green-rooms-is-shaking-up-wood-green-a3251836.html

I first heard about this workshop through Alexandra Park Neighbours and am so pleased I went along. The evening was a real pleasure and I came home carrying this beauty. Many thanks go to Tania (the Kitchen Table Florist) and Nati's cafe on Priory Road, which was the ideal venue.

Just to let you know that I will be holding my monthly advice surgery this Saturday (9th April) from 11am to 12p in Alexandra Park Library.

Please do pop in if you need to discuss or raise any issues with me. Thanks Liz

Alexandra ward councillors Liz McShane and James Patterson have welcomed a decision by Network Rail to rebuild a wooden fence.  This was the result of a campaign by them and local residents on Dagmar Road, N22.

Network Rail dismantled the fence last year and replaced it with a wire-like structure.  This caused consternation among local residents who complained about the visual impact and the noise from the railway.  Following a meeting with Catherine West MP, Network Rail began installing temporary screening to address residents’ concerns.  However, this proved equally unpopular. 

Network Rail have now reviewed their decision and decided to rebuild the wooden fence.  In a letter to residents, Route Managing Director Rob McIntosh said: ‘I am aware that this issue will have damaged our reputation within the community and very much hope that we can now begin to rebuild that’.

Cllr Patterson says: “It is commendable that Network Rail have acknowledged mistakes.  I am delighted that they have been willing to listen to the local community about this.”

Cllr McShane says: “Network Rail have behaved like a listening organisation concerned with the public interest.  This is important when they are facing the threat of privatisation”.    

A few weeks ago I finally got round to visiting the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, and had a wonderful time. I knew that the Gallery had been around for years, and that it had recently undergone a major transformation having won substantial funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  I loved everything about it, including the warm welcome and helpful orientation from a volunteer as soon as we arrived. The rooms are beautifully designed with lots of tactile objects and things for children to do. It's a bit like having a corner of the V&A on your doorstep.  There's also a temporary exhibition space, which then had a display by the artist Rob and Roberta Smith (it's something else now). The William Morris Gallery won the Museum of the Year award in 2013, has an excellent cafe and sits on the edge of Lloyd Park. It is a great day out for adults and family groups, and very easy to get to by public transport. We took the tube to Walthamstow Central and enjoyed the short walk along Hoe Street, which still manages to be a useful high street with the practical stuff people need, plus good cafes and an interesting looking junk shop or two. I look forward to going again when the weather improves, not least to explore Lloyd Park, which looked so enticing through the Gallery windows.

The Art Deco building on Station Road that was originally built for the North Metropolitan Power and Electricity Company in 1925 is being turned into an affordable hotel for actors. It will also become a cultural hub and already has links with The Royal Court Theatre and the London International Festival of Theatre. You can read more about this here.

The Sustainable Transport Works Plan is now being put together for the next financial year, so  this is an an opportunity to send us your views about which roads and streets in Alexandra that should be prioritised for attention.

If you have any thoughts on this, please either email myself,  liz.mcshane@haringey.gov.uk or james.patterson@haringey.gov.uk and we will submit them so they can be considered for the final list.

Thanks.

Liz McShane

Councillor James Patterson and myself will be holding our additional monthly surgery in the Sweet Tree Bakery, in Crescent Road, this Saturday from 11am to 12pm. Please come and see us if you any issues you would like to discuss or to get updates on CPZ consultation etc.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Liz McShane

Excellent Music

Last Saturday evening we went along to hear the Galitzin Ensemble at St Andrew's Church, Alexandra Park Road.  They play there now and then and I had heard them there before and enjoyed it immensely. (I didn't know it happened until it was advertised on this website.)  They are extremely professional and polished performers, and have won a number of international prizes - the personel has changed, but the Ichinose family is their continuity. Saint Andrew's also is a wonderful venue for this kind of music, big enough to feel that strong music has room to move, but with very clear sound. Whether it was the playing or the acoustic - probably both - the music sounded amazingly crisp to a rather aging ear. It is extraordinary, really, to be able to hear such high quality music-making just round the corner for only however much you choose to drop into the plate at the door.

The programmes I've heard Galitzins do have been balanced: a classic (Beethoven/Haydn), something more light-hearted, and Shostakovitch - they seem to specialise in him. I went with someone who wasn't at all sure about Shostakovitch and went to sit near the door for that half of the concert to be able to nip out if necessary, but was still there at the end - it's such dramatic and gripping stuff.  These recitals are an effortless way to discover good things you didn't expect. Try it if you haven't yet.

The Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Association is looking for a Newsletter Editor. We have six Newsletters of 8 pages a year.

The Newsletter is an important vehicle not only to communicate with our 700 members but also to encourage local residents to join the Association.

We also distribute copies to local pubs and Cafes.

The person should be local (Muswell Hill, Fortis Green or Alexandra Palace area). As editor, you will have creative freedom and will also be in charge of what material to print and what photos to include. There is always a lot going on and material is supplied by our committee members as well as by members (both individual and corporate) of the Association. We also include local events, such as concerts, exhibitions.

If you are interested to discuss this further, please e-mail me on: hajdu.clarion@talk21.com. 

John Hajdu

Chairman

Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Association

Just to let you know that I will be holding my councillor's surgery tomorrow, Saturday, 12th November from 11am to 12pm in Alexandra Park Library. Please pop in if you need to raise any issues with me.