Today I had an appointment at a clinic in Holloway. Tigger came with me to the area and waited for me in a coffee shop.

Coffee shop

As I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to reach the clinic in Hornsey Road, we left in plenty of time. The clinic wasn’t open by the time we arrived so we looked for somewhere where we could sit and wait. We found a coffee shop on a corner, though really it was a coffee shop in a sort of small mall of shops selling various ethnic foods, all of which were closed.

Waiting Room

I left Tigger in the coffee shop and returned to the clinic. Though they were open, the door was locked and I had to knock on the window for attention. A receptionist opened a side door and enquired whether I had an appointment. When I confirmed this, she at first hesitated and then decided she could let me in. There was one other patient in the waiting room and I was placed as far as possible from her, behind a pillar. Needless to say, we were all wearing face masks.

I was eventually attended to and was allowed t leave by the side door, unlocked for me by the same recepionist. I rejoined Tigger at the coffee shop.

Who was “WM”?

We took a bus to Crouch End. This is a district in the London Borough of Harngey. It started in the Middle Ages as a collection of labourers’ cottages and a few richer houses but in the fullness of time expanded into a nodern Metropolitan district within Greater London.

The name is easily explained. “End” often occurs in place names to indicate a settlement that is somewhat remote or out of the way, while “Crouch” derives from the fact that a cross or crucifix once stood at the crossroads where the clocktower stands today. “Crouch”, then, comes from cruche, the Anglo-Norman for “cross” (croix in modern French). Compare this with the “crutched” in “Crutched Friars”, which is explained by the fact that these monks carried a staff with a cross on top.

I photographed the building in the above photo, not for the excruciating pun in the modern sign, but for the date 1850 and the mysterious initials “WM” in the pediment. Who was WM?

General view

This is a general view of what might be called the centre of Crouch End, looking towards the crossroads once occupied by the cross and now the clock tower.

The Clock Tower

If asked what the clock tower celebrates, you might be inclined to suggest Queen Victoria’s jubilee. In many towns, that would be thr right answer but not here. The clock tower was in fact built in 1895 to record the appreciation of the citizens for the and generosity of local benefactor, Henry Reader Williams (1822-97). I hope HM Queen Victoria was suitably amused.

Strking architecture

The streets around the centre resemble one another in being lined with fairly tall terraces of houses boasting a distinctive decoration of red and white. I am guessing that these are later Victorian thiough I stand to be corrected. Most of the ground floor premises have been converted into shops (or were possiby built as shops to start with).

Clock tower with tree

If I need an excuse for posting a second picture of the clock tower, it is that I like all clocks, big and small. What do you think of the design of this one? Some commentators express reservations about its architectural quality. Personally, I think it is quite a handsome piece of work of its kind. I don’t know what Henry Reader Williams thought of it. I hope he liked it.

Reliefs

This building is now a Barclay’s Bank but was obviously buikt for a different purpose. That is obvious from the Art Deco relief sculptures decorating both façades. What was it, though? My guess is that it was an electricity board showroom and offices, though I could of course be wrong.

The King’s Head

My last piece of Crouch Endiana is the King’s Head pub. Built in the mid-19th century it is (to my eyes, at least) a handsome building on which was lavished considerabke care and money. The prominence accorded it by its good corner position no doubt ensured a lucrative career.

We now caught a number 91 bus to King’s Cross and from there a 205 to the Angel clock tower.

Busy world outside

We finished our outing with a visit to Jusaka where we drank our coffee while contemplating a busy world passing outside the windows. As for ourselves, we plan not to be busy for the rest of the day!