Muswell Hill Journal 24 |

The Muswell Hill Experience: The Sights and Sounds of the London Suburb

25 Aug 2018

Muswell Hill’s origins are already reason enough to visit the area. With ties to both the Roman era as well...

Steampunk Victorian and Vintage Sunglasses – next level style

23 Aug 2018

Steampunk style has grown to include these influences, combined with more sophisticated industrial elements steampunk shades are never completed without...

What’s in a Name: London’s Hills and the Origin of their Names

31 Jul 2018

The hills surrounding London are a boon for the area. Considering there are already plenty of places to see and...

Muswell Hill and Highgate: The Top Locations You Should Visit

26 Jun 2018

Muswell Hill is one of the most blessed locations in the UK, if only because of its location. The place...

The Muswell Hill Experience: The Sights and Sounds of the London Suburb

August 25, 2018 12:11 pm | By Luke Wilson

Muswell Hill’s origins are already reason enough to visit the area. With ties to both the Roman era as well as the Victorian era, there is plenty here to keep students of history occupied. However, visitors can also take a look at the more recent developments in the town, when it was finally reached by development despite its reputation as a very muddy area not suitable for roads.

Make like a local and take a walk through this historic town. Here’s a few places you can visit when you take a trip like you’re a local.

Chriskitch Café

Becky Beach

Muswell Hill hides a tasty little secret within the town boundaries. Perhaps you’ve taken a sip or two under its cozy shades. Meet Chriskitch, a trendy café that produces nice and tasty treats like salads and homemade cakes that are like no other. Whether you have a brunch meeting or are just looking for somewhere to relax over a nice cup of tea, this is the place!

Planet Organic

TripAdvisor

Cutting down on carbs? One of the best things you can do is to go vegan and if you’re in Muswell Hill, the top vegan shop here is Planet Organic. Are you looking for vegan barbecue? Vegan casserole, or any other type of vegan dish? Well, stop by the shop and they’ll probably have it in stock. They also stock health products as well as baby oil—all au natural, of course!

Woodside Square

On the site known today as Woodside Square was a former hospital. That’s a historical connection that this development—a project by Hanover Housing Association—has. A few of the flats have even been converted from the hospital itself. Perhaps, because of its historical significance, the flats have been selling out fast and only a few of them remain.

Cheeses

xtraverts entertainment & discount club

Where else can you get your food fix and music as well? Cheeses are a shop for those who love this dairy product. They’ve got all kinds of cheese, perfect for all occasions. From the regular to the rare, they stock up on choices for people of all tastes. If you’re a foodie, you certainly don’t want to miss coming to this shop.

Alexandra Park Road

Wikimedia Commons

This road is, perhaps, one of the most glamorous in this town. A who’s who of the rich and famous—George Clooney, Matt Damon, Perter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker—are all connected in one way or another to this place. The Art Deco Everyman cinema as well as Crouch End is in close proximity to this place. You won’t go wrong without paying a visit to this street.

That’s all you need to know about this place and the locations here! Muswell Hill—as well as neighboring Highgate—are good places for any students of history to live in.

Steampunk Victorian and Vintage Sunglasses – next level style

August 23, 2018 2:59 pm | By craig

Steampunk style has grown to include these influences, combined with more sophisticated industrial elements steampunk shades are never completed without the traditional associates that accompany them. So, consider pirate style glasses, ethnic headpins and much more for even jazzing appearance. In the end, it’s all about creativity that complies with the basic principles of Steampunk design.

Elaborate Classy Jackets The most striking feature will be to combine the clothes of the steampunk by putting elegant jackets, the pattern mostly in shades of black and brown. The jackets are often complemented by metal parts and buttons decorated with chrome and copper.

Skirts and full skirts: The nineteenth century did not see the appearance of a thin skirt. Therefore, the silhouettes and dresses were full, saturated, feminine and most intense. So, if you are a plus size for steampunk clothes it can be for you to do this since you no longer have to fit a pencil skirt.

Corsets: If you want to go for a steampunk to get hired in narrow corsets, which ensure that the ideal figure for Victorian sand will be mandatory. Corsets with different shapes and styles are available for you to choose from. The retrograde shape can do a lot of good for your shape and makes the coat and steampunk skirt much more attractive.

Leather shoes and striped socks: The shoes can include retro sandals with striped socks for this veteran of old world charm. However, the best escort to the steampunk band will be a pair of classic leather taxis with the highest heels. However, if you’re uncomfortable moving to them, you can also consider more streamlined versions for your convenience. Think of choice based on personal preferences, to be able to wear clothes in a real style. Check out more steampunk sunglasses here.

Exquisite head cover: The Steampunk style is never completed without the use of a suitable head unit. Look at the feathers, veils, crystals and exquisite adornments like appropriate accompaniments. You can also use different types and styles of hats as suitable head unit and accessories as much as possible.

Gloves: gloves must be with steampunk clothes. You can choose lace oxides corset with bracelets to borrow the outfit, which deals with old femininity. You can also choose classic fully coated gloves or bare fingers

What’s in a Name: London’s Hills and the Origin of their Names

July 31, 2018 12:10 pm | By Luke Wilson

The hills surrounding London are a boon for the area. Considering there are already plenty of places to see and visit in London, you can also take a trip to the surrounding areas and explore them—they were also part of history, a reason why their names bear significance. Be it because of famous people or events that happened there, these hills are a sight to behold.

Whatever your reason may be—as a student of history or as a citizen of the world—you can visit these places and take in their significance to the world. Here are some places that bears famous names in London.

Muswell Hill/a miraculous well

The area of Muswell Hill is, by far, the most interesting feature here. Legend has it that a well with healing properties lent its name to the hill. People from nuns and priests to Scotland’s Malcolm IV are said to have been healed by the waters. A simpler explanation cites moss as the reason for its name.

Ludgate Hill/a gate

Wikimedia Commons

St. Paul’s Cathedral marks the site near this ancient entryway to the city. The Ludgate is so named for an ancient structure once found near the city—a western gate. It was also located where the present-day St. Martin’s church now stands. It can also be said that it derives the name from the Saxon ‘hlid-geat,’ a term for a gateway.

Gants Hill/after a family, insect

Ilford Recorder

There are two things that fuel the dispute for naming Gants Hill. Some say that it was so named because of the family that once lived here—the Leo Gant family. They were stewards; others, however, believe that the hill was so named for its association with gnats.

Highgate Hill/a gate

Highgate Hill

Another gate into the city was once located where Highgate Hill now stands. This place may be a great place to visit now, but once, it was part of an access route into the Bishop of London’s hunting grounds. On this spot, the best deer could be caught and it was where kings and princes once hunted game.

Denmark Hill/a king

Hidden London

Denmark Hill is, obviously, seemingly named after a country. More specifically, it is named for the king of Denmark, George, who was the husband of Queen Anne. Their properties once stood in the area. In close proximity is Dog Kennel Hill, where his prized dogs were once found.

Cornhill/Corn

Buildington

East of the River Walbrook, a now-buried water channel, lies Cornhill. This place in London is famous because it is the current location of the Royal Exchange. Can you take a guess why it was called Cornhill? It was so named because of the medieval corn trade that was once found here.

If you haven’t known already, then by now, you know that you’re living in an area that’s really old—a part of history. Now how’s that for living in an area with a rich background?

Muswell Hill and Highgate: The Top Locations You Should Visit

June 26, 2018 12:09 pm | By Luke Wilson

Muswell Hill is one of the most blessed locations in the UK, if only because of its location. The place affords a wide selection of places to visit as well as activities that you can do in it. Neighboring Highgate is accessible as well and the sights and sounds you have your occasional famous people here. The bands The Kinks and Madness also had these places as their stomping grounds back in the day.

However, that’s not all that Highgate and Muswell Hill are known for. Here are the other places that is famous and definitely places you should visit.

See where it all began—TV’s ‘birthplace’

Excel English, London

Alexandra Palace, fondly called ‘Ally Pally,’ has a bigger place in history than previously thought. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1873 and it has served since then as the home of the BBC in the early days. In 1935, BBC started broadcasting from here. It was also where an episode of the long-running ‘Dr. Who’ series was shot, where David Tennant plays the titular character.

Taste the difference—Crocodile ‘tea’

crocodile-jan12-001-Small

Fancy a spot of tea, perhaps? The Crocodile Antiques boutique is a well-loved spot. It can be found on Muswell Hill Broadway and it’s hard to miss—the crocodile head looming overhead to greet visitors is a dead giveaway. Whether you’re looking to meet someone for a cup of tea or have the hankering for sweets, this is the place to be.

Read a book—Muswell’s bookshops

Yale Books Blog

The first visit to a bookstore is a memorable experience for self-confessed bookworms. You’ll have plenty of choices when you go to Muswell Hill, but the standouts from the rest of the books are the Muswell Hill Bookshop, where you can check out contemporary classics, and the Children’s Bookshop, a fixture since 1974 and has hosted authors such as Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo, and Julia Donaldson.

A cool experience—Ally Pally’s Ice

Alexandra Palace

It’s the biggest and the best among the ice rinks in London. The Alexandra Palace Ice Rink is a great reason to be near Highgate and Muswell Hill for the Christmas season. The best thing about it, however, is that you can feel Christmas in July just by visiting. It is a perfect place for the family with the soft play area reserved for your tots and kids up to five years old.

A peaceful sojourn—the Victorian cemetery

Wikipedia

If you’re passing by Highgate village, you have the chance to visit the local cemetery near Swain’s Lane. It can be romantic or a peaceful reminder of how short life is, depending on how you look at it. It’s got a certain charm as well, with many of the gravestones dating back to a time when some of those buried weren’t even born. This is part of the reason why you can only visit it through a guided tour.

Trailblazers: Creating Paths toward a Successful Business

June 11, 2018 12:08 pm | By Luke Wilson

Let’s say that you’ve set up a business after years and years of deliberation. Once you’ve managed to create your business, how do you make sure it’s going to be a success?

Starting a business can be simple, but keeping your business in top shape isn’t that easy. Aside from the competitors, there are a lot of factors that could happen; you could run out of capital or you can also make decisions that are worse than they are good. However, you shouldn’t worry too much about these.

Here are a few tips to help you turn your business into a year-spanning enterprise.

|A clear goal

When you started your business, you have a basic idea which you set at the core of your business. It is important that you don’t lose sight of this—this will help you in your goal of establishing the identity of your business. Creating a logo as well as giving your business its unique name will help toward setting your business apart from any competitors in its niche.

|A strong foundation

You can name your business any name you want, but it has to be founded on very strong ideals; you have to sort out your business’ foundation. One of the ways you can do this is to establish your brand and turn it into something stronger. It can start from something as simple as creating business cards containing your logo or making a website that further explains what your business is all about.

|Create a line of approval

When your business is just starting out, it’s okay to be on top of everything. From the decision on the name to the procurement of supplies, you can easily monitor everything and your people can still ask for your approval. Once it reaches a certain size, however, you have to start creating a system or process of approval. This means you’ll have to establish a line where people will approve decisions on your behalf.

|Ensure the quality of your product

Whether you’re handling a product or delivering a service, your business will make or break itself by the quality of the service or product you’re selling. If you have a good product, people will flock to you; which is why it’s important to have a certain quality especially when you’re still starting out. To do this requires a good quality analyst or analysts that looks out for the standard of service or product you’re delivering.

|Be unique

From the name of your business up to the service or product you’re selling, you must be unique. It’s easy to think of a unique name but it’s fairly hard to deliver a product that’ll carry your brand through its service. This will be possible through good quality analyses as well as service completion. If you have a clear idea, you won’t have a problem delivering a product or service that’s truly yours.

Simple Steps to Success: Setting up your Business made Simple

May 27, 2018 12:07 pm | By Luke Wilson

Have you ever thought about getting your own startup?

Setting up a startup business is not as simple as you might think, but it isn’t as complicated, either. You just need to have a clear vision of what you want to do—if you want to create a food business, go for it! It all takes a clear, unrestricted idea to make your business work. All the other things—registering it, making things legal—are things you should study up, however.

Making that leap from the 9-to-5 to becoming your own boss isn’t complicated. Here are some steps on how you can turn that dream into a reality.

1|Starting out in the biz

There are certain caveats to beginning a business; you’ll have to get used to doing everything from the start and having a lot more on your plate than usual. You can choose to do your business through online or through brick-and-mortar shops. However, you’re still going to have to get it registered with the local authorities to observe legalities.

2|Picking out a good business name

When you start a business, you have to set it apart from the rest. Aside from having good merchandise or services that make you unique, picking a good name will make you stand out from your competitors. You can search on Google for business names that are already taken or are similar to your idea. You can also take ideas from those names, if you haven’t picked one already.

3|Set up your savings

It is important for every business to have a source of income or somewhere they can keep their earnings. Next to a business name, you should have a bank account ready. Remember to check your savings into a trusted bank; afterwards, you should set everything up so that you don’t have any problems with your accounts. For some businesses, your salaries and payment for supplies are sourced from your savings too.

4|Get your business safety-guaranteed

When you have your accounts and business name set up, you should sort out your business’ safety papers and certifications. To complete these, you or someone working in your behalf will mostly have to get in touch with the local authorities as well as the government bodies governing your business. These can be time-consuming, so it’s best to do it as soon as you’re able to.

5|Completing your business

Whether it’s a service or a product you’re offering, you need to have your place of business sorted out. This means that—from the start—you need to explain well on why you’re operating your business out of a certain place or why you’re offering that service out of your home or office. Once you’ve completed this, you’re all set to go out into the world and introduce to it your service or product.

The Muswell Hill Experience: Muswell Hill through the Ages

May 27, 2018 12:05 pm | By Luke Wilson

Muswell Hill has always been pleasantly rural, but it was only until the later part of the 19^th century. Its geographical features—the clay-like soil, the wooded area, and the hilly appearance—have been a major factor in why roads and other paths to progress have been hard to expand in this area. There simply are too many obstacles to ensure the steady development of roads and routes.

Take a look at Muswell Hill through the ages—from the Roman era to the modern age, it just simply refused to become a part of any colony without putting up a fight.

The Romans

It was the Romans who first established a presence in Muswell Hill. Evidence has been dug up; pieces of Roman pottery that were found in a kiln had been excavated as well as 694 pieces of coins. These were discovered in 1928 in Cranley Gardens, where a Roman pot was also unearthed.

How Muswell got its name

The name ‘Muswell’ had its origins when, allegedly, a ‘mossy well’ was found on the settlement. This well wasn’t of particular importance because it lent its name to Muswell; it was important because it was said to have healing properties. This was why the Augustinian Priory of St. Mary, Clerkenwell was built on the site.

A muddy hill

The Romans weren’t able to create anything worthwhile on the site while the most developed structure on the site was a priory. This was thanks to its geographic nature; the problem was that it was too muddy to become anything significant. It was also a poor site to create roads as it just became bogged down in mud.

Finally, a significant development

During Medieval times to the rule of the Tudors, a settlement was finally created here. It turned out to be a very pleasant place in the rural countryside; popular with merchants as well as professionals working in medieval London. Even the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Julius Caesar, lived in a manor here.

A great countryside

It was in the 19^th century, when Londoners and UK citizens living in the area finally recognized the area’s worth—as a countryside retreat. While London experienced a boom, Muswell Hill experienced development as a place where these London professionals can kick back and relax.

Timely developments

Prickett & Ellis

Muswell Hill ceased to become a pure rural countryside when the developments started rolling in. It was converted because of brick-and-mortar establishments; estates like The Elms, The Limes, and Fortis House soon sprung up and it became a popular place for people.

Today, Muswell Hill has become a populated suburb—one that reaps benefits from its closeness with its surrounding neighbors. History, however, has long ordained the place to be an area of significance, as you can see.

Famous in Muswell Hill: Knowing the Area and its People

May 12, 2018 12:06 pm | By Luke Wilson

The hills of the Muswell area—otherwise known as Muswell Hill—isn’t called such because of nothing. The area has proved to be a challenge to developers who want to urbanize the area; at best, they’ve only been able to make it suburban. However, that doesn’t mean that people don’t see the beauty and quaint peacefulness of living in an area such as Muswell Hill.

Over the years, famous people—celebrities or otherwise—have been living in the area. Here are some famous people who have, in one way or another, called the area ‘home.’

Robert Plant

Ultimate Classic Rock

Muswell Hill might as well be called ‘Music Hill’ if only because of some of its illustrious residents. Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant was recently seen here; DJ Judge Jools and Steve McFadden, meanwhile, are both found on a street that they call home. Lesley Garret, a classical singer, as well as BBC’s Robert Peston is also seen in the neighborhood.

Todd Carty, Tony Hadley, and others

Celebrity8x10s.com

Todd Carty and Tony Hadley are just two of a lot of famous people who have found Muswell Hill to their liking. These people include Maureen Lipman, Jimmu Harkin, Rowland Rivron, Sophie Thompson, and Johnny Borrell all make their home here. Olly Craft of the O.B.E also found Muswell Hill a lot to his liking, perhaps because of the environment.

Steve McFadden

Metro

McFadden, filling in for the role of Phil Mitchel, is a bonafide resident of Muswell Hill. In his time in the region, he’s made a mark in the neighborhood; he’s asked for help looking for his cat and, when neighbors managed to find it, he came right around to pick the critter up.

Richard Littlejohn

Gay Star News

The journalist is known among people as the ‘Nation’s Most Bitter Man.’ Not a very good moniker to have, by most standards, but any publicity is good publicity. His truly help the region, no problem. It is speculated that he is a frequent visitor of the Maid of Muswell pub as it is a regular visitor in his columns. Perhaps, it is during his time here—drinking and musing, no doubt—that he sees the problem of liberals as well as Guardians readers having too much time to hang out.

Rod Stewart

Croatia Week

To be clear, it is not the singer who lives here; rather, it’s his mum, or his parents. Along with the singer’s parents, Fairground Attraction, the Eastenders’ ‘Lofty,’ Paul Weller, and Maureen Lipman are all residents here. Not to mention Dennis Nilsson, who made the news when his house was reportedly he site of a grisly discovery—humans skulls were found in the garden.

Have you ever wanted to rub elbows with a who’s who in the UK celebrity scene? Try living in Muswell Hill and its surrounding areas. It will become a normal, everyday thing for you.