Crouch Hill: Independent cafes and shops and great outdoor facilities

Crouch Hill (Image: Archant)

Local Authority

Crouch Hill is in the London Borough of Islington and has the N4 postcode. It is in the Islington North parliamentary constituency. The total Council Tax bill that the smallest properties in Band A would expect to pay is £850.67. Properties in the average Band D should receive a bill of £1,276.01. The most expensive homes in Band H pay £2,552.02.

Property

Homes in Crouch Hill are predominantly Victorian terraces, often converted into flats. There are also several housing estates in the area built between the 1940s and 1970s. The average price for a two-bedroom flat in Crouch Hill is £412,000, while the typical asking price for a terraced house is currently £819,684.

Education

Coleridge Primary School and St Gilda’s RC Junior School are both mixed gender schools with a high proportion of minority ethnic pupils. Both have outstanding Ofsted ratings. Early years care is available at Crouch Hill Day Nursery & Pre-School, which is rated good by Ofsted. For secondary education, Islington Arts and Media School is a foundation school rated good.

Crouch Hill overground station (Image: Archant)

Transport

Crouch Hill Overground station is the area’s main transport connection. Located on the gloriously named Goblin line, linking Gospel Oak and Barking, the station will be closed for eight months from June 2016 for electrification of the line. Finsbury Park on the Victoria and Piccadilly lines and Archway on the Northern line are both a 15-minute walk or short bus ride away, while the 210, W3 and W7 buses connect the area to other parts of north London.

Landmarks and history

The road Crouch Hill is a continuation of Stroud Green Road, which marks the boundary between the boroughs of Islington and Haringey. In the second half of the 19th century, substantial new housing was built in the area, with the good rail links making it a popular spot for early commuters. Hornsey suffered significant bomb damage during the Second World War with over 80 per cent of houses affected. Consequently there are many council estates in the area dating from as far back as the 1940s.

Shopping and culture

Interiors shop The Concept sells restored and upcycled furniture, specialist Mylands Paints and home accessories and design gifts. They also offer an interior design consultancy. Potter Romilly Graham’s studio is based in Crouch Hill. She creates her own work here and also teaches ceramics courses and offers private tuition.

The Concept (Image: Archant)

Organic Food (Image: Archant)

Organic Food on Stroud Green Road does what it says on the tin, with a tempting display of polished fruit and vegetables piled on shelves. The Italian Farmers is a deli on a mission to provide high quality, authentic and often esoteric, fair trade or organic Italian products, direct from the producer.

Eating and drinking

The area is popular for pubs and The Hopsmiths on Crouch Hill is the newest introduction to the scene. They have 20 taps offering small batch craft beers with an evening menu.

The Hopsmiths (Image: Archant)

At the junction of Crouch Hill and Stroud Green Road, The Old Dairy pub, housed in a pretty 19th-century dairy building, is a local landmark. Max’s sandwich shop offers a limited menu of – surprise, surprise – sandwiches. These are of the gourmet, sloppy, sophisticated fast food variety, retailing for around £7. Next door Rodrigo’s Coffee House is a 2015 opening popular for coffee and cake.

Max's Sandwich Shop (Image: Archant)

Jai Krishna is a vegetarian Indian restaurant with tasty dishes at rock bottom prices, as well as a BYO policy. Meanwhile Seasons has been touted as the best neighbourhood restaurant in London, for its locally sourced fare.

Sports and leisure

The Parkland Walk, a green way following the path of an old railway line running between Finsbury Park and Muswell Hill, crosses Crouch Hill just north of the Overground station.

Parkland Walk (Image: Archant)

Good for kids

Wray Crescent has a playground, grass cricket pitch and ball court with football goals and basketball hoops.

The Cape Youth Centre (Image: Archant)

Wray Crescent (Image: Archant)

The Cape Youth Project and Café is a new council-run venture in a disused railway station near the Parkland Walk. An adventure playground built from natural materials is overlooked by the café, while rooftop growing beds grow organic vegetables.