London

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Finsbury Park

Finsbury Park, N4
Finsbury Park is an 112-acre oasis in the middle of a hectic patch of north London, with the buzzing traffic of Seven Sisters Road on one side and the chatter of Green Lanes on the other. It’s a prime example of what a London park should be: a place that’s used by all slices of the surrounding community, from the surly hoodies with trousers around their thighs walking soft-as-anything dogs to the middle-class couples from gentrified Stroud Green Road trailing space-age pushchairs, and from the ageing Rastas enjoying a smoke by the southern gates to hardcore joggers puffing through laps. It’s a true people’s park.

Getting in 6/10
There’s a road running around the park that cyclists can use (cars are only allowed into the north-west section, where there’s pay-and-display parking). At the southern end there’s a modern bike park, with automated lockable cycle racks and 24-hour access if you use the smartcard system (www.tfl.gov.uk/cycles). There’s also a cycling club (www.finsburyparkcc.org). All entrances are wheelchair accessible. The revamped Finsbury Park tube is round the corner.
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History 9/10
The park was originally a wood in the Manor of Brownswood, but London’s rapid expansion in the nineteenth century saw the trees hacked further and further back. In 1841 the people of Finsbury (actually down in the City) petitioned to have the area turned into a park that would benefit the poor. The park proper eventually opened in 1869.

What began as a gift to the lower classes was fully embraced in the early twentieth century; Finsbury Park has a long tradition of radicalism and working-class agitation. It was a gathering point for pacifist rallies in World War I (by contrast, in WWII, it was used as a place to assemble heavy armour).

By the ’80s, lack of investment had left the park more than a little shabby, but it was rescued by money from the Heritage Lottery Fund in the ’90s – in total £4.9 million was invested, with the work completed in 2006, and the park won the Green Flag Award for excellence in 2007.

Not that the edginess disappeared in the revamp – although in recent times it has more often been expressed through music. Artists from Bob Dylan to CSS have graced makeshift stages at the park’s southern edge, and some of the performances have been legendary. When Madness played in 1992, the crowd literally caused a mini-earthquake. And at the same gig, Morrissey infamously draped himself in the Union Jack during ‘National Front Disco’.

Park life 7/10
There’s a lovely café in the middle of the park (with toilets), and a children’s playground next to that. The boating lake has ducks and swans in it. There’s a running track, tennis courts and areas for ball games, plus a small skatepark.

Fun stuff 9/10
Befitting its status as a community park, Finsbury Park hosts a hugely diverse range of activities. The London Blitz American Football Club (www.londonblitz.com) trains near the running track; there’s a bowling green; the Alpha dog club runs training sessions on Sunday mornings; British Military Fitness (www.britmilfit.com) puts bib-clad volunteers through their paces on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; then there’s the music events throughout the year, and the occasional funfair.

Landmarks 5/10
The Victorian flower garden was designed by Alexander McKenzie, the landscaper who drew up the plans for the park; it has 30 formal beds. The American Gardens were also landscaped by McKenzie, who planted the rhododendrons and azaleas – popular Victorian imports from across the Atlantic. Finsbury Park is also a great place to walk from: follow the abandoned railway line that’s now the Parkland Walk Nature Reserve to Highgate. Alan Rutter

Total: 36/50

Finsbury Park, Seven Sisters Rd/Green Lanes/Endymion Rd, N4 (020 8489 5662/www.haringey.gov.uk) Finsbury Park/Manor House tube. Open 24 hours.

Clissold | Springfield | Battersea | Ravenscourt | Gladstone | Brockwell Finsbury | Victoria