W7, Frequency Heaven? (Part 3)

No It Wasn't!

Despite possible first impressions (indeed, fbb's first impression, but not his best impressions!), W7 frequency had nothing to do with the closure of the Alexandra Palace branch,

London's Underground took over the LNER line to High Barnet by linking it to the then terminus of the Northern Line at Highgate. This was part of a massive Underground "New Works" programme started pre WW2 but never completed.

The original scheme would have seen the Alexandra Palace line retained and electrified ...

Other parts of the Northern Line plan were also abandoned ...

... despite a significant amount of work having been completed on the Bushey Heath extension.

But Ian Armstrong's London Bus Routes history web site explains that a service 212 ...

... absolutely identical to the W7, was in operation from the start of "London Transport" in 1934.

Ian also tells us that pre 1934 the route was numbered 111. 

It was introduced by the General in April 1914 from Finsbury Park to Muswell Hill.  Due to a weight restriction over the railway bridge on Muswell Hill, the route was operated by single-deckers until 1960, despite becoming one of the busiest routes in London.  Providing a link to Finsbury Park Station for the tube-less residents of Muswell Hill and Crouch End, the route operated every 2½ minutes in 1924; this improved to every 2 minutes in 1931 with the introduction of faster buses and a reduction in the journey time from 19 to 16 minutes. 

The 212 was even more frequent than today's W7!

From 1955 to 1968 part of the Monday to Friday peak hour service ran as "Express" 212s with white on blue blinds.

Express 212s only stopped at the four time points and managed the journey in just 11 minutes. You would doubt whether 11 minutes was possible at peak - even running non-stop - with today's traffic.

Meanwhile, the old train service was only two an hour (not even at fixed interval half hourly) to Muswell Hill and was very slow on its convoluted route compared with the straight line 212 bus.

Stroud Green and Crouch End fared better as they carried the service to High Barnet "at frequent intervals". But you still needed to change at Finsbury Park!

But it is truly "something" to explore a bus route that has operated unchanged except for route number for 108 years ...

... so far!

But 1968 brought the start of dramatic happening, not just to the 212, but to many parts of London's suburban bus networks.

The bosses had a very cunning plan ...

... which we will examine tomorrow.

An Incompetence From fbb

What again? Yes again! In Friday's blog, the old man wrote that ...

... Crouch Hill station was on the North London Line of London Overground. This is, of course, pish, tosh, tush, drivel and utter twaddle. fbb wasn't thinking - or, if he was thinking, he was doing it very badly!

Crouch Hill is on what is now known as the Gospel Oak to Barking line (GOBLIN).

Thanks are proffered to those kind folk who gleefully pointed out the bludner! Herewith a picture of the original Stationmaster's house (upper right) ...

... proposed for conversion into flats.

The original plan for the site was rejected by the council “by reason of its inappropriate design and because it “would fail to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of Stroud Green Conservation Area”.

But Mr McAdam (developer) said his new designs are “smaller and more exact” and “address a number of comments from the planning process, concerning scale, design and mix of residential units”.

There would be two houses within the existing stationmaster’s house – a locally-listed building – and four flats in a new three-storey building to its rear.

Mr McAdam said: “It will provide a good-quality residential environment and is of a scale and design which will not impact on the significance or setting of heritage assets.”

The former booking office, as we saw on Friday last, has already been turned into a caff.

Our space

We’ve renovated the old Crouch Hill ticket office, and transformed it into a welcoming and relaxing space in the heart of the neighbourhood. You’ll find comfy sofas, soft colours and plenty of greenery; an ideal hangout to unwind and recharge. Leaf through our collection of books, sit back and listen to bright jazz over a morning coffee, or relax to chilled out tunes as the night draws closer and the wine is uncorked.

Our food

Our food is not just about sustenance, it’s full of emotion and passion. Our wonderfully talented chef has collected recipes and ingredients from Spain, Italy, Israel, Morocco, France, Portugal, Lebanon and more.

Wot? No sausage egg 'n' chips? Call yourself a caff?

Ahh, how the world has changed. fbb will just have to get used to membrillo, sumac onions (no idea at all) and vegetarian beetroot.

Whoops, silly fbb. moembrillo is better known as quince c heese, so called because it is a jelly. Sumac is a spice, innit?

Yesterday's Puzzle Picture

Slightly odd this? Alan from Northampton rushed to place finger on keyboard to send a very full answer.

Tired of taking her harp to party where nobody asked her to play and having ensured the biggest aspidistra in the world had been watered ...

Dame Gracie Fields (9 January 1898 to 27 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and the highest paid film star in the world in 1937.

She was known affectionately as "Our Gracie" and "The Lancashire Lass" and for never losing her strong, native Lancashire accent.

... has escaped to the seaside to advertise train travel - but by LNER to the North East!

What's tha thinkin of, Are Gracie? What's oop wi' Blackpool, lass?

 Next W7 Heaven blog : Wednesday 9th March