Tottenham Civic Society

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Welcome to our Website

The Tottenham Civic Society was established in April 2006 following mounting public concern about inappropriate redevelopment proposals to the Tottenham High Road Historic Corridor and a desire for something better. We hope that members and visitors to our website will enjoy it as both a source of information and a useful resource for discovering Tottenham.

The Society's aims (as set out in its constitution) are as follows:

a trio of restored shop fronts near Bruce Grove

To promote high standards of planning and architecture in Tottenham;
To educate the public in the geography, history, natural history and architecture of Tottenham;
To secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic, environmental or public interest in Tottenham;
To work to improve the quality of life for everyone in Tottenham; and
To encourage the appropriate and sustainable regeneration of Tottenham.

The photograph to the right of restored shop fronts on Tottenham High Road shows what can be done if the will is there.

We have been greatly encouraged in our efforts by the revised application by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) to redevelop its stadium at White Hart Lane. The original application had proposed to completely demolish an important group of 18th and 19th century buildings along the High Road -- some of them locally listed and two of them Grade II nationally listed -- to facilitate the creation of a new entrance at the southwest corner of the site; however, following representations from ourselves and a wide range of other organisations -- including SAVE Britain's Heritage, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, English Heritage and the Victorian Society -- THFC announced that it would amend its plans to move the stadium entrance north to face directly onto the High Road and thus ensure the preservation of some of these buildings.

However, barely had work begun to clear away the twentieth century's accumulated detritus before Tottenham was hit by a wave of arson and looting on the night of 6-7 August 2011, which among other things damaged the former gas showroom at 639 High Road, destroyed the art deco Carpetright building opposite, and burned out a number of other properties which subsequently had to be demolished, including a Georgian terrace and an Aldi supermarket. The council, the affected buildings' owners, Tottenham's traders, and people generally are committed to the regeneration and rebuilding of the High Road, but the longer term damage the rioting will have down to Tottenham's prospects and reputation can only be guessed at.

Some of the High Road buildings under threat

An impression by SAVE of the historic buildings on the High Road, showing how they could be preserved and restored.