A bit of history..

In 1832, Seven Sisters road was completed. At this time the land was still in agricultural use. In the 1860s, some very large houses were built and the area was occupied by wealthy people. By 1930, some of the houses had been converted into flats, a process that continued after the opening of the underground railway station. Most of the land in the Woodberry Down area was owned by the Commissioners of the Church of England.

Nineteen thirty four, the Labour Party won control of the London County Council for the first time. The new leader of the Council, Herbert Morrison, immediately wanted to develop new housing in the area. He commenced purchasing the site from the Church Commissioners, a process that was not completed until 1946.

Local residents did not welcome Herbert's Morrison's plans to develop the area. The local newspaper reported that 'mansion owners are being driven out'. The scheme also included a shopping centre, schools and a library.

Work on the site started in August 1946. The eight-storey blocks were build first, Needwood and Nicholl and then Ashdale and Burtonwood. These blocks included lifts, an innovation for the time. The shortage of building materials at this time required a great deal of improvisation and recycling of material.
The school was started in 1949, at which time 360 dwellings were complete and 1200 more dwellings were in progress. By then, some of you were already there to tell the rest of the story…