Events

In the week when we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Luke Howard (1772-1864), the Namer of Clouds who lived and died in Tottenham. His life and work is commemorated by Tottenham's only English Heritage Blue Plaque on 7 Bruce Grove N17.

Join Carol Hebbs of Tottenham Heritage Walks on this 2 hour tour around Tottenham, looking at the places associated with his life, his work and his wonderful legacy.

Meet at 10.15am-10.30am outside the main entrance of Bruce Castle Museum, under the clock tower.

Meet: Main entrance (under the clocktower), Bruce Castle Museum, Lordship Lane, London, N17 8NU

Tottenham Heritage Walks with Bruce Castle Museum and Archive bring you a free and fascinating Jewish History

Take a walk with tour guide Avril Nanton and explore the history of this well-known road in Stroud Green. With Avril you will discover more about pioneering trailblazer John La Rose and the George Padmore Institute, the New Beacon Bookshop, Black supplementary schools, protests by Haringey anti-apartheid group as well as local Black-led businesses. Avril will share stories about those who lived, worked or brought communities together in this street, making important contributions to the area and to Black British history in general.

Come along and hear from tour guide Avril Nanton on this free walking tour in and around the area of Bruce Castle taking in over 400 years of Tottenham’s Black history. Starting off at Bruce Castle itself, this historical tour will take in original objects and art on display in the Museum, and then guide you around Bruce Castle Park, and nearby Lancasterian Primary School, All Hallows’ Church & Graveyard, before ending at Tottenham Cemetery.

The story of the ghost of Bruce Castle is shrouded in both history and mystery. What we know for certain is that Lord Henry Hare and his wife Constantia lived at Bruce Castle in the late 17th century. What happened next is a fusion of historical fact and legend.

It is said that on November 3rd every year it’s possible to see her ghost haunting the Castle. Come on this fact finding walk to find out the truth behind the legend!

Meet: Main entrance to Bruce Castle Museum & Archive, under the clocktower, 11am. 

Please wear suitable footwear for walking.

Tottenham Heritage Walks with Bruce Castle Museum and Archive bring you a free and fascinating Jewish History Walking tour around Tottenham.

Tottenham Heritage Walks with Bruce Castle Museum & Archive bring you a free and fascinating Jewish History Walking tour around Tottenham.

Free, booking required.

Free, booking required.

400 years of LGBTQ+ Heritage in Tottenham.

Let our guide Carol Hebbs of Tottenham Heritage Walks lead you on a guided walking tour through 400 years of hidden histories starting from Bruce Castle Museum & Archive in the north through to Tottenham Green. Walking along and near Tottenham High Road, explore with Carol buildings and places that uncover overlooked voices and reveal fascinating new research from Bruce Castle Museum & Archive and inspiring stories of Haringey's LGBTQ+ heritage from the past four centuries.

Meet: Costa Coffee, 3-7 West Green Rd, South Tottenham, London N15 5BX

The tour takes in the main High Road area looking at the infamous police station, the murals, the old clubs such as Shady Grove, and Body Music, one of the first black music shops in the area.

In 1554 when King Philip of Spain arrived in England to marry Queen Mary, he brought with him his Blackamoore servants. When he left England many years later, his servants remained and built a life for themselves in Tottenham. 

Come and hear their story.

The walk will last approximately 2 hours. 

Meet: Costa Coffee, 3-7 West Green Rd, South Tottenham, London N15 5BX

During the 1960s the name Dyke and Dryden was unknown. By the 1970s they were one of the most famous names in the Tottenham area, opening a variety of shops, hairdressers and supplying Black women with the essential hair products that they needed.

This is just one of the many stories that West Green Road has to tell.

Free, all welcome. Booking essential.

Meet: Outside The Everyman Cinema, Fortis Green Rd, Muswell Hill, London N10 3HS

From suffragettes to the feminist punk band The Slits, Muswell Hill has some remarkable women to discover. First settled as part of a medieval shrine to Mary, mother of Jesus, more secular inhabitants include an influential 20th century designer Peggy Angus and pioneering Egyptologist Myrtle Broome. Just join your guide Oonagh Gay on this 90-minute circular tour and learn more on this free walk about women from Muswell Hill. 

Come along on a walk with curator Deborah Hedgecock on International Museums Day as she explores around the Bruce Castle Museum area – from Church Lane and Prospect Place to Birkbeck Road and Bruce Castle Road. Drawing on the collections and stories from the archives and collections at Bruce Castle, you can discover more about the lives of those who resided or worked here, and who tested and pushed boundaries to achieve the remarkable and the unexpected.

Meet: Under the clocktower at Bruce Castle at 10.15am for 10.30am start

Ends: Warmington House, Tottenham High Road

Sunday 26 May, 10.30am

Take a walk with Carol Hebbs of Tottenham Heritage Walks as she guides you up Tottenham High Road recalling the sights and sounds of music from our youth. Across the generations, the High Road has seen music venues that were the place to be and hear your favourite stars of the day. Which record shop did you frequent and flick through the vinyl? What stories do you have? Share, listen and explore the musical parade along the High Road through the ages.

Free

Dress for the weather and wear appropriate shoes for walking.

Meet: Outside Costa Coffee, 261 Tottenham High Road, N15 4RR

Free, all welcome. Booking required.

Location: Starting from Orange Cafe, N8 0PR

Discover more about Turnpike Lane and South Asian Heritage with Deborah Hedgecock (Curator of Bruce Castle Museum). This will be a guided walk with Deborah in and around Turnpike Lane, looking at places, personal stories and events as we explore our local South Asian Heritage and community history.

Free, all welcome.

Join guide Oona Kelly as she takes you on a walk along the beautiful River Lea, from Tottenham Hale down to Springfield Park (Hackney) and back up to the Ferry Boat Inn. Along the way you will discover the remarkable history of the River Lea and the vital role it played in the development of Tottenham, its industries, transport and the people who lived there.

Starts: Outside Tottenham Hale Station, N17 9LR. Meet at 10.15am for a 10.30am start.

Ends: Ferry Boat Inn, N17 9NG

Free, all welcome. Booking required.

Join Val Crosby for a guided tour exploring some of Tottenham's hidden heritage.

On this walk you will visit part of Tottenham Cemetery to look at the historic site of the mansion of Tottenham Park, sometimes called the Moated House, and the charming and unusual Montague Cottage. Learn about the residents, the buildings and what stood there long before the mansion was built.

Please book your free ticket for this walking tour via Ticket Tailor.

Free, all welcome. Booking required.

Starts: Abney Park main entrance, Stoke Newington High Street. Meet at 10.15am for a 10.30am start.

Established in 1840, the historic Abney Park Cemetery is known for its beautiful woodland, wildlife and its role as resting place for important activists and pioneers. Perhaps less well known, however, is that a surprising number of those buried in this garden cemetery were from Tottenham. Non-conformists, dissenters and radicals from Tottenham found their resting place here, as it was not attached to an established church.

Free, all welcome. Booking required.

Meet: 10.15am outside the African Caribbean Leadership Company (former West Indian Cultural Centre), N8 0DD for a 10.30am start. Next to bus stop E, Wightman Road.