Did you know that...
Finsbury Park Manor House was part of Woodberry Down and it was included in the Stoke Newington Manor. In the 17th century, the name of the area was Berrie Down Wood. It was also called Wood Berry Downs Meadow. In 1821, housing development on Green Lanes began. The first house in Finsbury Park Manor House was built on the intersection with the Woodberry Down Road. The three-storeyed building further north on Green Lanes used to be a private mental hospital. The first wife of T.S. Eliot (an American poet) was its most famous patient who died in the hospital in 1947.
Notable Finsbury Park Manor House buildings include an 1825 thatched cottage with Gothic windows and the 1829 Woodberry Down Cottages. Finsbury Park Villas were built in 1860. However, the most notable building is the tavern that gave the name to this N4 area. Manor House was constructed in 1830 on the site of a cottage. It was built by Thomas Widdows from nearby North London area Stoke Newington. The house was near the Green Lanes and Seven Sisters Road junction. Widdows saw a great business opportunity and established a tavern. Robert Baily was the first landlord of the tavern. An 1834 advertisement mentions public dinners, private parties, lock-up coach-houses, large garden, bowling green, and good stabling.
The Finsbury Park Manor House tavern is connected to many famous people. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made a stop here in 1843. The owner of Daily Express and Daily Star businessman Richard Desmond worked at the tavern. The place was a popular music venue who hosted performances from Cream, Rod Stewart, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fleetwood Mac, Zoot Money, The Spencer Davis Group, and Jeff Beck. The ground floor now houses a supermarket and a cafe. Finsbury Park Manor House tube station was named after the nearby Manor House Tavern. Nicholl House featured in the Schindler’s List movie.