In 2011, we interviewed local historian Jack Whitehead, who shared with us his memories of Coldfall Wood when growing up on the Coldfall Estate when it was first built in the 1920s.
Below are some fascinating clips, where he talks about how things used to be.
Jack died in 2014, age 98 but his insightful essays on ‘local’ local history are still available to view online.
Social housing
Jack talks about social housing at the end of the First World War, and the influence of Lloyd George’s Homes for Heroes on the building of the Coldfall Estate.
Farm fields
How Coppets Road was once sited amongst farm fields that were sold off to build houses.
Ancient oak trees
When Jack’s family moved from Stroud Green to Coppett’s Road they had a garden for the first time, and beyond it the ancient oak trees of a much larger Coldfall Wood.
Felling
After living on Coppett’s Road for a few years Jack’s family was shocked when workmen started felling the oak trees behind their house to create more houses.
House building
Jack enjoyed watching the men build the houses by hand, using traditional methods.
Coldfall child
Later, Jack became a teacher. He describes the post-war ‘Coldfall child’ who had benefited from fresh air and home-grown vegetables.
The stream
Jack and his friends made a daily attempts to damn the stream, and spent an enormous amount of time examining insects, and abundant moths and butterflies.
Private wood
Although at the time Coldfall was a private wood, Jack describes how a friend in Durham road had a key to enter the woods.
Meadow
Jack recalls how Muswell Hill Playing Fields was once a meadow, very briefly home to cattle.
Sewage farm
On the outer edges of the meadow lay a no-go area – an open sewage farm, now a site of more housing.
2 replies on “Audio reminiscences”
Absolutely first class social oral history. Thanks.
Brought back many memories. I lived at 35 Coppetts Rd from 1942 opposite Wilton Rd where there was 2 shops on the ground floor of Wilton Court.The woods was our playground,many a happy hour spent there