Haringey’s ‘Forgotten’ River No Longer A Secret!
– Park users produce new pamphlet and organise successful walk to celebrate Haringey’s ‘forgotten’ River Moselle and its new open section in Lordship Rec
– 80 attend residents Walk on Sunday 24th June
To celebrate the launch of the new River Moselle guide and the restoration of the river in Lordship Rec, 80 residents took part in a 6 mile walk on Sunday 24th June along the route of Haringey’s ‘forgotten’ and mostly underground river. The walk was organised by the Haringey Friends of Parks Forum. It started from Queen’s Wood, Highgate at 10.30am (where particpants were able to view one of the Moselle tributaries which starts off as a trickle) and ended at Markfield Park by the River Lea at 4pm. On the way it stopped at many key points to hear about some of the history of the river, its features and its surroundings.
At the half-way point in Lordship Recreation Ground in Tottenham participants were able to stand on one of the 3 new bridges currently being installed in the park across the restored river channel. They were able to hear about and view the exciting changes underway there, including the restoration of the River Moselle through a new and stunningly-beautiful open river channel.
Joan Curtis, the Secretary of the Haringey Friends of Parks Forum (who also designed the Moselle Guide) said:
” Its very exciting to see the Moselle at last getting the recognition it deserves as Haringey’s forgotten river. We have produced our special walk guide to celebrate the restoration of the river in Lordship Rec, and so that residents will be aware of the river’s history and its role as an important local watercourse.’”
Haringey Friends of Parks Forum has just written, designed and published a walk Guide to the Moselle River. 5,000 copies of the beautifully-designed brochure have been paid for by donations from local Friends Groups and Residents Associations. Haringey’s special river flows from the Northern Heights in the west of the borough to the River Lea in the east. The Moselle is responsible for such sayings as “When it rains in Muswell Hill, it floods in Tottenham” and “Highgate’s rain is Tottenham’s pain”.
For much of its length the river is in now a culvert (underground pipe) but the Moselle River’s name and other names referring to water features are commemorated in some streets and buildings along its seven-mile length. In Lordship Recreation Ground a major regeneration project is nearly completed which includes raising the Moselle to the surface in a stunning new open river channel criss-crossed by 3 new bridges.
The walk Guide will be made available over the coming months and years to residents for free through Friends Groups, residents associations and local libraries. It will also be available to download from the Friends of Parks Forum and Haringey Federation of Residents Associations websites – see: http://hfra.wikispaces.com/Green+Spaces+-+Moselle+Walk
Note: The Haringey Friends of Parks Forum is the umbrella network for Haringey’s 40+ Friends of Parks Groups, working to promote, protect and improve Haringey’s public green spaces