• Derwent road

    Derwent road

    Here are some pictures and things collected in relation to the actual street as it used to be.

    Derwent road

    On the old map above, drawn before Derwent road was in existence, you can see that a rather large fish pond stood practically where DR was going to be built. And you can also see the thin line of water on the other side of that pond, along Alderman's Hill: would the Yacht pond have been built in the Park (which opened in 1903) as a kind of receptacle for the water coming from this fish pond?? The map mentions the station, which was built in 1870, so our Derwent road started its existence later!

    All this makes me wonder whether the name "Derwent road" didn't come from the more famous "Derwentwater" since our DR was built on a wet spot! At any rate Michael Harvey (who's lived in DR since 1978 and interviewed at Palmers Green Tales), while showing his collection of postcards, definitely speaks of DR starting in front of the "splash":

    Derwent road

    Here's a pic posted here, showing Derwent Road being built!

    Derwent road

    And below is the picture of 75 DR where a plane crashed back in 1912.

    De Manio's Blériot monoplane on the roof of 75 Derwent Road, Palmer's Green

    Here you'll find this comment from Newspaper "The reporter": "All ways led to Derwent Road, and the inevitable crowd gathered. I think it may be said that the majority of the inhabitants of this usually peaceful suburb felt the importance of the occasion, and I verily believe that they were even imbued with a feeling akin to pride that the first aeroplane to fall—I beg pardon, to fly—on to a house-roof should have performed that feat in their own neighbourhood."

    And here's another, more subdued comment of the adventure (source):

    The following afternoon Jean de Manio (the aviator) took off yet again, intending to fly south-west to Hendon, but the wind made him drift to the east, and he eventually found himself over Palmers Green in north London, where he once more developed engine trouble and in attempting to land in Broomfield Park he glided down on to the roof of 75 Derwent Road, causing its occupant, a Mr Andow, a postal official, who was in bed at the time, to think there had been a gas explosion. Some schoolboys, who were having tea opposite and had run out to see what was happening when they heard the crash, thought of a ladder at their school and ran off to fetch it, while de Manio calmly remained in the plane smoking a cigarette. Jack de Manio’s autobiography claims that Jim was in the plane too, but contemporary press reports don’t seem to mention this.

     

    Having got off the roof by means of the ladder, de Manio later went back up with firemen to fasten the plane securely to the roof for the night, while Mr Andow had to bed down elsewhere as petrol from the plane’s engine had leaked into his boxroom. The plane had eventually to be taken to pieces to remove it from the roof, and later that month the Royal Aero Club banned de Manio from flying in the UK until the end of the following March.

    This one below should be n°89 DR:

    Derwent road

    and of course this one of n°9 which everybody knows:

    Derwent road

    here's one of me - 1963?

    Derwent road

    Might as well put this one!

    Derwent road

    This one below is of 1983; but the next I'm not sure, maybe more of less the same period, but clearly not the same season.

    Derwent road

    Derwent road

    And now a few contemporary views:

    Derwent road

    Derwent road

    Derwent road

    Derwent road

    Derwent road

    Doesn't it seem to have lost some of its soul??

    Oh, and here's a fact page on the street! There you'll find the street's crime rate, house prices and much more...

    « Broomfield Park 4-the Yacht pondTestimonies on Olive & Cecil from outside the family »

  • Comments

    1
    Angeles
    Sunday 5th April 2020 at 01:56
    You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something
    that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me.
    I am looking forward for your next post, I'll try to get the hang of it!
    2
    Sunday 5th April 2020 at 16:58

    Sorry I can't make head or tails of your comment; can you reformulate, maybe?

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