Friern Barnet and Finchley Photo Archive

The Year is incorrect. The flats in the right of the photograph were not built until the 70's.
I used to live at 56 High Road so knew the area well.

Was there a close community in the high road was a poor area, and is any old residents that can share any memories of the high road and arnos grove shopping area?

Frank Casey here, just saying hello after at least 45 years.

I a sorry but these the flats visible had been built in the sixties as we had moved away by the seventies.

the Ladderswood estate including Curtis House (shown in the picture) was completed in 1971 see below from Enfield council website

Cllr Ahmet Oykener, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, took the first swipe at Curtis House on the Ladderswood Estate in New Southgate, for the start of the demolition of the ageing tower block.

Curtis House is the first of several residential buildings on the estate to be demolished to make way for a huge new development.

Ladderswood’s 161 homes were built in the 1970s. The site’s mix of ageing council homes and light industrial units is being replaced with over 500 new in the photo) was completed in 1971.

The photo would appear to be from the 1960s (look at the car on the corner and the style of the advertising hoardings on the side of the building).

Yes, the estate as a whole was COMPLETED in 1971, but it must have taken a number of years to build as it consisted of a large number of buildings. I found several websites where it is stated that Curtis House was approved in 1964 and completed in 1965.

Thank you David. As I lived there and took the picture I am sure it was before 1965 as that was the year we moved, although my father kept the Cafe open till Compulsory purchase. It may not have been taken in 1963 as I had previously marked, But I remember very clearly it being constructed as the building was built using concrete "panels" which would be formed with wet concrete on site. This was the first block to be built from memory. Have happy memories of growing up in New Southgate. Very different times from toady.

We moved into Curtis House late 1968/early 69. Our flat had also been previously occupied so the block couldn't have built in the 1970's. An old Curtis House tenant.

I can assure readers that the block of flats "as seen" behind my parents Café had been built in the sixties. I watched them being built at the time. This block was built a little later than my 1st comment but no later than 1965.

Hi Gorden hi Frank, hi James, the flats were being built in 64. I remember playing on the building site before we had to move, and we moved late 64

To the anonymous comment added in October 2020. You're absolutely right. We moved into Curtis house in 1969. Fond memories of days back then with a pint or three in the Northern Star, the John Lawrence to name just a couple.

My parents had a sweet shop just up from Gordon's Cafe called the Candy Shop (or Stores)next door to the barbers and hairdressers. I think her name was Diane. She used to perm my hair (I was only six or seven). I remember there was an old fashioned grocer's store on the other side of us (possibly called Squires) and a record shop before Gordon's Cafe. We lived 'above the shop'. There was an Italian lady further down the High Road who had a sweetshop too and I went to school with her son - her name may have been Maria. There was a butchers (managed by Shirley Vyse's father). I went to Garfield Road School. We used to play on the bombsite at the end of Lower Park. We left in 1965 as our shop was compulsory purchased and moved to Muswell Hill.

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