Kmflett's Blog

Black Boy Lane N15 becomes John La Rose Lane N15. A small but important change

I’m a resident of Tottenham and travel up and down Black Boy Lane on the 341 bus regularly. It runs between West Green and St Anns. I also voted in the consultation on whether the name should be changed.

Obviously not everyone was in favour. There were of course those who saw no issue whatsoever with the original name. Some of those who live on the Lane understandably were unhappy at a practical level- it will mean some hassle for them, although most address details will get updated automatically. Others argued that there were more important things for the Council to be doing. They had a point but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth doing as well.

A reminder as well that change, even a small one, can be a frustratingly slow process. Black lives matters campaigners put the case to the Council in 2020 that some street names in the area that reflected past imperial ‘glories’ such as Buller Rd and Kitchener Rd should be reviewed. The name change for Black Boy Lane is the only result of that so far, as democratic processes were, rightly, followed.

In that context it can perhaps be understood why protesters decided to topple the Colston statue in Bristol after years of official reviews and tweakings had produced no significant change.

In the world of 2022 Black Boy Lane can be seen to be of racist intent and certainly not the kind of road name that fits well in a place of many ethnicities like Tottenham. The origins of the name remain uncertain though. My view was always that its named after those that scavenged in the massive dust pits at the bottom of the lane (where St Ann’s Hospital now is) and the likely appearance of the homeless who resided there. Its mentioned in Raphael Samuel’s essay about nineteenth century casual labour, Comers and Goers.

The change to John La Rose lane seem particularly timely now, as he, amongst other things, was the founder of New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park. Now under threat of closure as a bookshop(not on-line) it was a pioneer of selling Caribbean and African literature in the UK(and it still is)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_La_Rose

As the leader of Haringey Council Peray Ahmet noted it’s a small change as part of a much bigger picture. Credit to those who campaigned for it and to the Councillors that made sure it was ultimately done. It will annoy Tories and hopefully make many local Tottenham residents feel a little bit more at ease (in the words of the late Darcus Howe) It wouldn’t have happened in the Tottenham of the 1960s but thankfully as Dylan sang Things Have Changed.

https://www.haringey.gov.uk/news/black-boy-lane-statement

‘A road name change is only a small aspect of the bigger picture in our fight against inequality.’

Peray Ahmet, Leader, Haringey Council