Editing Finsbury Park (section)

===Before the park===
The park was landscaped on the northeastern extremity of what was originally a woodland area in the Manor or Prebend of Brownswood. It was part of a large expanse of woodland called Hornsey Wood that was cut further and further back for use as grazing land during the Middle Ages. In the mid-18th century a [[tea room]] had opened on the knoll of land on which Finsbury Park is situated. Londoners would travel north to escape the smoke of the capital and enjoy the last remains of the old Hornsey Wood. Around 1800 the tea rooms were developed into a larger building which became known as the Hornsey Wood House/Tavern. A lake was also created on the top of the knoll with water pumped up from the nearby [[New River (London)|New River]]. There was boating, a shooting and archery range, and probably [[cock fighting]] and other blood sports. The Hornsey Wood Tavern was demolished in the process of making the area into a park, but the lake was enlarged. Once the park had opened, a pub across the road from its eastern entrance along [[Seven Sisters Road]] called itself the Hornsey Wood Tavern after the original. This pub was later renamed the Alexandra Dining Room and closed for business in April 2007. It was subsequently demolished.<ref name=AParkForFinsbury>{{cite book|last=Hayes|first=Hugh|year=2001|title=A Park for Finsbury|publisher=Friends of Finsbury Park|isbn=0-9540637-0-8}}</ref>