Bruce Castle is a Grade I listed 16th Century manor house in 20 acres of parkland. I went to school…read morea few streets away and we visited this small white castle a few times. It is definitely well kept, and being as old as it is, it is full of history. The main exhibitions were on the World Wars, it was almost like an Army museum. This is a huge part of Tottenham Heritage, the one thing that stands, and in many ways, the Tottenham local should be very proud of it, Henry VIII actually funded certain parts of the building to be completed in his years as King.

Located close to Tottenham, the Bruce Castle Museum is an odd sort of place. It has a feel of a…read moresmall town museum, rather than one in the metropolis. The old house, still grand despite historical modifications, is charming, whilst also in need of some TLC (which in this case might mean tonnes of lottery cash). Inside the exhibitions are varied and interesting though perhaps a little worn around the edges. It seems as if all the historic items of interest and value stored by Haringey Council have been dumped here, and arranged wherever possible into some sort of coherent order. The variety is interesting, but means in truth there is a lack of quality exhibits in any one genre. There are small exhibits on local sport, the history of the house (including ghost story), local life during World War Two, the growth of Tottenham, picture-filled corridors on the ground floor and a larger exhibition space upstairs. The most interesting exhibit within the museum, and possibly the only one that would genuinely justify a visit is located on the ground floor. Where the rest of the museum is a hotch-potch of items the exhibit relating to Broadwater Farm Estate is excellent. Based on a university research project, the large exhibit looks closely into the building and development of the infamous housing estate associated with the 1980s riots. It is fascinating how badly conceived the estate was in the first place, then how poorly built. The levels of deprivation and crime, and the eventual riots are widely known, but what is excellently presented is the subsequent creation, development and success of a growing community unity. The story of the Broadwater Farm Estate may be best known for the violence, but that would be wrong. The colourful, dedicated and determined community leaders that brought the estate back from the brink are modern heroes, and their story deserves to be more widely known. Generally I would find it hard to recommend the Bruce Castle Museum to anyone who had not yet exhausted London's larger and grander offerings. But the permanent exhibition on the Broadwater Farm Estate is informative, thought-provoking and gives a sense of hope for the good nature of people, and a reminder of what communities can achieve when working together. It would be fair to say the exhibit would benefit from an update, but for those with an interest in London's built and social evolution will find it fascinating and easily worth the visit.

Went to a production of Guys and Dolls here put on by a local theatre school, and now I really want…read moreto go back and see something else here. It's a lovely little venue that must be as fun to perform in as it is to watch something. There's a proper nice bar for your pre-theatre/interval drinks & snacks. The seats are comfortable and there's a wide range of shows and events. All-in-all an asset to the community in Tottenham!

I recently visited the Bernie Grant Centre to see a performance of The Riots, a site-specific…read moreresponse to the recent unrest in London. I wasn't sure what to expect having not walked past before (despite living 15 minutes away) and was really impressed. this is a modern and well-designed medium-sized arts/theatre space with a good bar and well-tended gardens. It feels like a bit of an oasis in the craziness of Tottenham High Road, and I hope that they'll put on more shows that will attract more interest from outside the area soon.

Quite the conundrum, this place. You get slightly bewitched by the colourful history - one of its…read moremany former guises is as the embassy of Sierra Leone - and it's truly a grand house, right in the centre of London. It's available for private hire and I've been to 'carnival nights' there, but it's somewhat hobbled by Westminster's restrictive licensing policies. I've also seen venue staff arguing with promoters - who's at fault, well who's to know. Either way, it probably should be hidden from the punters. Long queues often form to get in for events, as everyone's name has to be checked individually, and at peak times it can become difficult to move around as the toilets are in the basement down a narrow servants' staircase. On the other hand, not that many venues attract such an eclectic crowd, and the memory of the Leonard Cohen lookalike wearing the full-sized black angels wings is going to remain with me for quite a while. It's frequently used as a shoot location as well as having some bedrooms upstairs. I presume that if you're a resident you get to use the outside hot tub. A rather fascinating, decadent interior which has undoubtedly seen all kinds of goings-on. Check out their website for more details.

Lovely outdoor space at Styx Bar where residency is by Love N Presents doing their wood fire pizzas…read moreoutside. Had a nice spicy and very tasty salami pizza. Really lovely space. Can't wait for the summer again to sit out and relax but even in this mild winter it's fab space. I've been here at Styx inside for a Sofar sounds gig which was quite cool. Long space. Would crisply be great for a little rave or dance/dnb as its nice and darkly lit. Almost an undiscovered gem of a venue and I reckon it's part of the start of the birth in social spaces and eating/drinking in this area thanks to the new Crossrail in coming years.