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The boundaries of Hornsey neighbourhood today are not clearly defined. Since the Municipal Borough of Hornsey was abolished in 1965, the name most commonly may refer either to the N8 postal district which includes Crouch End and part of Harringay, or to a smaller area centred on Hornsey High Street, called Hornsey Village, at the eastern end of which is the churchyard and tower of the former parish church which used to be the administrative centre of the wider parish of Hornsey. This used to stretch to a long border with Islington and Stoke Newington. It also had two small detached parts immediately beyond and within the latter. In the 1840s the parish had 5,937 residents and had been reduced by the loss of Finsbury Park but comprised 2,362 acres taking in besides its own village, the established hamlets of Muswell Hill, Crouch End, and part of Highgate.
North of Hornsey High Street, and immediately to its south, some of the area is public sector housing, surrounded by the late Victorian terraces developed by builders such as John Farrer. Between the western end of the High Street and the bottom of Muswell Hill, the character of the area changes dramatically. Much of this part is the Warner Estate built up with large well-appointed late Victorian houses. To the south west of the High Street is Priory Park, a pleasant urban green space.
The High Street has a range of shops and an increasing number of restaurants and pubs. The eastern section retains strong echoes of its rural past and hosts the 13th-century tower which is all that remains of St Mary's Church. The Tower has recently been used as The Intimate Space, climaing to be London's smallest performance space.
On the north side of the High street was the old public bath and wash house (not to be confused with Hornsey Baths which is 1.5 miles away on the Hornsey Road) which was demolished got make way for a new housing scheme and Sainbury's. Opened in 1932, it had 33,000 users a year in the 1950s. A small group of local residents had suggested to Haringey Council that it should be developed as an arts & crafts studio and gallery for local artists.
The TV drama series The Hour was filmed in Hornsey Town Hall (actually in central Crouch End). Hornsey's Town Hall was also used within the show.
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