80-623: Church End (often known as " Finchley Central ") is a locality within Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet in London , England. Aside from its church it centres on Finchley Central Underground station . Church End is an old village, now a suburban development, centred 7 miles (11 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross . Church End was named in 1683. The name is formed from Middle English 'churche' and 'ende' and means 'district by
160-490: A finch over an oak tree, the old unofficial arms of the Urban District of Finchley. The motto adopted in 1905 is Usque Proficiens meaning "Advance all the way". The first instance of cadet activity at Christ's College was in 1864, when a Cadet Corps attached to the 14th (Highgate) Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps was formed at the school. This was disbanded in 1867, and few records remain. The present Cadet Unit
240-529: A municipal borough council between 1933 and 1965. The area is now part of the London Borough of Barnet . From 1959 to 1992 the Finchley constituency was represented in Parliament by Margaret Thatcher , UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Finchley is now included in the new constituency of Finchley and Golders Green . In February 2010, the Green Party held its spring party conference at
320-555: A London merchant. The last to hold the manor was Edward Cooper Arden and the last court was held in 1936. The manor house seen today, now the Sternberg Centre , was built in 1723 by the Allens. The house was used as a boys’ school between 1819 and 1857. Between 1863 and 1882 it was the residence of George Plucknett, a magistrate, who used the main hall to hear cases. Between 1921 and 1981 the order of Ste Marie Auxiliatrice used
400-761: A generating station on the vineyard site which was purchased by the Finchley Council two years later and later still, in 1955, by the Eastern Electricity Board . Sir Charles Redvers Westlake , who was engineer at the works between 1935 and 1948, was later responsible for the building of the Owen Falls dam , Uganda . The site is now the headquarters of the Pentland Group of companies. Also on Squires Lane, Finchley Urban District Council opened its first swimming pool in 1915, which
480-596: A largely local campaign, the restaurant closed and was turned into a pub again, retaking the name The King Of Prussia . It occupies the ground floor of a six-storey block containing offices and the Travelodge Finchley. In 1826 an Act of Parliament meant the construction of a new turnpike road between Marylebone and North Finchley which, in Church End, is now called Regents Park Road and replaced Ducksetters Lane. The people of Finchley continued to use
560-538: A new annexe for design and technology was built on land in East Finchley. As a county grammar the school had a strong academic reputation, particularly in the sciences, with many pupils continuing their education at Oxford and Cambridge universities. In 1990 the Hendon Lane (Upper School) site was closed and the school moved in its entirety to the East Finchley site. For some time the building was unused and it
640-475: A pub called The Minstrel , which became The Central and then a wine bar and restaurant, now (2019) closed. The area was still a village until news of a possible tramline between Golders Green and North Finchley encouraged suburban development. From the railway station north as far as Long Lane parades of shops were built from 1893 onwards, and were well established when in 1909 the trams were introduced. In 1911 King Edward's Hall replaced Clements' nursery and
720-404: A public school education at a reasonable rate. The school became popular, and a new building was constructed across the road in 1860, with money provided by White's brother who was a rich London merchant, and it was renamed Christ's College. The designs were by the architect Edward Roberts, and its main feature was a 120-foot tower, a local landmark. The school flourished as a private school during
800-606: A small museum, the Stephens Collection, which covers the history of the Stephens family, the Stephens Ink company and the history of writing materials. The bequest also included Avenue House Grounds , designed by the leading nineteenth-century landscape gardener Robert Marnock . This has a tearoom, a children's playground, a walled garden and building called The Bothy, a pond and rare trees. A recent attraction
880-727: A station on Long Lane. The artsdepot , a community arts centre including a gallery, studio and theatre, opened in 2004, at Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley. Finchley Film Makers was founded as the Finchley Amateur Cine Society in 1930, making it one of the oldest clubs in the Country. It meets at the Quaker Meeting House in Alexandra Grove, North Finchley. Victoria Park is off Ballards Lane between North Finchley and Finchley Central. It
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#1732772526739960-542: Is a bronze statue of Spike Milligan sitting on a bench. William Hogarth painted his satirical March of the Guards to Finchley in 1750. It is a depiction of a fictional mustering of troops on London's Tottenham Court Road to march north to Finchley to defend the capital from the second Jacobite rebellion of 1745 . A number of fictional characters have been associated with the area, including: The Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy sketch " The Funniest Joke in
1040-540: Is a Jewish cultural centre. It was founded to facilitate Reform and Liberal Jewish institutions, attached to the Movement for Reform Judaism. The Archer , on East Finchley tube station, is a 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) statue by Eric Aumonier of a kneeling archer having just released an arrow. The statue La Délivrance depicts a naked woman holding a sword (and is informally known as the Naked Lady); it stands at
1120-558: Is a plaque placed by the Finchley Society to Harry Beck , designer of the London Underground tube map, who lived here from 1936 until 1960 and used Finchley Central tube station where a replica map and commemorative plaque may be seen on the southbound platform. Finchley Finchley ( / ˈ f ɪ n tʃ l i / ) is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet . Finchley
1200-431: Is derived from a line of trees planted by Elizabeth King whose husband was lord of the manor in the 1600s. Built in 1859, Avenue House and ten acres of grounds were bought in 1874 by the ink manufacturer, philanthropist and later MP Henry 'Inky' Stephens and left on his death to the people of Finchley in 1918, the grounds later becoming a public park. The estate is now (2014) known as Stephens House and Gardens. East of
1280-476: Is now apartments. By 1845 Peter Kay had established a garden nursery on Ballards Lane, which was closed by 1895 (see also Long Lane), and in 1874 William Clements started a nursery on a triangular plot at the junction of Regents Park Road and Hendon Lane. Ford Madox Brown lived at 1 Grove Villas on Regents Park Road between 1853 and 1855 where he painted a number of agricultural scenes and, most notably, " The Last of England ". In 1867 Finchley and Hendon station
1360-583: Is now occupied by Barnet Civil and Family Courts Centre, which opened in 1993. It was announced in 2014 that the adjacent former infants' section building, having survived a threat of demolition, would enjoy a change of use and become a synagogue . Finchley's old rectory , first mentioned in 1476, also stood near the church and in 1810 was chiefly built of timber, with roofs of slate and tiles. Ralph Worsley, rector 1794–1848, went to live at Moss Hall in Nether Street, which his wife had inherited, whereupon
1440-478: Is on boulder clay or glacial moraine, skirted by a layer of gravel, then the underlying layer of London clay . This roughly triangular gravel line was the most fertile area; hamlets which grew at the three corners evolved into Finchley's early population centres corresponding to the three town centres in the area: The residential areas of West Finchley, in postcode district N3, and Woodside Park , in postcode district N12, centre on their respective tube stations to
1520-496: Is on high ground, 7 mi (11 km) north of Charing Cross . Nearby districts include: Golders Green , Muswell Hill , Friern Barnet , Whetstone , Mill Hill and Hendon . It is predominantly a residential suburb, with three town centres: North Finchley , East Finchley and Finchley Church End (Finchley Central). Made up of four wards, the population of Finchley was 65,812 as of 2011. Finchley probably means "Finch's clearing" or "finches' clearing" in late Anglo-Saxon ;
1600-572: Is the manor house for the Bibbesworth estate, Finchley's principal manor house. Bibbesworth was a sub-manor which had been born from an earlier estate owned by a family styling itself the Finchleys during the 13th century (although whether the area takes its name from the family or the other way round has never been entirely clear). By 1319 it was being called a manor. Richard Rook had a court in 1364 and these court leets and baron continued until
1680-566: Is the parish church, with parts dating from the 13th century. College Farm is the last farm in Finchley; it was a model dairy farm, then a visitor attraction. The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley with its 1930s art deco façade is one of the oldest purpose-built cinemas in the United Kingdom. The Sternberg Centre for Judaism in the old Manor House (formerly convent and school of St Mary Auxiliatrice) at 80 East End Road in Finchley
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#17327725267391760-555: The Finchley Society , and a Jewish cultural centre, the Sternberg Centre . Avenue House was the home of Henry 'Inky' Stephens (1841-1918), son of Dr Henry Stephens (1796-1864) who founded the Stephens Ink Company, the first producers of "Blue-Black Writing Fluid" in 1832. A small museum - The Stephens Collection - commemorates this invention and the Stephens family, along with the history of writing materials including many photographs and artefacts. In December 2016
1840-587: The North Circular Road and on to Finchley. According to the 2011 UK Census in Finchley Church End ward, 67% of the population was White (47% British, 18% Other, 2% Irish), 8% South Asian and 6% Other Asian. The largest religion was Judaism , claimed by 31% of the population, whereas Christians made up 28%. West Finchley ward was 61% White (40% British, 18% Other, 3% Irish), 13% South Asian and 8% Other Asian. St Mary's at Finchley
1920-655: The artsdepot in North Finchley. Finchley is on a plateau, 90 metres (300 ft) above sea level 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Charing Cross and 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Barnet . To the west is the Dollis valley formed by Dollis Brook the natural western boundary of Finchley. Mutton Brook forms the southern boundary, joining the Dollis Brook to become the River Brent . Most of Finchley
2000-423: The 1270s, and by 1356 it was dedicated to St Mary. The building has been altered many times since its foundation and the oldest parts, the north wall and the tower (which seems to have had a steeple during the 16th and 17th centuries), date from the reign of Henry VII . The organ, which dates from 1878, was from Henry Willis & Sons , the famous organ builders. In the churchyard are the graves of Thomas Payne ,
2080-586: The 15th century of which only the 18th-century Cornwall House in Cornwall Avenue, now remains. The King of Prussia public house was a licensed property by the middle of the 18th century and may have originally been the King’s Head . It was substantially rebuilt in the 1960s and was later called The Dignity . The pub closed in October 2016 and was replaced by a chicken restaurant. In June 2019, after
2160-497: The 1820s the only route north from Temple Fortune to Finchley was along a road called Ducksetters Lane (known as such by 1475). This ran close to the present Regents Park Road, and terminated where the junction with Gravel Hill is today. The road then passed along the very top part of Hendon Lane, before continuing north as Ballards Lane (known as such since 1424). There had been a number of larger houses in Ballards Lane since
2240-551: The 1860s and 1870s, when its Headmaster was the Rev T C Whitehead. It was under Whitehead that the school was first divided into four houses: North, South, East, and West. With the loss of its founder, then the self-styled Warden, to a disorder of the brain in 1877, the school went into decline. In 1902, the school was taken over by Middlesex County Council , as the first Middlesex County grammar school, but under John Tindal Phillipson, headmaster since 1895, attempts that were made to rename
2320-406: The 18th century Finchley was well known for the quality of its hay, which was the dominant agricultural activity until the second half of the 19th century. North Finchley only began to develop after the enclosure of the common during the 1820s. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex , originally within the hundred of Ossulstone and later becoming its own urban district , which
2400-618: The 61st (Finsbury) Anti-aircraft Brigade. By 1942 the Unit had rejoined the 1st Cadet Battalion wearing the badges of the Middlesex Regiment. When the 1st Cadet Battalion was disbanded in 1948, The Unit became Christ's College Contingent, Combined Cadet Force, a self-administering unit, which it remains today. In 1952, the Unit was presented with its own Colours, in memory of those members of the Contingent who fell in battle during
2480-672: The London Borough of Barnet continues these links. Christ%27s College Finchley Christ's College is a secondary school with academy status in East Finchley , London , United Kingdom. It falls under the London Borough of Barnet Local Education Authority for admissions. Since September 2018, Christ’s College Finchley has offered education to both girls and boys joining Year 7 . The school presently has 860 pupils and specialises in Maths and Sciences. The history of
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2560-536: The Rev Thomas Reader White, Rector of St Mary’s Finchley, opened Finchley Hall School, in Hendon Lane (next to the church, on the site of what used to be Church End Library) in what had been a local inn, the Queen's Head . The following year he had the stable block and the village "cage" removed and a new school built, to designs by Anthony Salvin . The school was an Anglican School, intended to provide
2640-536: The Second World War. The school's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is among the tiny handful in the country to carry colours. The last major change was in 1969 when the affiliation to the Middlesex Regiment ceased and permission was given for the Contingent to wear the badges of the Parachute Regiment . From July 2021, The unit has become Coldstream Guards . The school has made contributions to
2720-712: The Underground New Works Programme (1935–1940), to electrify the lines through Finchley, and connect the Northern line from Archway to East Finchley , via a new tunnel was announced. Much of the work was carried out and East Finchley station was rebuilt, but the project was halted by the second world war . All passenger services from Finchley to Edgware ended in September 1939. Nevertheless, Underground trains began running from central London to High Barnet in 1940, and to Mill Hill East , to reach
2800-580: The World " is set in Finchley. In various episodes of the Channel 4 comedy Peep Show Finchley is used as an on-site shooting location. The background of the cover of Iron Maiden 's second studio album, Killers , depicts Etchingham Court, North Finchley, where artist Derek Riggs lived at the time. The 2013 David Bowie song 'Dirty Boys' on The Next Day album makes reference to Finchley Fair. In birth order Finchley Borough had four twin towns ;
2880-584: The ancient district around St Mary's Church, where the imposing brick tower of Pardes House Primary School (formerly Christ's College Finchley ) is a landmark. There is a public library in Regents Park Road in Gateway House, a new building facing the junction with Hendon Lane. The library was relocated in September 2017 from its former home in Hendon Lane, next to the church. To the north, along Regents Park Road and Ballards Lane, close to
2960-533: The approach to Finchley from the south, in a small garden beside Regent's Park Road, just north of Henlys Corner . Transport for London is responsible for transport in Finchley. Finchley has four London Underground stations, all on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line, which serves the West End and City (financial district). Two of London's major roads, the east–west A406 North Circular Road and
3040-474: The area is in the southeast corner of the company's water supply area. EDF Energy Networks is the Distribution network operator licensed to distribute electricity from the transmission grid to homes and businesses in Finchley. Finchley Memorial Hospital, on Granville Road, North Finchley, was a small NHS hospital administered by NHS Barnet, a primary care trust . Built with local donations in 1908 it
3120-466: The army barracks, in 1941. After the war, the introduction of London's Metropolitan Green Belt undermined pre-war plans and the upgrading between Mill Hill East and Edgware (the ' Northern Heights ' project) was abandoned, although the line continued to be used by steam trains for goods traffic through Finchley, until 1964. From around 1547 Finchley had a parish vestry , which became a local board in 1878, an urban district council in 1895, and finally
3200-411: The building as a girls' school. Until the beginning of the 20th century a curious oblong pond with a central island existed opposite the manor and was known locally as the “moat”; however these are more likely to have been fish ponds or openings created by the extraction of clay for making bricks for the building of the 16th-century building. The lane known as The Avenue, which runs behind Avenue House ,
3280-615: The childhood home of the actor Terry-Thomas who received some of his early education at Fernbank School in Hendon Lane. West of Nether Street is Dollis Brook , a tributary of the River Brent which forms the western boundary between the ancient parishes of Finchley and Hendon. The viaduct carrying the Mill Hill East branch of the Northern line at the bottom of Dollis Road was built between 1863 and 1867 to designs by Sir John Fowler. It has thirteen arches and is, at 80 feet high,
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3360-452: The church'. The name refers to the parish church of Finchley , St Mary. Finchley Church End is the name of a ward in Barnet. The main road runs on a south–north axis, and is called Regents Park Road (previously Ducksetters Lane) from the North Circular Road until it reaches the road bridge at Finchley Central station ( Northern line ), where the name changes to Ballards Lane. Its heart is
3440-462: The church. In 1888 Finchley Council established a voluntary fire brigade in Hendon Lane near the top of Gravel Hill which remained at this location until 1933 (see Long Lane). In 1904 Finchley obtained the first motorised fire engine in Great Britain (see picture and article) . Gravel Hill gets its name from the gravel pits which dotted the area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At
3520-606: The contemporary Christ’s College has its roots in two different schools: A British School in Chapel Street, East Finchley was opened by local Congregationalists in 1842, but in 1876 fire destroyed the original building, and the new building became Finchley’s first Board School in 1881. East Finchley grew rapidly in the 1880s, and the Finchley School Board decided to build a new building in Long Lane which
3600-452: The eastern side of the parish had been cleared to form Finchley Common . The medieval Great North Road , which ran through the common, was notorious for highwaymen until the early 19th century. St Mary-at-Finchley Church is first recorded in the 1270s. Near the northern gate to the Bishop of London's park, the hamlet of East End, later East Finchley, had begun to develop by 1365. By
3680-688: The highest point above sea level on the London Underground system. Beyond is a very large house called Nether Court. This estate was originally in the Mill Hill district of Hendon, but was brought into Finchley during boundary changes made in 1933. The house was built for local businessman Henry Tubbs in 1883 to the design of architect Percy Stone . Tubbs allowed Finchley Golf Club to use the grounds in 1892. The club ceased after 1914 but returned in 1930. A row of California redwood sequoia trees may be seen nearby. At 60 Court House Road there
3760-556: The house and the inn did not move to its present location as the New Queen’s Head , in East End Road until the 1860s. White renamed the buildings Finchley Hall and used it to house a school of the same name which later became Christ's College Finchley . In 1902 Finchley Council took over the hall for offices but bomb damage (1940) made the building unsafe and they were demolished shortly after. Church End Library (1960) occupied
3840-399: The last was held in 1936. There was certainly a manor house by 1253 but this burnt down and was replaced during the 15th and 16th centuries. Of the original building only a ditch, possibly a moat, remains. The only Lord of note is William Hastings, Lord Hastings (d. 1483), whose family held the manor until 1527. From 1622 until 1830 the manor was controlled by the descendants of Edward Allen,
3920-487: The manor house to the High Road, the traditional division between East Finchley and Church End. Behind the large houses which fronted the west side of Ballards Lane, Squires Lane and Long Lane, was Claigmar Vineyards, started in 1874 by Peter Edmund Kay. By the 1890s the vinery’s 161 greenhouses were producing “100 tons each of grapes and tomatoes and 240,000 cucumbers a year”. In 1903 Finchley Electric Light Company opened
4000-501: The manor house was Manor Farm where details of the calf and the cart in Dante Gabriel Rossetti ’s painting "Found" was painted. Finchley Cricket Club and an LA Fitness now occupy the site. Another road running from Church End to East Finchley is Long Lane (known as such by 1719) which may have been known in medieval times as Ferrours Lane. Roughly halfway along its route at a crossroads is Squires Lane which runs from
4080-541: The merger between Finchley Football Club (est. 1874) and Wingate Football Club (est. 1946). Although the club is sometimes incorrectly perceived to be exclusively Jewish , it is open to people of every religion and ethnic background. Wingate & Finchley play home games at Summers Lane, N12. The local rugby team is Finchley RFC. Finchley Cricket Club (founded 1832), plays in the Middlesex premier league, at Arden Field, East End Road, N3. Finchley golf club on Frith Lane
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#17327725267394160-408: The museum closed temporarily in order to move to a new location within the estate's new Visitor Centre established within the former stables block. 'Inky' Stephens, a former local MP, left Avenue House to "the people of Finchley" on his death in 1918. The house and ten acres of fine landscaped gardens and parkland open to the public are now run by a local charitable trust. In February 2014 the estate
4240-522: The name was first recorded in the early 13th century. Finchley is not recorded in Domesday Book , but by the 11th century its lands were held by the Bishop of London. In the early medieval period the area was sparsely populated woodland, whose inhabitants supplied pigs and fuel to London. Extensive cultivation began about the time of the Norman conquest . By the 15th and 16th centuries the woods on
4320-443: The northern end of the shopping area is Finchley Police Station, which closed in 2012 and in 2019 still awaits redevelopment. There had been a police station in Finchley from 1873 but the present location dates from 1886 when Wentworth Lodge in Ballards Lane was bought. The old police station continued from 1889 until 1965 when it was rebuilt. Across the road from the police station is Victoria Park (approx 18 acres). Opened in 1902, it
4400-486: The north–south A1 meet and briefly merge at Henlys Corner at the southern edge of Finchley. North Finchley bus station is a hub with nine bus routes using bus stops around Tally Ho Corner. There are 17 primary schools in the district. There are seven secondary schools : There is also a secondary special school , Oak Lodge Special School in East Finchley . Woodhouse College in North Finchley , on
4480-457: The old lane as the tollgate, situated in Ballards Lane at the junction of Nether Street, meant that parishioners had to pay to use their main thoroughfare. After much protest the gate was moved to just south of the junction of East End Road and was shortly afterwards removed. It was commemorated with a blue plaque put up at the Queen’s Head by the Finchley Society , but the pub closed in 2012 and
4560-535: The radical and bookseller, and Major John Cartwright the political reformer. Next to the church in Hendon Lane stood the Old Queen’s Head , which took its name from Queen Anne, and was owned by the Finchley Charities. In 1833 the original inn burned down and was rebuilt, surviving until the lease on the house came up in 1857. The rector of Finchley, Thomas Reader White, refused to renew the lease on
4640-566: The rectory house was leased. One of the first actions of Thomas Reader White, rector 1848–77, was to replace the old house with one to the north, built in stock brick to the design of Anthony Salvin . In 1974 a smaller rectory was built to the west and the Victorian one was demolished. During the English Civil War , the church's old Norman font was buried in the rectory garden; it was rediscovered in Victorian times and now stands in
4720-435: The school and change its character were resisted, and on the whole the transition was a smooth one. A rifle club was formed in 1904, which soon became a cadet corps. Until 1906 the school playing fields were directly behind St Mary’s church, but in 1906 new fields were acquired further down the hill, near to Dollis Brook. In 1927, the school increased in size with new buildings, and ceased to be an Anglican institution. In 1972,
4800-640: The site of the old Woodhouse Grammar School, is one of two colleges in the borough. The local football team Old Finchleians (nicknamed the OFs) formed in 1901 who play home games at The Old Finchleians Memorial Ground in Southover and are members of the Southern Amateur League. Wingate & Finchley plays in the premier division of the Isthmian league . The club was formed in 1991 following
4880-471: The site to about 2015. From 1787 to 1880 a cage for criminals stood between the Church and the Old Queen’s Head . The Anglican community established a National school in 1813 which was rebuilt as St Mary's School in 1852. In 1990 the school was re-established near to the brook at Dollis Park and now only the infants' section, built in 1902, remains on the original location. The site of the main school building
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#17327725267394960-418: The sixth form, with the first intake of girls. Christ's College has become a specialist Mathematics and Computing College , which means the school receives additional funds for investment in its Mathematics and Computing departments. The school's current headmaster is Mr Samson Olusanya. The school badge since 1906 has been a combination of the three notched swords of the traditional county of Middlesex and
5040-419: The son of the inventor of indelible blue-black ink Dr Henry Stephens . On his death in 1918 he bequeathed the house and its grounds for 'Public enjoyment subject to reasonable rules'. The estate, a private garden to which public access is granted, is now known as Stephens House and Gardens and managed from 2002 on a 125-year lease by Avenue House Estate Trust, an independent charity. It has a visitor centre with
5120-604: The station, is a retail district with a Victorian and Edwardian shopping parade as well as a couple of pubs and modern shops including Sainsbury's and Tesco . Further north, Victoria Park is the home of the Finchley Carnival, a large fun fair held every year in July, dating back to 1905. Victoria Park has a lawn bowls and croquet club with a modern clubhouse. To the southeast along East End Road are two institutions of note: Avenue House , built in 1859 and home to
5200-435: The top of Gravel Hill a house, now converted into apartments, stands on the site of the old village pond, which was filled in around 1900. Close by is Finchley Garden Village which was developed around a green in 1910 as a small garden suburb. At the bottom of Hendon Lane is a lane curiously named Crooked Usage. Originally a part of Hendon Lane, its picturesque name dates from the straightening of Hendon Lane in 1911–12. Until
5280-535: The west of the area. Between East Finchley and Finchley Central is Long Lane, which runs parallel to the tube line and is dotted with small shopping parades. The area of London known as 'Finchley Road', around Finchley Road Underground station , is not part of Finchley, but instead refers to a district further south at Swiss Cottage , Camden . The area is named after a section of the A41 road , which runs north to Golders Green and eventually continues to Henlys Corner on
5360-614: Was built on land which had been part of “Warren’s Gift”, a charitable estate, sometime between 1817 and 1824. It was a substantial property whose grounds were considerably reduced during the 1920s. The house was demolished in 1962 despite efforts by the comedian Spike Milligan and the Finchley Society. West Finchley station on the LNER railway opened on 1 March 1933 and became part of the London Underground upon electrification on 14 April 1940. Nether Street has one claim to fame as
5440-486: Was closed in the 1990s. The swimming baths were demolished and replaced by terraced housing. Further along the road Squires Lane School was built in 1906; this became Manor School in 1932 and Manorside School in 1936. Nether Street was recognised by the mid-14th century as an old street, sometimes called “Lower Street” in later periods. Essentially an access road to properties and land, the most important of which were Moss Hall (see North Finchley) and Brent Lodge. Brent Lodge
5520-553: Was designed by five-times Open Champion James Braid. Ken Brown, Ryder Cup player and BBC presenter, described it as "The best presented golf course for club play that I have seen in years". Finchley Victoria Bowls and Croquet Club, with two greens and a modern clubhouse in Victoria Park , offers lawn bowls , croquet and pétanque facilities in the summer and year-round social activities. Veolia Water Central Limited , formerly Three Valleys Water , supplies Finchley's water;
5600-425: Was founded in 1904 with the formation of a Rifle Club. Although mainly a rifle club, its members carried military ranks and took part in regular training days. The transformation to a true Cadet Unit took place in 1911 when No.2 Company, 1st Cadet Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (as it was officially called) was started at the school. In 1938 the unit was temporarily badged Royal Artillery as 'C' (Cadet) Battery of
5680-411: Was intended to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and was Finchley's first public park. It contains a playground, tennis courts , a cafe and a lawn bowls and croquet club with two greens. From 1905 Victoria Park was the location of the Finchley Carnival. Running west to east from Church End to East Finchley is East End Road. This was possibly Piryton Lane (known in 1423). Midway along this road
5760-465: Was opened by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway which became later Finchley (Church End) station and finally, in 1940, Finchley Central station. The establishment of a railway and the removal of the tollgates enabled the development of residential streets and a row of shops, Albert Terrace and The Railway Hotel . This was demolished in 1962 and replaced with an office block, and on the ground floor
5840-511: Was opened in 1884, with the staff and pupils moving to the new premises at the end of that year. In 1931, the school opened a secondary wing and was renamed Alder School, after a chairman of Finchley’s Education committee. It was organised into three school houses, Rangers, Archers, and Foresters. In 1944 it became a mixed Secondary Modern School, and an all-boys school in 1958. It was organised into four school houses, Rangers (Yellow), Archers (Red), Foresters (Green) & Rovers (Blue). The school
5920-575: Was originally Finchley Cottage Hospital, renamed and expanded after the First World War as a war memorial. A modern new hospital on adjacent land opened in September 2012; the old hospital buildings were demolished. London Ambulance Service responds to medical emergencies in Finchley. Policing in Finchley is by the Metropolitan Police Service . Statutory emergency fire service is by London Fire Brigade , which has
6000-522: Was proposed as a venue for an arts centre, but eventually it was sold to a Jewish school ( Pardes House Grammar School ). With the foundation of the present school in 1978, the school was split into Upper school, which used the Hendon Lane site, and the Lower. The whole school moved to the new site in 1991, under the Headmastership of Brian Fletcher. In 2002, the then Headmaster Paul O'Shea expanded
6080-430: Was proposed in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee and opened in 1902 to be Finchley's first public park. It is home to tennis courts and Finchley Victoria Bowling and Croquet Club. There is also a small nature reserve adjacent to the North Circular Road known as Long Lane Pasture . Avenue House in East End Road was built in 1859. In 1874 it was acquired by Henry Charles Stephens , known as "Inky" Stephens,
6160-507: Was relaunched and rebranded, in conjunction with a Heritage Lottery Fund bid, as Stephens House and Gardens. South, along Regents Park Road, is College Farm , the last farm in Finchley (entrance in Fitzalan Road), and a statue, referred to locally as "The Naked Lady", but more properly named La Délivrance . Finchley's oldest church, St Mary-at-Finchley , was established sometime in the 12th century, early documents mention it from
6240-479: Was seen as providing a necessary education for skilled workers in the light engineering works of Finchley, such as Simms Motor Units, Hendon and Barnet, and was well thought of. It was also host to Bob Cobbing, the Concrete Sound poet and Jeff Nuttall author of the best seller, 'Bomb Culture' during the 1960s. It was merged with Christ's College in 1978, and the buildings at Long Lane were demolished. In 1857
6320-559: Was then incorporated as a municipal borough in 1933 . It has been part of Greater London since 1965. The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (later the Great Northern Railway ) reached Finchley in 1867. It ran from Finsbury Park via Finchley to Edgware . The branch from Finchley to High Barnet opened in 1872. In 1905 tram services were established in Finchley, and extended shortly afterwards to Barnet. They were eventually replaced by trolleybuses . In 1933,
6400-475: Was used as a VAD hospital during World War I . The Alcazar Cinema (1913) between Princes Avenue and Redbourne Avenue was renamed the Bohemia in 1915 and during the 1920s relocated south to where Gateway House was later built. Gateway House was demolished at the end of 2015 and the site has been redeveloped, now containing a new public library and a small supermarket, with five floors of apartments above. At
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