Mill Hill East

Underground station, existing between 1867 and now.

 HOME  ·  ARTICLE  ·  MAPS  ·  STREETS  ·  BLOG  ·  CONTACT US 
(51.608 -0.21, 51.608 -0.21) 
MAP YEAR:175018001810182018301860190019502024Show map without markers
ZOOM:14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 18 14 15 16 17 14 15 16 17 18
TIP: Adjust the MAP YEAR and ZOOM to tweak historical maps
Underground station · * · ·
APRIL
5
2019
Mill Hill East station is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, and is the only station on a branch from Finchley Central.

Mill Hill East is quite a curious name for an Underground station - being that there's no Mill Hill anywhere on the tube. Putting East at the end is rather unconventional too since the nearest Northern Line station geographically is West Finchley, not Finchley West.

The mystery - though not why East is at the end of the name - goes back to the original branch line which didn't curtail at Mill Hill East but instead carried on to its original destination of Edgware, via a station called Mill Hill (for some of the time).

The station was opened in 1867 as part of the Great Northern Railway's (GNR) line between Finsbury Park and Edgware. It had been built by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (EH&LR). The EH&LR was built as double track, but only a single track was laid, with the intention of doubling the track when business developed. However, when the GNR opened a branch from Finchley Central to High Barnet in April 1872 traffic on that section was greater, and the second track was never laid from Finchley Central to Edgware. For most of its history the service between those two stations was operated as a shuttle.

Built too early for the inter-war suburban explosion of development, initial traffic was very light - going from nowhere to nowhere in nineteenth century terms. Edgware was a village with a bus service into London straight down the Edgware Road. For those in more of a hurry, London Midland's Mill Hill Broadway station, a mile or so away from Edgware, was five stops from St Pancras. Mill Hill station - up the line - on the Great Northern Railway was next to Mill Hill Broadway but then the traveller would need to join a Finsbury Park bound service and change there for Kings Cross. It didn't cause much of a rush of passengers.

In time a GNR branch line was built to High Barnet from Finchley Central (the station after Mill Hill East going south) - and Barnet being a bigger centre than Edgware, this branch line started to become the main service.

By the 1900s some of the line was under pressure from overcrowding. The populations of areas along the line, particularly at Hornsey, Highgate, Muswell Hill, and Finchley, had increased considerably with the rapid Victorian expansion of London, but the GNR service had not been expanded to cope. The line was also congested with goods traffic, mostly coal and building materials. By 1903 the morning trains from Barnet were full by the time they arrived at East Finchley. As the doors of the compartments in the carriages were in those days locked with aid of a simple square key, some passengers took to purchasing these keys from local ironmongers, and locking the doors from the inside. It was not unknown for harsh words and even, on odd occasions, for blows to be exchanged.



1930 OS map showing branch from Mill Hill East to Edgware


1930 OS map showing branch from Mill Hill East to Edgware
(click image to enlarge)


The Carl Zeiss/Bausch & Lomb Optical Works was established at Mill Hill East in 1912 and demolished in about 1990, to be replaced by a large building owned by the Jehovah Witnesses, to complement their nearby Watchtower House built on the site of the former Bittacy House.

In time the London Underground took over the railway as it extended the Northern Line as far as Finchley Central and took over the GNR branch line to High Barnet along with the Finsbury Park to Edgware line. Main line passenger services ended in 1939 and Northern line trains started serving Mill Hill East in 1941.

There were well-advanced plans to extend the line from Edgware to Bushey as the Second World War broke out.

After the war, the introduction of London's Metropolitan Green Belt made the project to continue the line to Bushey unnecessary as the intended housing development proposed in the area was prevented by the new legislation. The plan was formally cancelled in October 1950. In 1953 the modernisation and electrification of the remaining sections of track between Mill Hill East to Edgware were also abandoned.

The line from Finsbury Park to Edgware continued to be used for goods traffic, primarily coal, milk and building materials, even into the period when diesel engines had replaced steam locomotion. However, the introduction of the Clean Air Act of 1956 established a shift away from coal as a fuel for domestic heating and the demand for coal slumped. At the same time, the expansion of road haulage reduced the demand for rail transportation of other bulk loads and the line closed completely between Edgware and Mill Hill East in 1964 with equipment and track removed by the following year.

This leaves Mill Hill East as the terminus on a curious branch line of the Northern.



Mill Hill East station looking west (1930s)
(click image to enlarge)


In this photo of Mill Hill East station dating from the 1930s, what appears to be the goods shed is seen beyond the platform. There was no goods yard as such although there was a weighbridge at street level between the station building and the stationmaster’s house. On the embankment there was a loop siding with a goods shed to the west of the platform.  Some time in the 1930s a goods yard was built at street level on Bittacy Hill.

A section of the 1930s goods dock survives in an industrial estate on the east side of Bittacy Hill.


The station had been renamed Mill Hill East (previously Mill Hill) on 1 March 1928 and was sometimes referred to as Mill Hill East for Mill Hill Barracks. It served the nearby Inglis Barracks, home to the Middlesex Regiment and the Royal Engineers Eastern Command workshop which was literally at the end of the yard.



London Transport bus TD104 sits in Mill Hill East station forecourt (1962) Credit: Geoff Plumb
(click image to enlarge)


 

 

Route 240 was introduced in the 1930s between Edgware and Golders Green and replaced the former London General Omnibus Company Route 104. Initially it was split into two sections, the Mill Hill Broadway station to Edgware section being operated by single-deck TDs and the Mill Hill to Golders Green section by double-deck RTs. This was because of the low railway bridge over Mill Hill Broadway which did not permit double-decker operation. The single-deck part was renumbered 240A and extended to Page Street, and then in 1951 was further extended to Mill Hill East station. Route 240A is notable at this time as being the only London bus route that has ever accepted single tube tickets, between Mill Hill East, Mill Hill Broadway and Edgware in lieu of the planned extension of the Northern Line. A ticket for Mill Hill (The Hale) cost a little more than one to Mill Hill East, and enabled the passenger to retain his tube ticket for use on the 240A anywhere in the direction of Edgware.

The area around Mill Hill East, especially to the west, has still the air of a village about it. It is quiet and very green with plenty of parks and golf courses to hand.

Parts of the eastern side of Mill Hill have recently undergone redevelopment, with the old gas works and barracks replaced by a Waitrose supermarket and housing developments. The small local retail area at Mill Hill East is at Kelly’s Corner (officially Holders Hill Circus) east of the station. To the south of Mill Hill East are Copthall and Holders Hill. Mill Hill East was measured as the least used station on the Northern Line during the 2020s.




Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence


Click here to explore another London street
We now have 664 completed street histories and 46836 partial histories
Find streets or residential blocks within the M25 by clicking STREETS


CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

None so far :(
LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Comment
Wendy    
Added: 22 Mar 2024 15:33 GMT   

Polygon Buildings
Following the demolition of the Polygon, and prior to the construction of Oakshott Court in 1974, 4 tenement type blocks of flats were built on the site at Clarendon Sq/Phoenix Rd called Polygon Buildings. These were primarily for people working for the Midland Railway and subsequently British Rail. My family lived for 5 years in Block C in the 1950s. It seems that very few photos exist of these buildings.

Reply

Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:42 GMT   

Road construction and houses completed
New Charleville Circus road layout shown on Stanford’s Library Map Of London And Its Suburbs 1879 with access via West Hill only.

Plans showing street numbering were recorded in 1888 so we can concluded the houses in Charleville Circus were built by this date.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Steve   
Added: 19 Mar 2024 08:04 GMT   

Charleville Circus, Sydenham: One Place Study (OPS)
One Place Study’s (OPS) are a recent innovation to research and record historical facts/events/people focused on a single place �’ building, street, town etc.

I have created an open access OPS of Charleville Circus on WikiTree that has over a million members across the globe working on a single family tree for everyone to enjoy, for free, forever.

Source: Charleville Circus, Sydenham, London

Reply
Comment
Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

My House
I want to know who lived in my house in the 1860’s.

Reply

NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

Telephone House
Donald Hunter House, formerly Telephone House, was the BT Offices closed in 2000

Reply
Comment
Paul Cox   
Added: 5 Mar 2024 22:18 GMT   

War damage reinstatement plans of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street
Whilst clearing my elderly Mothers house of general detritus, I’ve come across original plans (one on acetate) of No’s 11 & 13 Aldine Street. Might they be of interest or should I just dispose of them? There are 4 copies seemingly from the one single acetate example. Seems a shame to just junk them as the level of detail is exquisite. No worries if of no interest, but thought I’d put it out there.

Reply
Comment
Diana   
Added: 28 Feb 2024 13:52 GMT   

New Inn Yard, E1
My great grandparents x 6 lived in New Inn Yard. On this date, their son was baptised in nearby St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch

Source: BDM London, Cripplegate and Shoreditch registers written by church clerk.

Reply
Comment
Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

Reply


NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Mill Hill East Mill Hill East station is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, and is the only station on a branch from Finchley Central.

NEARBY STREETS
Abercorn Close, NW7 Abercorn Close is a cul-de-sac off of Abercorn Road (Mill Hill East)
Abercorn Road, NW7 Abercorn Road probably dates from the 1890s (Mill Hill East)
Aberdare Gardens, NW7 Aberdare Gardens is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Albuhera Mews, NW7 Albuhera Mews is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Amport Place, NW7 Amport Place is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Appledore Way, NW7 Appledore Way is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Arlington Green, NW7 Arlington Green is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Ashley Walk, NW7 Ashley Walk was once part of Ashley Lane which stretches south from here into a golf course (Mill Hill East)
Barry M House, NW7 Barry M House can be found on Frith Lane (Mill Hill East)
Bittacy Close, NW7 Bittacy Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Bittacy Court, NW7 Bittacy Court is a block on Bittacy Hill (Mill Hill East)
Bittacy Hill, NW7 Bittacy Hill is the name of a part of an old road which led from London to Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Bittacy Rise, NW7 Bittacy Rise is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill)
Bittacy Road, NW7 Bittacy Road is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Bradshaw Drive, NW7 Bradshaw Drive is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Bray Road, NW7 Bray Road is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Brownsea Walk, NW7 Brownsea Walk is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Burnstall Close, NW7 Burnstall Close is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Charles Sevright Drive, NW7 Charles Sevright Drive is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Charles Sevright Way, NW7 Charles Sevright Way is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Cheldon Avenue, NW7 Cheldon Avenue is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Copt Place, NW7 Copt Place is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Crowntree Mews, NW7 Crowntree Mews is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Curry Rise, NW7 Curry Rise is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
David Wildman Lane, NW7 David Wildman Lane is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Delta Mews, NW7 Delta Mews is a road in Millbrook Park (Mill Hill East)
Devonshire Crescent, NW7 Devonshire Crescent is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Devonshire Road, NW7 Devonshire Road is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Dollis Road, NW7 Dollis Road is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Drew Avenue, NW7 Drew Avenue is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Drummer Stagpole Mews, NW7 Drummer Stagpole Mews is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Farrier House, NW7 Farrier House is on Thirleby Road (Mill Hill East)
Frances and Dick James Court, NW7 Frances and Dick James Court is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Frith Court, NW7 Frith Court is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Frith Lane, NW7 Frith Lane is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Grants Close, NW7 Grants Close is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Guardhouse Way, NW7 Guardhouse Way is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Hawthorn Mews, NW7 Hawthorn Mews is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Henry Darlot Drive, NW7 Henry Darlot Drive is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Holders Hill Circus, NW7 Holders Hill Circus has long been the junction of Dollis Road, Bittacy Hill and Holders Hill Road (Mill Hill East)
Holders Hill Parade, NW7 Holders Hill Parade is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Holders Hill Road, NW7 Holders Hill Road was a track in existence by the 14th century (Mill Hill East)
Holmes Place, NW7 Holmes Place is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Honiton Gardens, NW7 Honiton Gardens is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Inglis Way, NW7 Inglis Way is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Irwin Close, NW7 Irwin Close is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Katherine Close, NW7 Katherine Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Kelly Road, NW7 Kelly Road is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Kingsbridge Drive, NW7 Kingsbridge Drive is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Kinsale Close, NW7 Kinsale Close is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Langstone Way, NW7 Langstone Way is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Lee Road, NW7 Lee Road is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Lidbury Grove, NW7 Lidbury Grove is a short road in Mill Hill East (Mill Hill East)
Lovers Walk, NW7 Lovers Walk is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Mallow Mead, NW7 Mallow Mead is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Marwood Drive, NW7 Marwood Drive is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Maurice Browne Avenue, NW7 Maurice Browne Avenue, as with many roads names on the area of the former Inglis Barracks, is named after a military figure (Mill Hill East)
Maurice Browne Close, NW7 Maurice Browne Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Mero Way, NW7 Mero Way is a small road on the Mill Hill Barracks estate (Mill Hill East)
Michael Robbins Way, NW7 Michael Robbins Way is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Mill Close, NW7 Mill Close is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Morphou Road, NW7 Morphou Road is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Murray Road, NW7 Murray Road slowly developed from a 19th century track (Mill Hill East)
Nicoll Circus, NW7 Nicoll Circus is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Oakhampton Road, NW7 Oakhampton Road is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Officers Mess Building, NW7 Officers Mess Building is a block on Charles Sevright Way (Mill Hill East)
Osborn Gardens, NW7 Osborn Gardens is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Partingdale Lane, NW7 Partingdale Lane is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Partingdale Lane, NW7 Partingdale Lane runs off Frith Lane and Lullington Garth (Mill Hill East)
Peacock Close, NW7 Peacock Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Peter Collinson Vale, NW7 Peter Collinson Vale is one of the newer roads on the former Inglis Barracks site (Mill Hill East)
Planet House, NW7 Planet House is a block on Partingdale Lane (Mill Hill East)
Price Close, NW7 Price Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Quartermaster Lane, NW7 Quartermaster Lane is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Reading Way, NW7 Reading Way is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Royal Engineers Way, NW7 Royal Engineers Way is a long road in Millbrook Park (Mill Hill East)
Sanders Lane, NW7 Sanders Lane was once part of an ancient lane (Mill Hill East)
Shirwell Close, NW7 Shirwell Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Stockford Avenue, NW7 Stockford Avenue is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Tavistock Avenue, NW7 Tavistock Avenue is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
The Rise, NW7 The Rise is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill)
Thirleby Road, NW7 Thirleby Road is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Thornefield Parade, NW7 Thornefield Parade is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Tiverton Way, NW7 Tiverton Way is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Vineyard Avenue, NW7 Vineyard Avenue is a street in Mill Hill (Mill Hill East)
Walden Way, NW7 Walden Way is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Watch Tower House, NW7 Watch Tower House was built on the site of Bittacy House (Mill Hill East)
Westlinton Close, NW7 Westlinton Close is a road in the NW7 postcode area (Mill Hill East)
Wilkes Close, NW7 Wilkes Close is a location in London (Mill Hill East)
Woodberry Close, NW7 Woodberry Close is a location in London (Mill Hill East)

NEARBY PUBS
Adam and Eve The Adam and Eve has been on this site since 1717.


Click here to explore another London street
We now have 664 completed street histories and 46836 partial histories


Click here to see photos of the area


  Contact us · Copyright policy · Privacy policy