High Barnet - Totteridge walk

This walk takes in the top of the Northern Line..

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Article · * · EN5 ·
JUNE
21
2022
This walk takes in the top of the Northern Line.

High Barnet is a London Underground station and, in the past, a railway station, located in Chipping Barnet. It is the terminus of the High Barnet branch of the Northern line and is the start of a walk which takes us on to Totteridge and Whetstone station. You can see our version of this walk by clicking on the accompanying YouTube link.

High Barnet station was an idea of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway and was opened on 1 April 1872 by the Great Northern Railway which had taken over by then. It was situated on one of the original sites of the Barnet Fair and was the terminus of the branch line that ran from Finsbury Park via Highgate.

The section north of East Finchley was incorporated into the London Underground network because of the Northern Heights project begun in the late 1930s. High Barnet station was served by Northern line trains from 14 April 1940 onwards.

The station retains much of its original Victorian architectural character, with some platform buildings dating from the pre-London Transport era.

If you are walking this route along with us, it’s a steep climb out of the station. Once you reach the main road - Barnet Hill - the station becomes quite hidden.

Barnet Hill was part of the Great North Road which ran through Barnet - the main highway between England and Scotland from medieval times until the 20th century. The Great North Road was a coaching route used by mail coaches travelling between London, York and Edinburgh.

Cross the road where you can, find the footpath marked in the direction Underhill and follow this downhill. The path reaches the point where Barnet Lane enters Mays Lane. The latter is an ancient east-west lane of Barnet running along the south of Underhill towards Barnet Gate.

Barnet Lane, meanwhile, runs south from this junction. It is one of a series of roads with this name in the area. As we cross into Barnet Lane, the Potteries (sheltered housing) has an interesting mural.

Continue south along the lane until the end of Westcombe Drive - turn along this road. The whole area was the home of Barnet FC from 1907 until 2013.

Modern housing (which we don't pass) is on the site of the former stadium and lies behind the 1930s housing on the right (south) side of the road as we walk along it.

At the end of Westcombe Drive, there a T junction. Turn right here into Fairfield Way which after a few hundred metres splits into two - take the right fork called Grasvenor Avenue.

In the late 1920s, Barnet Urban District Council bought land which became Barnet Playing Fields. It also acquired the adjoining land which it designated for private housing. The area had been farmland and was by then used in September each year for the Barnet Fair. Just over one acre of this land was acquired by the
Jesus Hospital in September 1930. Twelve cottages were completed as almshouses in 1934 with the architect being Miss J.E. Townsend.

Nine women were accepted from Chipping Barnet and three from East Barnet. These almshouses are secluded cottages which cannot be seen from the road but are beautifully designed examples of 1930s architecture.

Indeed we leave Grasvenor Avenue before we reach them and into Barnet Playing Fields at a sign pointing out the direction of the Dollis Valley Greenwalk.

We can now follow this path until Totteridge & Whetstone station.

 







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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Spotted here
   
Added: 18 Jul 2022 13:56 GMT   

Map of Thornsett Road Esrlsfield


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LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

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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.

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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

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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

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Charles   
Added: 8 Mar 2024 20:45 GMT   

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

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NH   
Added: 7 Mar 2024 11:41 GMT   

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

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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.

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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.

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Vic Stanley   
Added: 24 Feb 2024 17:38 GMT   

Postcose
The postcode is SE15, NOT SE1

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LOCAL PHOTOS
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Chipping Barnet
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