Avenue House Grounds

Park in/near Finchley Central, existing between 1928 and now

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Park · Finchley Central · ·
APRIL
6
2014

Avenue House Grounds, also known as Stephens House and Gardens, is a four hectare nature site in Church End, Finchley.

Avenue House itself is a villa dating from 1859 on a site previously known as Temple Croft Fields, named after the Knights Templar, who were granted 40 acres in 1243.

In 1874, the house and estate was acquired by (the later) local MP Henry Stephens who lived there with his family. He enlarged the house, added a stables building and employed the leading landscape gardener Robert Marnock to design the grounds, which include a walled garden and staff accommodation called The Bothy. On his death in 1918, Stephens bequeathed the house and grounds to the Finchley Urban District Council, subject to the condition that it was open for the use and enjoyment always of the public.

The gardens were opened to the public in 1928.

Over ten years the Finchley Society raised funds to commission a statue of former local resident Spike Milligan cast in bronze by local sculptor John Somerville and erected by the stables block. The statue of Spike sitting on a bench was unveiled in September 2014.


Main source: Avenue House Grounds - Wikipedia
Further citations and sources


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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Comment
MARY RUSHTON-BEALES   
Added: 25 Jan 2021 17:58 GMT   

MY GRANDMA GREW UP HERE - 100 WILLIFIELD WAY
MY GRANDMA WINIFRED AND HER BROTHERS ERIC AND JEFF LIVED AT 100 WILLIFIELD WAY. THEY WERE PART OF THE HAMPSTEAD GARDEN SUBURB SOCIAL EXPERIMENT. GRANDMA ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT WILLIFIELD WAY AND HER LIFE IN HAMPSTEAD GARDEN SUBURB WITH GREAT AFFECTION. SHE WAS CONVINCED THAT THEY HAD BETTER EDUCATION BECAUSE THEY LIVED THERE. NOT LONG AGO MY BROTHER AND I TOOK THE TRAIN TO THIS PART OF LONDON AND WALKED DOWN THE ROAD. THE HOUSE IS STILL THERE

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Tim Stevenson   
Added: 16 Nov 2021 18:03 GMT   

Pub still open
The Bohemia survived the 2020/21 lockdowns and is still a thriving local social resource.

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LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

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Christine D Elliott   
Added: 20 Mar 2023 15:52 GMT   

The Blute Family
My grandparents, Frederick William Blute & Alice Elizabeth Blute nee: Warnham lived at 89 Blockhouse Street Deptford from around 1917.They had six children. 1. Alice Maragret Blute (my mother) 2. Frederick William Blute 3. Charles Adrian Blute 4. Violet Lillian Blute 5. Donald Blute 6. Stanley Vincent Blute (Lived 15 months). I lived there with my family from 1954 (Birth) until 1965 when we were re-housed for regeneration to the area.
I attended Ilderton Road School.
Very happy memories of that time.

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Pearl Foster   
Added: 20 Mar 2023 12:22 GMT   

Dukes Place, EC3A
Until his death in 1767, Daniel Nunes de Lara worked from his home in Dukes Street as a Pastry Cook. It was not until much later the street was renamed Dukes Place. Daniel and his family attended the nearby Bevis Marks synagogue for Sephardic Jews. The Ashkenazi Great Synagogue was established in Duke Street, which meant Daniel’s business perfectly situated for his occupation as it allowed him to cater for both congregations.

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Dr Paul Flewers   
Added: 9 Mar 2023 18:12 GMT   

Some Brief Notes on Hawthorne Close / Hawthorne Street
My great-grandparents lived in the last house on the south side of Hawthorne Street, no 13, and my grandmother Alice Knopp and her brothers and sisters grew up there. Alice Knopp married Charles Flewers, from nearby Hayling Road, and moved to Richmond, Surrey, where I was born. Leonard Knopp married Esther Gutenberg and lived there until the street was demolished in the mid-1960s, moving on to Tottenham. Uncle Len worked in the fur trade, then ran a pet shop in, I think, the Kingsland Road.

From the back garden, one could see the almshouses in the Balls Pond Road. There was an ink factory at the end of the street, which I recall as rather malodorous.

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KJH   
Added: 7 Mar 2023 17:14 GMT   

Andover Road, N7 (1939 - 1957)
My aunt, Doris nee Curtis (aka Jo) and her husband John Hawkins (aka Jack) ran a small general stores at 92 Andover Road (N7). I have found details in the 1939 register but don’t know how long before that it was opened.He died in 1957. In the 1939 register he is noted as being an ARP warden for Islington warden

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Added: 2 Mar 2023 13:50 GMT   

The Queens Head
Queens Head demolished and a NISA supermarket and flats built in its place.

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Comment
Mike   
Added: 28 Feb 2023 18:09 GMT   

6 Elia Street
When I was young I lived in 6 Elia Street. At the end of the garden there was a garage owned by Initial Laundries which ran from an access in Quick Street all the way up to the back of our garden. The fire exit to the garage was a window leading into our garden. 6 Elia Street was owned by Initial Laundry.

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Comment
Fumblina   
Added: 21 Feb 2023 11:39 GMT   

Error on 1800 map numbering for John Street
The 1800 map of Whitfield Street (17 zoom) has an error in the numbering shown on the map. The houses are numbered up the right hand side of John Street and Upper John Street to #47 and then are numbered down the left hand side until #81 BUT then continue from 52-61 instead of 82-91.

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Comment
P Cash   
Added: 19 Feb 2023 08:03 GMT   

Occupants of 19-29 Woburn Place
The Industrial Tribunals (later changed to Employment Tribunals) moved (from its former location on Ebury Bridge Road to 19-29 Woburn Place sometime in the late 1980s (I believe).

19-29 Woburn Place had nine floors in total (one in the basement and two in its mansard roof and most of the building was occupied by the Tribunals

The ’Head Office’ of the tribunals, occupied space on the 7th, 6th and 2nd floors, whilst one of the largest of the regional offices (London North but later called London Central) occupied space in the basement, ground and first floor.

The expansive ground floor entrance had white marble flooring and a security desk. Behind (on evey floor) lay a square (& uncluttered) lobby space, which was flanked on either side by lifts. On the rear side was an elegant staircase, with white marble steps, brass inlays and a shiny brass handrail which spiralled around an open well. Both staircase, stairwell and lifts ran the full height of the building. On all floors from 1st upwards, staff toilets were tucked on either side of the staircase (behind the lifts).

Basement Floor - Tribunal hearing rooms, dormant files store and secure basement space for Head Office. Public toilets.

Geound Floor - The ’post’ roon sat next to the entrance in the northern side, the rest of which was occupied by the private offices of the full time Tribunal judiciary. Thw largest office belonged to the Regional Chair and was situated on the far corner (overlooking Tavistock Square) The secretary to the Regional Chair occupied a small office next door.
The south side of this floor was occupied by the large open plan General Office for the administration, a staff kitchen & rest room and the private offices of the Regional Secretary (office manager) and their deputy.

First Dloor - Tribunal hearing rooms; separate public waiting rooms for Applicants & Respondents; two small rooms used by Counsel (on a ’whoever arrives first’ bases) and a small private rest room for use by tribunal lay members.

Second Floor - Tribunal Hearing Rooms; Tribunal Head Office - HR & Estate Depts & other tennants.

Third Floor - other tennants

Fourth Floor - other tennants

Fifth Floor - Other Tennants except for a large non-smoking room for staff, (which overlooked Tavistock Sqaure). It was seldom used, as a result of lacking any facities aside from a meagre collection of unwanted’ tatty seating. Next to it, (overlooking Tavistock Place) was a staff canteen.

Sixth Floor - Other tennants mostly except for a few offices on the northern side occupied by tribunal Head Office - IT Dept.

Seventh Floor - Other tenants in the northern side. The southern (front) side held the private offices of several senior managers (Secretariat, IT & Finance), private office of the Chief Accuntant; an office for two private secretaries and a stationary cupboard. On the rear side was a small kitchen; the private office of the Chief Executive and the private office of the President of the Tribunals for England & Wales. (From 1995 onwards, this became a conference room as the President was based elsewhere. The far end of this side contained an open plan office for Head Office staff - Secretariat, Finance & HR (staff training team) depts.

Eighth Floor - other tennants.


The Employment Tribunals (Regional & Head Offices) relocated to Vitory House, Kingsway in April 2005.






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V:8

NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Avenue House Avenue House is a large Victorian mansion (Grade II listed) situated on East End Road.
Avenue House Grounds Avenue House Grounds, also known as Stephens House and Gardens, is a four hectare nature site in Church End, Finchley.
Claigmar Vineyard The Claigmar Vineyard produced Middlesex grapes - and maybe wine.

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NEARBY PUBS
Queen’s Head The Queen’s Head was situated at 248 Regents Park Road.


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Finchley Central

Finchley Central is a tube station which covers the central part of Finchley - an area formerly called Church End.

Finchley formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has been part of Greater London since 1965.

The main road runs on a north-south axis, and is called Regents Park Road from the North Circular Road until it reaches the station, where the name changes to Ballards Lane. Its heart is the ancient district around the St Mary’s Church, where the imposing tower of Pardes House (formally Christ’s College Finchley), is a landmark. There is a public library, Church End Library and Finchley police station. Along Ballards Lane, close to the station, is a retail district with some Victorian and Edwardian shoping parade as well as modern shops including Tesco.

To the southeast, along East End Road are two institutions of note Avenue House home to the Finchley Society, and a Jewish cultural centre the Sternberg Centre. South, along Regents Park Road is College Farm the last farm in Finchley, and a statue, referred to locally as ’The Naked Lady’, but more properly called La Delivrance. Victoria Park is the home of Finchley Carnival, a large fun fair held every year in July, dating back to 1905.

Finchley Central station opened on 22 August 1867 as part of the Great Northern Railway’s line between Finsbury Park and Edgware stations. As part of London Underground’s Northern Heights plan, Northern line trains started serving the station in 1940 and main line passenger services ended in 1941.

The station was originally named ’Finchley and Hendon’.


LOCAL PHOTOS
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Nether Street
Old London postcard
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