Arkley
Encyclopedia
Arkley is a village in the London Borough of Barnet
. It is located 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north north-west of Charing Cross
, and at 482 feet (147 m) above sea level is one of the highest points in London.
It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet
and Stirling Corner, roughly centred around the "Gate" pub, and is composed of the ancient hamlets of Barnet Gate
, Rowley Green and Arkley hamlet. It is also home to one of the oldest windmill
s in southern England.
road. Certainly the name, 'Grendel's Gate' (now Barnet Gate
, and formally known as 'Grims Gate'), is associated with the monster from the Saxon
epic, Beowulf
. This implies that the place was of modest importance as early as 1005. It may have been a centre of a small but significant community, founded on a woodland
economy.
The area is latter referred to in medieval documents as 'Southhaw', and may have pre-dated the settlement at Chipping Barnet. Certainly, Barnet manorial
court was held here in the 13th century. Nobody is sure what the 'Ark', part of Arkley means but the 'ley' means a "clearing of some sort". Its earliest appearance is about 1330. By the 16th century, these woods had been cleared, and the subsequent clearing formed common.
From at least the early 19th century until the 1890s, Arkley was commonly known as 'Barnet Common' or 'West Barnet'. The establishment of the civil parish http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10170758 of 830 acres (3.4 km²) in 1894 confused matters further, as it was defined by the rural area around 'Barnet Town', and included places as far east as Duck Island and Underhill
. It is from the civil parish
, and the later ward of Barnet
Urban District (from 1905) that we have our population statistics for Arkley. Between 1901 and 1971, Arkley's rose from 483 to 16,832. It was transferred from Hertfordshire to Greater London in 1965.
St Peter's can be found opposite the War Memorial
on Barnet Road in Arkley.
Arkley, as an ecclesiastical district was established in the same year, and as a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1905. Arkley Windmill
http://www.windmillworld.com/uk/hertfordshire.htm was in use by 1806. It is marked as "corn" windmill on the Ordnance Survey
of the 1860s . From photographs, it appears to have had only two of its original sails by the 1890s, by which time it may have been powered by steam. It ceased to be a functioning mill during World War I
, and was restored in 1930, but not as a working mill. The Gate Inn retains some of its original features. The sign, in the form of a hanging five bar gate, has an inscription which reads:
This gate hangs high,
According to the old article displayed on one of its walls, The Gate was once visited by Anna Pavlova and her dancing troop. Until the early 1960s a large tree grew up from the floor of the pub and out through the roof.
s than any other district in Barnet:
In addition, Dollis Brook
and Folly Brook
, which are also Local Nature Reserves, rise in Arkley.
over the centuries. During the 1950s, a 13th century kiln
at Dyke Cottage was excavated, revealing a large cooking pot, and 19th century Ordnance Survey maps mark a "Tile Works". In the 1970s, John Britten produced a small racing car named the "Arkley"
in the area. A War Memorial
was erected in 1920. During World War II
, a listening post for German messages was maintained in the area.
Nearby:
Directories
Early directories use the Victorian name, Barnet Common or West Barnet, for 'Arkley'.
Source: http://www.historicaldirectories.org
Research articles
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
. It is located 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north north-west of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
, and at 482 feet (147 m) above sea level is one of the highest points in London.
It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
and Stirling Corner, roughly centred around the "Gate" pub, and is composed of the ancient hamlets of Barnet Gate
Barnet Gate
Barnet Gate is a small hamlet located on the far outskirts of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is located in the west hand side of Arkley. It is near to the Stirling Corner junction with the A1. Just to the west is the town of Borehamwood.-Geography:...
, Rowley Green and Arkley hamlet. It is also home to one of the oldest windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s in southern England.
History
| 1901 | 483 |
|---|---|
| 1911 | 494 |
| 1921 | 959 |
| 1931 | 1,929 |
| 1941 | war # |
| 1951 | 7,536 |
| # no census was held due to war | |
| source: UK census | |
Historical background
It is thought by some that Hendon Wood Lane was originally a minor RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
road. Certainly the name, 'Grendel's Gate' (now Barnet Gate
Barnet Gate
Barnet Gate is a small hamlet located on the far outskirts of the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is located in the west hand side of Arkley. It is near to the Stirling Corner junction with the A1. Just to the west is the town of Borehamwood.-Geography:...
, and formally known as 'Grims Gate'), is associated with the monster from the Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
epic, Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
. This implies that the place was of modest importance as early as 1005. It may have been a centre of a small but significant community, founded on a woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
economy.
The area is latter referred to in medieval documents as 'Southhaw', and may have pre-dated the settlement at Chipping Barnet. Certainly, Barnet manorial
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
court was held here in the 13th century. Nobody is sure what the 'Ark', part of Arkley means but the 'ley' means a "clearing of some sort". Its earliest appearance is about 1330. By the 16th century, these woods had been cleared, and the subsequent clearing formed common.
From at least the early 19th century until the 1890s, Arkley was commonly known as 'Barnet Common' or 'West Barnet'. The establishment of the civil parish http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10170758 of 830 acres (3.4 km²) in 1894 confused matters further, as it was defined by the rural area around 'Barnet Town', and included places as far east as Duck Island and Underhill
Underhill
-Places:*Underhill, Dorset, England*Underhill School, Barnet, England*Underhill Stadium, Barnet, England, the home ground of Barnet F.C.*Underhill, Vermont, United States*Underhill, Wisconsin, a town, United States*Underhill , Wisconsin...
. It is from the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, and the later ward of Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
Urban District (from 1905) that we have our population statistics for Arkley. Between 1901 and 1971, Arkley's rose from 483 to 16,832. It was transferred from Hertfordshire to Greater London in 1965.
Important buildings
Important buildings in the area include St Peter's Church http://web.archive.org/web/20050921102027/http://www.barnetlep.org.uk/st_peter.htm, designed by George Beckett. Built in 1840 at a cost of £5,000, it contains the monument of its benefactor, Enoch Durant (died 1848), and a bell cast by Thomas Mears.St Peter's can be found opposite the War Memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
on Barnet Road in Arkley.
Arkley, as an ecclesiastical district was established in the same year, and as a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1905. Arkley Windmill
Barnet Gate Mill, Arkley
Barnet Gate Mill is a grade II* listed Tower mill at Barnet Gate in the London Borough of Barnet, originally in Hertfordshire, which was built in 1823.-History:...
http://www.windmillworld.com/uk/hertfordshire.htm was in use by 1806. It is marked as "corn" windmill on the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
of the 1860s . From photographs, it appears to have had only two of its original sails by the 1890s, by which time it may have been powered by steam. It ceased to be a functioning mill during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was restored in 1930, but not as a working mill. The Gate Inn retains some of its original features. The sign, in the form of a hanging five bar gate, has an inscription which reads:
- and hinders none;
- refresh and pay,
- and travel on
According to the old article displayed on one of its walls, The Gate was once visited by Anna Pavlova and her dancing troop. Until the early 1960s a large tree grew up from the floor of the pub and out through the roof.
Nature reserves
For its size, Arkley has more Local Nature ReserveLocal Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
s than any other district in Barnet:
- Arkley Lane and PasturesArkley Lane and PasturesArkley Lane and Pastures is a Local Nature Reserve, Borough Grade II, in Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet. Arkley Lane, off Barnet Road, is an old drovers' road. It is now a quiet country lane with a traditional bank and ditch...
- Arkley South FieldArkley South FieldArkley South Field is a Local Nature Reserve, Borough Grade II, in Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet. It is an extensive area of set-aside agricultural fields with hedgerows and ditches. It is not of great botanical interest, and its conservation value lies in its breeding birds, especially...
- Barnet Gate WoodBarnet Gate WoodBarnet Gate Wood is in Arkley, Barnet, London. It is owned and managed by the London Borough of Barnet, and is part of the Watling Chase Community Forest....
- Glebe Lane PasturesGlebe Lane PasturesGlebe Lane Pastures is a Local Nature Reserve, Borough Grade I, in Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet.It consists of five fields off Glebe Lane, some managed for hay while others are grazed by horses. It contains flower-rich unimproved grassland which is dominated by Yorkshire Fog, with a good...
- Rowley Green CommonRowley Green CommonRowley Green Common is a five hectare nature reserve in Arkley, London. It is a Local Nature Reserve which is designated a Site of Metropolitan Importance...
- Rowley Lodge FieldRowley Lodge FieldRowley Lodge Field is a Local Nature Reserve, Borough Grade II, in Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet.Rowley Lodge Field is an old hay meadow, with flower rich grassland and scattered oak trees. It has a good diversity of wild flowers, including great burnet and pignut, both characteristic of...
- Totteridge FieldsTotteridge FieldsTotteridge Fields is a seven hectare Local Nature Reserve owned by the London Borough of Barnet and managed by the London Wildlife Trust. It is an ancient hay meadow habitat consisting of three fields, known as Nutt Field, Hen Mead and Nearer Slay Land, with hawthorn and blackthorn hedgerows...
and Highwood Hill
In addition, Dollis Brook
Dollis Brook
Dollis Brook runs through the London Borough of Barnet in North London. It is a tributary of the River Brent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames. The Dollis Valley Greenwalk follows almost all of Dollis Brook, apart from a short section at the beginning which passes through private...
and Folly Brook
Folly Brook
Folly Brook is a 2¼ mile long brook in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a tributary of Dollis Brook, which is a tributary of the River Brent, which is a tributary of the River Thames....
, which are also Local Nature Reserves, rise in Arkley.
Geography
Local industry
Local clay has been exploited for brick-making and potteryPottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
over the centuries. During the 1950s, a 13th century kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
at Dyke Cottage was excavated, revealing a large cooking pot, and 19th century Ordnance Survey maps mark a "Tile Works". In the 1970s, John Britten produced a small racing car named the "Arkley"
Arkley (automobile)
The Arkley is an English automobile that was manufactured by John Britten Garages workshops at Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet.The first model was a two-seater called Arkley SS, designed by John Britten in 1970 .The retro "bug-eyed" design was inspired by a mixture of the Morgan and the...
in the area. A War Memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
was erected in 1920. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a listening post for German messages was maintained in the area.
Notable people
- Tony BlackburnTony BlackburnTony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
- DJ, is a current resident - Graham HillGraham HillNorman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
- racing driver, who lived locally between BorehamwoodBorehamwood-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
and ShenleyShenley, HertfordshireShenley is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, between Barnet and St Albans. The village is located 18.7 miles from Central London.-History:...
. Killed when his private plane crashed on to
Arkley Golf Course on a foggy night in November 1975. - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
(1913–1988) - actor, lived for many years in Arkley and also died here. - Humphrey LytteltonHumphrey LytteltonHumphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton , also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster, and chairman of the BBC radio comedy programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue...
lived here - Dr W.E. Shewell-CooperShewell CooperDr. Wilfred Edward Shewell-Cooper, M.B.E., N.D.H., F.L.S., F.R.S.L., F.R.H.S., Dip. Hort. was a British organic gardener and pioneer of no dig gardening. He was the author of Soil, Humus and Health , The Royal Gardeners , Grow your own food supply , The ABC of Vegetable Gardening and many other...
- the organic gardener, used Arkley Manor for many years as a home and show garden - Norman WisdomNorman WisdomSir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
lived here
Buses
- 107London Buses route 107London Buses route 107 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
- New Barnet Station to Edgware Station via Borehamwood - 307 - Arkley Hotel to Brimsdown via Barnet and Enfield
- 614 - Queensbury Station to Hatfield Business Park via Barnet (Monday to Saturday)
Nearby:
- 384 - Barnet (Quinta Drive) to Cockfosters Station
Tube stations
Nearby:- High BarnetHigh Barnet tube stationHigh Barnet tube station is a London Underground station located in High Barnet in North London. The station is the terminus of the High Barnet branch of the Northern line and is in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the northernmost station on the Northern line and is situated 10.2 miles north north-west...
- Northern LineNorthern LineThe Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in... - Totteridge & WhetstoneTotteridge and Whetstone tube stationTotteridge and Whetstone tube station is a London Underground station in north London. The station is the penultimate one on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line, between Woodside Park and High Barnet stations, and in Travelcard Zone 4...
- Northern LineNorthern LineThe Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
External links
Directories
Early directories use the Victorian name, Barnet Common or West Barnet, for 'Arkley'.
Source: http://www.historicaldirectories.org
Research articles