East Finchley
Encyclopedia
East Finchley is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet
, in north London
, and situated 5.4 miles (8.7 km) north-west of Charing Cross
. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley
, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central
to the west.
's hunting ground. More recently, it was home to some grand 'country' estates of wealthy Londoners, from which several roads take their names (e.g. Summerlee Avenue, Park Hall Road). The suburb began to be developed in the 1890s.
is marked by a well-known statue of an archer by Eric Aumonier
in the Art Deco
style, and pointing his arrow towards the opening of the tunnel which starts south of the station and runs all the way to the end of the Northern Line
at Morden
. This 17.3 miles (27.8 km) long tunnel was for many years the longest in the world. There was originally an arrow at Morden Station
to match the archer at East Finchley, but this was stolen not long after the station was opened.
The independent Phoenix Cinema
(once called the Rex and before that the Coliseum) is located on the High Road, and regularly shows films with more individual appeal than is the case with the cinema chains. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in the UK (the only older ones having started life as theatres). Time Out, the arts magazine, describes the Phoenix as the best single-screen cinema in London. Film critic Mark Kermode
has written that the Phoenix Cinema "remains the single most significant cinema in my development as a bona fide cinema obsessive."
There is a listed Neo-Georgian
public library located on the High Road opposite Leslie Road. Behind the library are some award winning allotments
, owned by Barnet Council. Adjacent to these are the Fuelland allotments which are held in trust. The massive St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery
is located on the High Road. Established in 1854, it is the oldest municipal cemetery in London and the largest. The Victorian painter Ford Madox Brown
is buried there. Opposite the tube station is Cherry Tree Wood
, approx. 4.5 ha
in size, and contains both woodland and grassland. Nearby parks include Coldfall wood
to the north, and Highgate Wood
, Queens Wood and Hampstead Heath
to the south.
. The three 10-storey tower blocks of Prospect Ring, near to the centre of East Finchley, are visible for miles around.
(Roman Catholic and mixed) and Christ's College (boys only up to Year 11, mixed sixth form). Many local children attend schools elsewhere in the London Borough of Barnet. For those living in the direction of Muswell Hill to the east of the High Road, Fortismere School
(mixed comprehensive, which falls under the London Borough of Haringey
Local Education Authority) is an option and many East Finchleans also fall into the catchment area for Brookland Junior School, which neighbours Christ's College. The Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute's new facilities are on the High Road.
lived with his mother at 211b High Road. George Michael
, the 1980s singer was born in Church Lane. Sir Ronald Fisher
was born in East Finchley. Gracie Fields
lived in The Bishop's Avenue. Thomas Pierrepoint
, the official British hangman in the early 1900s lived in Huntingdon Road, by chance not far where the 18th century gibbet stood in Lincoln Road. The poet, playwright and educator Clive Sansom
was born in East Finchley in 1910.
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...
, in north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and situated 5.4 miles (8.7 km) 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...
. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central
Finchley Central
Finchley Central may refer to:* Finchley Central tube station* Church End, Barnet, also known as Finchley Central* A song by The New Vaudeville Band...
to the west.
History
The land on which East Finchley now stands was once part of the Bishop of LondonBishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
's hunting ground. More recently, it was home to some grand 'country' estates of wealthy Londoners, from which several roads take their names (e.g. Summerlee Avenue, Park Hall Road). The suburb began to be developed in the 1890s.
Geography
Transport
East Finchley tube stationEast Finchley tube station
East Finchley is a London Underground station in East Finchley in north London. The station is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Highgate and Finchley Central stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-History:...
is marked by a well-known statue of an archer by Eric Aumonier
Eric Aumonier
-Life:Aumonier was born in Northwood, Middlesex . his family name is Huguenot . Eric's grandfather, William, founded the Aumonier Studios in 1876, an architectural sculpture firm in London, initially located at New Inn Yard off Tottenham Court Road, then at 84 Charlotte Street. His son, also called...
in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style, and pointing his arrow towards the opening of the tunnel which starts south of the station and runs all the way to the end of the Northern Line
Northern Line
The 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...
at Morden
Morden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
. This 17.3 miles (27.8 km) long tunnel was for many years the longest in the world. There was originally an arrow at Morden Station
Morden tube station
Morden is a London Underground station in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern line and is the most southerly station on the Underground network. The next station north is...
to match the archer at East Finchley, but this was stolen not long after the station was opened.
Amenities and features
Phoenix Cinema
The Phoenix Cinema is an independent cinema in East Finchley, London, which was built in 1910 and opened in 1912 as the 'East Finchley Picturedrome'...
(once called the Rex and before that the Coliseum) is located on the High Road, and regularly shows films with more individual appeal than is the case with the cinema chains. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in the UK (the only older ones having started life as theatres). Time Out, the arts magazine, describes the Phoenix as the best single-screen cinema in London. Film critic Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He contributes to Sight and Sound magazine, The Observer newspaper and BBC Radio 5 Live, where he presents Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews with Simon Mayo on Friday afternoons...
has written that the Phoenix Cinema "remains the single most significant cinema in my development as a bona fide cinema obsessive."
There is a listed Neo-Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
public library located on the High Road opposite Leslie Road. Behind the library are some award winning allotments
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
, owned by Barnet Council. Adjacent to these are the Fuelland allotments which are held in trust. The massive St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery
St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery
The St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery in East Finchley, North London while situated in the London Borough of Barnet is actually two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, Camden and Islington...
is located on the High Road. Established in 1854, it is the oldest municipal cemetery in London and the largest. The Victorian painter Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown
Ford Madox Brown was an English painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his most notable painting was Work...
is buried there. Opposite the tube station is Cherry Tree Wood
Cherry Tree Wood
Cherry Tree Wood is a park and a remnant of ancient woodland in East Finchley, in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a Local Nature Reserve....
, approx. 4.5 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
in size, and contains both woodland and grassland. Nearby parks include Coldfall wood
Coldfall wood
Coldfall Wood is an ancient wood in Muswell Hill, North London. It covers an area of approximately 14 hectares and is surrounded by the St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery, the East Finchley public allotments, and the residential roads Creighton Avenue and Barrenger Road...
to the north, and Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood
Highgate Wood is a 28 hectare area of ancient woodland in North London, lying between East Finchley, Highgate Village, and Muswell Hill. It was originally part of the ancient Forest of Middlesex which covered much of London, Hertfordshire and Essex and was mentioned in the Domesday Book...
, Queens Wood and Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
to the south.
Housing
Housing in East Finchley is diverse in its nature, encompassing most housing styles, from 19th Century terraced housing and 1960s council estates to multi-million pound mansions on The Bishop's AvenueThe Bishop's Avenue
The Bishops Avenue, London N2, connects the north side of Hampstead Heath at Kenwood , Hampstead to East Finchley and is on the boundary of the London Boroughs of Barnet and Haringey. Average property prices on the avenue surpassed £1 million in the late 1980s and each property occupies a 2-3 acre...
. The three 10-storey tower blocks of Prospect Ring, near to the centre of East Finchley, are visible for miles around.
Schools
East Finchley has several state primary schools, including Our Lady Of Lourdes RC primary school, Martin Primary School, and Holy Trinity Primary School. There are two secondary schools in East Finchley itself - Bishop Douglass RC High SchoolBishop Douglass RC High School
Bishop Douglass Science College is a mixed Catholic secondary school with a sixth form located in the London Borough of Barnet. The school first opened in 1963 as a Secondary Modern facility and later became a Comprehensive school....
(Roman Catholic and mixed) and Christ's College (boys only up to Year 11, mixed sixth form). Many local children attend schools elsewhere in the London Borough of Barnet. For those living in the direction of Muswell Hill to the east of the High Road, Fortismere School
Fortismere School
Fortismere School is a mixed, community foundation secondary school in Muswell Hill, London, United Kingdom.-Admissions:It falls under the London Borough of Haringey Local Education Authority...
(mixed comprehensive, which falls under the London Borough of Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
Local Education Authority) is an option and many East Finchleans also fall into the catchment area for Brookland Junior School, which neighbours Christ's College. The Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute's new facilities are on the High Road.
Notable people
Peter SellersPeter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
lived with his mother at 211b High Road. George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, the 1980s singer was born in Church Lane. Sir Ronald Fisher
Ronald Fisher
Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher FRS was an English statistician, evolutionary biologist, eugenicist and geneticist. Among other things, Fisher is well known for his contributions to statistics by creating Fisher's exact test and Fisher's equation...
was born in East Finchley. Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
lived in The Bishop's Avenue. Thomas Pierrepoint
Thomas Pierrepoint
Thomas William Pierrepoint was one of the United Kingdom's executioners from 1906 until 1946. He was the brother of Henry and uncle of Albert....
, the official British hangman in the early 1900s lived in Huntingdon Road, by chance not far where the 18th century gibbet stood in Lincoln Road. The poet, playwright and educator Clive Sansom
Clive Sansom
-Life and work:Sansom was born on 21 June 1910 in East Finchley, London and educated at Southgate County School, where he matriculated in 1926. He worked as a clerk until 1934, and then studied speech and drama at the Regent Street Polytechnic and the London Speech Institute under Margaret Gullan...
was born in East Finchley in 1910.