Archived Articles January 2020 todate

Barnet's Poor Clare nuns plan delayed 50th birthday party in 2021

Dec 30, 2020 General News
Sister Francisca (right), the Mother Abbess of Barnet Poor Clares, with Sister Rosaria
Lockdown and self-isolation have imposed few significant changes in the daily life of the nuns of the…

Was this rare early film shot in Barnet? 5

Dec 29, 2020 Barnet History
Birt Acres, a key figure in the invention of British movies, lived and worked in Chipping Barnet. His 1897…

Rambles Round Barnet Update 23rd December 2020

Dec 23, 2020 Rambles
There is a serious problem for ramblers planning to travel by car to Dancers Hill before doing the following…

End of an era in New Barnet: au revoir, Chez Tonton 7

Dec 22, 2020 General News
Eric and Claudine Michel, proprietors of Chez Tonton, with head chef Hubert Champion (right)
A New Barnet institution, the French restaurant Chez Tonton has closed after 37 years -- an emotional…

From inspiration to realisation: the greening of Barnet Hill

Dec 21, 2020 General News
David Lee with volunteers hard at work in 1999 planting London planes and Norway maples on Barnet Hill
At the close of 2020, after one of the bleakest years for High Barnet in recent living memory, the long wait…

Wide support for 'NHS heroes' at Barnet Hospital coping with virus emergency

Dec 18, 2020 General News
Gifts, donations and volunteering at Barnet Hospital are being co-ordinated by the Royal Free Hospital Charity by volunteer manager, Louise Bellass (left), and community fund raiser, Carla Bispham
Boxes of chocolates, gift bags - and volunteering to have on-line chats with lonely dementia patients - are…

Theatre school pupils say 'the show must go on'

Dec 16, 2020 General News
Celebrating the Christmas video produced by pupils at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School (from left to right) Melissa Gillespie, teacher; Julia Hammond, headteacher; and Susi Earnshaw, school founder and artistic director of the Bull Theatre
With their performances for Barnet's Christmas Fayre and their annual pantomime at the Bull Theatre all…

New trees and modern management for Monken Hadley Common 2

Dec 15, 2020 General News
In goes a small-leaved lime sapling under the guidance, from the left to right, of Anthony Facey of Ground Control, William Boyes, clerk to the churchwardens, Roger De La Mare and Gary Chambers
Tree planting to sustain Hadley Woods is proving a far simpler task than updating the archaic laws that have…

Another rebuff to gas works flats: Mayor of London says No 2

Dec 09, 2020 Planning
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has backed Barnet Council's decision to reject planning permission for the…

Food banks across Barnet face twin challenge of Covid-19 and Christmas

Dec 08, 2020 General News
Harold Williams manages the storage of items for Chipping Barnet Food Bank
Increased unemployment and rising hardship due to covid-19 are putting pressure on food banks across the…

Barnet Hospital stretched by delayed opening of new covid-19 ward

Dec 01, 2020 General News
A new covid-19 secure ward built at Barnet Hospital
A two-month delay in opening a purpose-built new ward for covid-19 patients increased pressure at Barnet…

Is New Barnet's gasometer about to disappear from landscape? 3

Nov 27, 2020 General News
New Barnet's decommissioned gas holder as seen from Albert Road
National Grid has applied to Barnet Council for permission to demolish New Barnet's redundant gasholder…

Return of the zombie telecom hubs 2

Nov 24, 2020 General News
Barely a year after JC Decaux was refused planning permission for three telecom/advertising hubs in the High…

High Barnet's claim to London's oldest timber structure

Nov 23, 2020 General News
A medieval timber roof discovered above a vacant shop in Barnet High Street might be as old or even older…

Brightening up lockdown: busy trading at Barnet market

Nov 18, 2020 General News
Jenny Linford (left) and Judith Clouston
Friends of Barnet Market are welcoming the continued presence of the twice-weekly market during the second…

Improving road safety around High Barnet's schools

Nov 18, 2020 General News
Violet Walker, head teacher at QE Girls, with Barhale projector manager Steve Collet, at unveiling of road safety banner
Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School is helping to promote National Road Safety Week with a large banner close to…

Barnet's changing allotments: inspired by The Good Life? 1

Nov 16, 2020 General News
Sophie Esplin-Jones collecting compost
Women are increasingly taking over from men in cultivating allotments - a national trend which is certainly…

Barnet's fallen comrades remembered despite coronavirus pandemic

Nov 08, 2020 General News
A socially distanced two-minute silence was observed at the war memorial at Barnet parish church to mark…

Top London honour for QE Girls' history teacher 28

Nov 05, 2020 General News
Without him knowing what was happening, past and present pupils at Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, Barnet,…

Wanted: Barnet memories of going to the flicks 1

Nov 02, 2020 General News
Going to the pictures once or even several times a week used to be commonplace among the older…

Historic "Twist" to High Street planning objections

Nov 01, 2020 Planning
An application has been made for planning permission to build three flats on the site of the former Victoria…

Easier access to Finchley Memorial Hospital with direct bus 3

Nov 01, 2020 General News
Bus services on the 383 route are now running directly from Barnet to Finchley Memorial Hospital in response…

Medieval timbers uncovered during High Street conversion 8

Oct 28, 2020 General News
Arianit Dobra and his daughter Elisana admire the medieval woodwork in their shop in Barnet High Street.
Specialists in medieval buildings have expressed amazement and delight at the discovery in Barnet High Street…

Delay over TfL's plans for High Barnet tube station

Oct 23, 2020 Planning
A planning application that had been expected several months ago to build blocks of flats around High Barnet…

Brasserie offering vegan menu to replace Carluccio's at Spires 6

Oct 22, 2020 General News
A new brasserie and retail space - to be called Botannika - is to take over the former Carluccio's restaurant…

New landlord joins publicans determined to stay in business

Oct 19, 2020 General News
Polish trained chef Lukasz Szumski is planning to add one or two specialities from his grandfather's recipes…

Close vote against new housing in Whalebones woods and fields 7

Oct 14, 2020 Planning
Sites of proposed new housing and parkland in Whalebones estate. To the north is Wood Street and new road junction at The Arkley; to the south Wellhouse Lane and Barnet Hospital; and to the west new Elmbank estate.
Years of campaigning to preserve the Whalebones woodland and farmland in Wood Street paid off when Barnet…

Life under lockdown at cohousing flats for older women 1

Oct 09, 2020 Barnet Market
Cohousing pioneer Shirley Meredeen
"We've not only survived but managed to thrive during lockdown" say the 26 residents of High Barnet's…

Caricatures for Barnet's Northern Line tube stations

Oct 06, 2020 General News
Searching for a celebrity connected wth all 272 tube stations on the London Underground has been a lockdown…

Protecting Hadley Common's great crested newts 2

Oct 04, 2020 General News
Michael and Karen Hallowell -- and their dog Monty -- check out the protection for great crested newts
Plastic barriers and traps have been set up across Monken Hadley Common to safeguard great crested newts…

Nature reserve's new paths will help disabled enjoy sensory trail

Sep 28, 2020 General News
On the sensory trail...Bernard Johnson, chair of Friends of Barnet Environment Centre.
To improve access for the disabled and children and visitors in wheelchairs, the main paths in and around the…

High Barnet's litter pickers out in force 1

Sep 28, 2020 General News
The Southern family with litter picking grabbers at the ready
Young and old joined in to help with High Barnet Green Beings' Sunday litter pick in and around the town…

Possible financial lifeline for New Barnet's decaying cricket pavilion 1

Sep 24, 2020 General News
Barnet Council is being asked to investigate whether restoration of the boarded up cricket pavilion in Tudor…

Barnet's blot on the landscape might soon be no more!

Sep 21, 2020 Planning
Planners are promising Roger Newell a speed answer on possible redevelopment
A renewed attempt to replace a much-loathed eyesore in Union Street, High Barnet, with new housing is finally…

Dog walking in Hadley inspires Alison Steadman love story 1

Sep 17, 2020 General News
Alison Steadman and Dave Johns (left) talking to film director Paul Morrison while shooting 23 Walks
Years spent walking the dog on Hadley Green and in Hadley Woods and King George's Field was the inspiration…

Artwork and quilt making inspiring isolated Barnet children and residents 1

Sep 16, 2020 General News
Children isolated at home are being encouraged by Penny Baxter to display their artwork in the Spires
Paintings and drawings on display in the Spires shopping centre are the work of Barnet children who have been…

Encouraging neighbourhood plots for growing fruit and vegetables

Sep 14, 2020 General News
A community garden in New Barnet where passers-by can help themselves to vegetables, fruit and herbs is the…

Much needed High Barnet litter pick going ahead

Sep 09, 2020 General News
Maia Lockhart and Amanda Theodorou ready to issue litter picking kit
Volunteers are getting prepared for a High Barnet litter pick on the last Sunday in September. Among the top…

Wall of opposition to plans for high-rise flats in New Barnet 2

Sep 03, 2020 Planning
Plans to build a line of tower blocks on the former gas works site at New Barnet were roundly condemned when…

Apple trees laden with fruit to help local food banks 3

Aug 28, 2020 General News
Daniella Levene (left), organiser of Barnet Community Harvesters, and Katerina Pedrithes of Pepys Crescent
A newly formed team of volunteers has started picking and collecting surplus fruit across the Borough of…

Live theatre back in East Barnet - for one day only!

Aug 24, 2020 General News
Kenneth Grahame's classic children's story The Wind in the Willows is to be performed live in the open air at…

Barnet Society 75th anniversary review of Chipping Barnet’s Green Belt

Aug 23, 2020 Planning & Environment
The Barnet Society’s 75th birthday in May 2020 is a timely moment to celebrate the local Green Belt that was…

Barnet Society responses to consultations on the Green Belt

Aug 23, 2020 Planning & Environment
The Barnet Society’s 75th birthday in 2020 was a timely moment to celebrate, in three recent Website…

Barnet Society responses to London-wide consultations

Aug 23, 2020 Planning & Environment
Since 2013 the Barnet Society has submitted responses to the following London Assembly (LA), Mayor of London…

The Barnet Society - campaigning for a better Barnet for 75 years!

Aug 22, 2020 Planning & Environment
Past, present and future work in and around Chipping Barnet - a talk to Barnet U3A on 6 August 2020 by Robin…

Lead thieves threaten High Barnet's heritage

Aug 21, 2020 General News
Passers-by and property owners within High Barnet's conservation areas are being urged to be on the lookout…

New brewery in New Barnet 3

Aug 19, 2020 General
When my beer supplies dried up during lockdown, I was delighted to discover – by way of The Wilds Café –…

Barnet Society responses to Barnet Council consultations

Aug 18, 2020 Planning & Environment
Since 2016 the Barnet Society has submitted responses to the following London Borough of Barnet (LBB) public…

Demolition of another of Barnet's historic industrial workplaces 2

Aug 12, 2020 General News
Brake Shear House, one of the last of the many small factories and workshops that were once dotted around…

Possible extension to Barnet Hospital controlled parking zone 1

Aug 10, 2020 General News
Residents are being asked in an online survey whether more roads should be included within the Barnet…

Online boost as High Barnet High Street goes digital 1

Aug 06, 2020 High Street The Spires
Bob Burstow (left), Nigel Murchison and Gail Laser launch Digital High Street banner
An online directory of shops in Barnet High Street -- together with listings for other traders and businesses…

Pressure for new A1000 cycle lanes to reach High Barnet 16

Aug 04, 2020 General News
Separate cycle lanes up and down Barnet Hill - an ambition ridiculed for so long by Barnet councillors - may…

Barnet Society 75th anniversary walks

Aug 03, 2020 Rambles
Enjoy five short walks in our local countryside recommended by Owen Jones.

Barnet Council retreats: High Street to remain open to traffic 1

Jul 30, 2020 General News
In a dramatic U-turn, Barnet Council has dropped its plan to temporarily close Barnet High Street to through…

Temporary ban on through traffic in Barnet High Street 14

Jul 29, 2020 General News
Pavement judged to be too narrow for safe social distancing, especially when school pupils and students are back
Barnet High Street is to be closed temporarily to all through traffic from the last week of August to ensure…

Looking ahead to 2021 and 550th anniversary of Battle of Barnet 1

Jul 28, 2020 General News
Wars of the Roses heraldic banners painted by volunteers at Barnet Museum on display in Barnet High Street in 2018
Ambitious plans are being drawn up to celebrate the 550th anniversary next year of the Battle of Barnet.

Crows beware – mannequins on parade at Barnet’s bowling greens

Jul 25, 2020 General News
Greenkeeper Alan Henderson with his arm round one of the mannequins which scare off crows. From left to right, Rosario Wass-Berru, Mr Henderson, Brian Wass, club president
By installing two male mannequins dressed in white in the Old Courthouse Recreation Ground, Barnet Lawns…

Are these developers having a laugh? 1

Jul 22, 2020 Planning
Two building projects under construction in Chipping Barnet’s Conservation Areas are flouting planning laws.…

Elstree predicted to be a new "British Hollywood"

Jul 21, 2020 General News
Work has started clearing the site off Rowley Lane, Boreham Wood, for the construction of the new Sky Studios…

Faster times from High Barnet to Cockfosters and Edgware

Jul 21, 2020 General News
By shortening its route through New Barnet and High Barnet, Transport for London is hoping to give "a new…

Government announces further relaxations of planning controls – and the most radical reforms to the planning system in 75 years. 3

Jul 09, 2020 Planning

Rambles Round Barnet Update 17th June 2020

Jul 05, 2020 Rambles
The previous update of 29th June 2019 referred to the progress made by the Darlands Conservation Trust since…

Bird lovers delighted to see swifts swooping over High Barnet

Jul 02, 2020 General News
Bird watching enthusiasts reporting back on swift sightings. From left to right, ornithologist David Martens, Robin Bishop, Pete Lyons and Tim Friend
Swift awareness week has been judged a success by admirers of High Barnet's rare, elusive summer visitors who…

How green is our valley – but for how much longer? 4

Jun 24, 2020 Green Belt
The landscape of the Dollis Brook, from its sources near Moat Mount to Whetstone and beyond, is a green lung…

Appeal for volunteer advisers on lockdown easing guidance

Jun 23, 2020 General News
Volunteers needed to advise and reassure High Street shoppers
Barnet Council is appealing for volunteers to give advice and support to shoppers and the public on safe…

Fasten your Green Belt – and prepare for new buildings to land! 1

Jun 19, 2020 Green Belt
Proposed Sky Studios, Borehamwood – visualisation by UMC Architects. Saffron Green at far left
This is the Green Belt north of Barnet (top left). Protected from development for two-thirds of a century,…

Death of Barnet's veteran trade unionist

Jun 18, 2020 General News
Fred Jarvis (left) celebrating his 93rd birthday with Neil Kinnock
Fred Jarvis, Barnet's most celebrated trade union leader - and a New Barnet resident for well over 60 years -…

Lockdown easing a much welcome boost for town centre shops 1

Jun 15, 2020 General News
Louise Rolfe checking safety tapes at The Present
Customers were welcomed back in Barnet High Street and the Spires shopping centre on the first day of the…

Barnet’s new regional park? 1

Jun 12, 2020 Green Belt
Just south-west of Arkley is a tract of unspoilt countryside – remarkable for its survival within London’s…

Barnet Society members overwhelmingly oppose Victoria Quarter proposals 5

Jun 06, 2020 General News
Last month the Barnet Society launched an email consultation of its members about the current planning…

Barnet Market leads way in reviving town centre trade 1

Jun 03, 2020 General News
For the first time since the start of the coronavirus lockdown at the end of March, High Barnet's stalls…

Barnet Council's "woeful" failure to provide cycling lanes

Jun 01, 2020 Planning
Ashley and Jenni Grossman at site of Victoria Quarter housing development
Barnet Cycling Campaign is joining other groups in urging improvements in highways safety and traffic…

Barnet’s hidden rhododendron spectacle 1

May 29, 2020 General News
Barnet Gate Wood is one of Chipping Barnet’s extraordinary but under-visited green assets – and if you go now…

Uncertain future for container yard at High Barnet station 2

May 27, 2020 Planning
Nick Bove, electrical contractor
Scores of small businesses and traders who store goods, tools and equipment in a container yard claim their…

May blossom celebrating 75 years of the Barnet Society 3

May 22, 2020 Green Belt
May 2020 isn’t just the 75th anniversary of VE Day – it’s also exactly 75 years since the Barnet Society was…

"Sneaky" move to re-route 384 bus 4

May 13, 2020 General News
Transport for London's plan to extend the route of the 384 Cockfosters to High Barnet bus service to Edgware,…

High Barnet welcomes its much-loved summer squealers 3

May 12, 2020 General News
Nest boxes ready and waiting for summer visitors
Swifts have again been seen swooping and squealing high overhead in High Barnet -- aerial summer visitors…

Millie the Waitrose cat: unveiled at last 7

May 08, 2020 General News
After almost a year's trial and error, local sculptor John Somerville finally feels ready to display his clay…

Last Post starts two-minute silence in Fitzjohn Avenue

May 08, 2020 General News
Neve Mayes,star trumpet player at Dame Alice Owen's School, marked the start and finish of the Victory in…

Christ Church reaches out with prayer box

May 08, 2020 General News
Church services streamed live online have become a regular Sunday morning point of contact for worshippers…

Pulling pints in lockdown: mobile pub is the answer 3

May 04, 2020 General News
A pub on wheels offering a freshly pulled pint of stout delivered straight to the door is proving to be a…

Imaginative community support for Barnet Hospital staff

May 01, 2020 General News
Carnarvon Road community sing song
Professional singer Iain Mackenzie with his daughter Poppy lead a community sing song which has become part…

Twitter boosts Mitre landlord's plea to help pubs survive 2

Apr 29, 2020 General News
Real ale down the drain at the Mitre
High Barnet publican Gary Murphy, licensee of the Mitre, has gone viral in a campaign to force pub owners to…

High Barnet Station development still on track 4

Apr 24, 2020 Planning
The Barnet Society has seen the latest proposals for the High Barnet Station site. Designs won’t be finalised…

Green shoots in the High Street 3

Apr 21, 2020 High Street The Spires
The first of eight trees have been planted in the High Street. They are the bitter-sweet culmination of a…

Barnet lockdown: windows boarded up

Apr 21, 2020 General News
Safety first for art deco windows
Protective wooden boarding has been installed across the art deco windows of the Barnet Everyman -- a sure…

Noah's Ark plea for urgent lockdown fund raising

Apr 16, 2020 General News
Less than six months after its official opening the Noah's Ark Children's Hospice in Byng Road, Barnet, is…

Sewing enthusiasts helping the NHS fight coronavirus 4

Apr 15, 2020 General News
Marjoleine Yoshida with one of her home-produced scrubs
High Barnet volunteers who love to sew are joining the nationwide effort to produce protective clothing for…

High Street landlord backs demand for rent freeze for pubs

Apr 13, 2020 General News
Mitre mine host in happier, pre-coronavirus days
High Barnet publican Gary Murphy, licensee of the Mitre, is at the forefront of a campaign by landlords to…

Home deliveries offer lifeline to High Street traders

Apr 09, 2020 General News
Alice and Michael Kentish behind the counter in happier days -- before coronavirus
Specialist shops along Barnet High Street -- as well as numerous take-away food outlets -- are determined to…

Life in Barnet under lockdown: children losing out

Apr 08, 2020 General News
Old Courthouse playground:
Locked and taped-off playgrounds are a poignant reminder of the impact that the coronavirus self-distancing…

Strict self-distancing and safety rules at Barnet's allotments

Apr 04, 2020 General News
Long waiting list for plots at Barnet's Byng Road allotments
Cultivating an allotment is one of the few outdoor activities that is still permitted during the coronavirus…

Barnet Hospital staff get rousing round of applause 1

Apr 03, 2020 General News
Barnet householders and families were out in force to join the second nationwide Thursday evening clap for…

Advice wanted on widening the Bull Theatre's repertoire

Apr 01, 2020 Events
The Bull Theatre -- now the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School -- in its glory days as the Old Bull Arts Centre
There could hardly be a more opportune moment for a determined push to host new productions and attractions…

Reduced height for New Barnet tower blocks 1

Apr 01, 2020 Planning
Aerial view of the former gas works site at New Barnet
After feedback from a public exhibition in January, the Victoria Quarter housing development on the former…

More tree planting on Barnet Hill

Mar 31, 2020 General News
Tree planting party on Barnet Hill (from left to right): Ivana Turner, Barnet Council assistant tree officer; Bob Burstow, secretary, Barnet Town Team; Robin Bishop, chair, Barnet Society; Councillor Paul Edwards; Rabbi Beni Fleischer
Planting trees on Barnet Hill has been one of the great achievements of the Barnet Society -- and it is still…

Battle of Barnet: beaten by coronavirus

Mar 31, 2020 Events
2019 re-enactment of 1471 Battle of Barnet
Barnet's highly successful medieval festival, due to have been staged during the last weekend in May, is just…

Shutters down and closed shop doors in Barnet High Street

Mar 31, 2020 General News
Shoppers few and far between in Barnet High Street
Only around 20 shops and retail outlets are still open for business along the entire length of Barnet High…
FOR YEAR 2019