Two Victorian measuring jugs from a former public house in High Barnet have turned up mysteriously in the archives of St Peter’s Church at Formby on Merseyside.
Barnet jugs found in Formby
Author: Nick Jones
Dairy maid reappears
A set of painted wall tiles revealed during building work at 89 High Street Barnet depict a dairy maid holding her pail, with cows and chickens in the background.
Showcase reopens
Number 89, the community-run pop-up shop selling local arts and crafts that was in the High Street until a few months ago, has reopened round the corner at 10 Union Street, and now trades under the name room 89.
New future for abandoned Meadway woodland
Teachers, parents and volunteers are hard at work trying to convert an area of neglected woodland into an outdoor classroom for pupils at the Pavilion Study Centre in Meadway, High Barnet.
North London Waste Plan
Some six or seven years ago the Barnet Society was solidly involved in the early public discussion and consultation on this project. Now, after a hiatus arising largely from the difficulty of finding common ground and community concern, particularly against the possible use of a site at Pinkham Way, the project is again under way, and has clearly benefitted from wide input in the interval.
Smartphone app for Barnet Ramblers
Walkers who have enjoyed following the popular trails featured in the Barnet Society’s Rambles Round Barnet guides are now being offered step-by-step outdoor guidance and narration instructions on an app that is available free on smartphones.
Death of historian who championed Barnet Museum
Dr Gillian Gear, who fought a heroic battle to save and maintain Barnet Museum when Barnet Council withdrew its financial support, has died after undergoing treatment for some weeks at Watford General Hospital.
Continue reading Death of historian who championed Barnet Museum
Battle of Barnet metal detecting starts
A training weekend for local metal dectorists in a freshly ploughed field off Kitts End Lane has kicked off an archaeological investigation to determine the precise site of the Battle of Barnet of 1471.
Fibre4Barnet seeks support
Fibre4Barnet, the pressure group set up by Ken Rowland to try to force British Telecom to complete the rollout of high-speed broadband to the whole of High Barnet, says a possible wait of up to two years for further improvements is “totally unacceptable”.
High Barnet cottage industries to go
Almost 30 small businesses and workshops with premises on land behind Barnet High Street may have to relocate within months to make way for a massive redevelopment.
Oak tree reprieved
After a determined campaign by local residents the “mighty oak” of Whitings Road has been saved from the axe.
Parking Wars
The Barnet Society’s campaign for a 30 minute free parking period in the High Street is featured in the latest series is Parking Wars at 8pm on ITV 1 on Thursday 15 September.
Barnet Market’s longest-running stall
“Pineapples, two for a pound!” – father and son David and Tyler Bone have both been shouting out prices for fruit and vegetables at Barnet Market since before they were ten, and together they are carrying on a tradition that was started by David’s father Albert in the 1950s.
British Telecom to upgrade broadband
After months of campaigning by the Barnet Society, British Telecom have finally given an assurance that it will improve the broadband service in High Barnet by upgrading at least half the cabinets that need to be fibre enabled.
Barnet to match Tewkesbury’s banners?
Decorating the High Street with the banners of medieval noblemen might be one of the ways to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Barnet of 1471 if support can be obtained from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Barnet’s hanging baskets
Barnet High Street has been bedecked once again with flowering hanging baskets. But please do not be fooled into thinking Barnet Council deserves the credit for adding this splash of colour to the town centre.
Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School
Queen Elizabeth I’s charter of 1573 provided for ‘boys and youth’, but it was not until 1888 that Barnet got a school for girls. Its oldest buildings are not just a gentle monument to a pioneering educational movement, but fine examples of the Arts and Crafts style.
Demolition could reveal medieval market
If permission is granted to demolish the empty After Office Hours bar next to the Bull Theatre, the Barnet Society says there must be stringent planning conditions, and time for a proper archaeological investigation.
Ancient oak tree might be spared
A campaign to save what has been dubbed the “mighty oak” of Whitings Road has made significant progress.
Homes to replace High Street shops
Two High Street premises will be extended to include flats if planning permission can be obtained from Barnet Council – and both applications have already sparked controversy.
Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School best results ever
Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School has just recorded its best-ever GCSE results – a high point in the career of the retiring headmistress Kate Webster.
The school’s success has coincided with a plea by the Barnet Society for school’s oldest buildings, largely obscured by modern additions, to be given protected status by Barnet Council.
Continue reading Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School best results ever
Broadband – will Virgin Media step in?
After endless delays and broken promises by British Telecom, High Barnet residents without high-speed broadband are being encouraged by Theresa Villiers MP to think of signing up for a rival service being that might be offered by Virgin Media.
£7 million upgrade for the Spires
A Canadian investment fund is the new owner of the Spires shopping centre in High Barnet, having paid £40 million for what the agents say is prime retail space in “one of London’s largest and fastest-growing boroughs, as well as one of the most affluent”.
Union Street residents annoyed
Two new housing developments are changing still further the appearance of Union Street in High Barnet, which in recent years has lost shops, offices, a school and even its public house.
Green roof for countryside headquarters
A living roof planted with sedum is one of the eco-friendly features of the new Barnet Environment Centre, which is nearing completion at the end of Byng Road.
Old Fold Manor Golf Club proposed landscaping works
The Club’s application for major re-landscaping has been submitted to the planners. The Barnet Society is minded to support it – but only subject to tough planning conditions. The Society Committee has agreed a draft response.
Continue reading Old Fold Manor Golf Club proposed landscaping works
Town and Country free-for-all
You’d think that planning controls in the Green Belt and Conservation Areas would be stricter than elsewhere. No longer.
The Battle of Barnet Project
A re-enactment of scenes from a medieval battlefield was the highlight of the official launch of the Battle of Barnet Project – a two-year survey to determine the exact site of one of the grisliest battles of the Wars of the Roses.
Bargain hunters boost Boys’ Brigade
High Barnet’s biggest and best jumble sale – that is the proud boast of the 1st Barnet Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association, which holds three jumble sales a year to pay for the cost of the brigade’s upkeep and equipment.
Tie a yellow ribbon
A yellow ribbon is tied around the trunk, and the words “save me” have been sprayed onto the bark of a healthy 100-year old oak tree which Barnet Council intends to cut down as part of a housing scheme in Whitings Road.
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