NEW – What an amazing and exciting word, full of hope and invigoration, isn’t that exactly just what we all need right now! NEW investment, NEWly recreated, NEW experience.
Continue reading Vote for Something New in the Community Plan
Champions of Barnet’s history, heritage and culture are determined to ensure the town does all it can — despite covid.19 restrictions — to commemorate the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet.
Continue reading We will be back, say Battle of Barnet re-enactors
People walking across the Shire London golf course during lockdown are being urged to act responsibly after repeated reports of swans and geese being harassed by dogs running off the lead.
Continue reading Appeal to dog owners: breeding season starting for swans and wildfowl
Just as the New Year lockdown was announced, the proprietors of High Barnet’s newest brasserie, Botannika, went ahead with their planned opening — offering a take-away menu and a range of bread and cakes.
Continue reading New brasserie opens as lockdown hits High Street
Lockdown and self-isolation have imposed few significant changes in the daily life of the nuns of the enclosed order of Barnet Poor Clares who this year are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of their monastery in Galley Lane, Arkley.
Continue reading Barnet’s Poor Clare nuns plan delayed 50th birthday party in 2021
A New Barnet institution, the French restaurant Chez Tonton has closed after 37 years — an emotional farewell for proprietors Eric and Claudine Michel, who are known to legions of loyal customers, and who are looking forward to fresh challenges in their retirement.
Continue reading End of an era in New Barnet: au revoir, Chez Tonton
At the close of 2020, after one of the bleakest years for High Barnet in recent living memory, the long wait for spring should be relieved by the recognition that the local community enjoys perhaps the greenest surroundings of any comparable north London community.
Continue reading From inspiration to realisation: the greening of Barnet Hill
Boxes of chocolates, gift bags – and volunteering to have on-line chats with lonely dementia patients – are just some of the many ways in which residents have been showing support and solidarity with the medical and ancilliary staff at Barnet Hospital coping with the added pressures of the covid.19 emergency.
Continue reading Wide support for ‘NHS heroes’ at Barnet Hospital coping with virus emergency
With their performances for Barnet’s Christmas Fayre and their annual pantomime at the Bull Theatre all having to be cancelled because of the covid.19 pandemic, pupils at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School were still determined that ‘the show must go on’.
Continue reading Theatre school pupils say ‘the show must go on’
Tree planting to sustain Hadley Woods is proving a far simpler task than updating the archaic laws that have governed Monken Hadley Common since the reign of King George III.
Continue reading New trees and modern management for Monken Hadley Common
Increased unemployment and rising hardship due to covid-19 are putting pressure on food banks across the country: 15 new food banks have opened across the London Borough of Barnet since the start of the pandemic.
Continue reading Food banks across Barnet face twin challenge of Covid-19 and Christmas
A two-month delay in opening a purpose-built new ward for covid-19 patients increased pressure at Barnet Hospital as medical staff struggled to cope with the start of the second wave of the pandemic in the first weeks of the autumn.
Continue reading Barnet Hospital stretched by delayed opening of new covid-19 ward
National Grid has applied to Barnet Council for permission to demolish New Barnet’s redundant gasholder saying it is a safety risk and wants to free up the land for residential development.
Continue reading Is New Barnet’s gasometer about to disappear from landscape?
Barely a year after JC Decaux was refused planning permission for three telecom/advertising hubs in the High Street, they’ve returned with two more. If approved, that would make four within 200 metres.
A medieval timber roof discovered above a vacant shop in Barnet High Street might be as old or even older than the famous hammer-beam roof at Westminster Hall, the oldest building at the Houses of Parliament.
Continue reading High Barnet’s claim to London’s oldest timber structure
Much to the dismay of local shoppers the market had to cease trading during the 13 weeks of the first lockdown earlier this year.
There were fears another extended closure might put off stallholders and erode the viability of the market which has succeeded, after years of disruption, in re-establishing itself at the bandstand entrance to the Spires shopping centre.
With most of the Spires’ retail outlets having had to close for a second time, the market is helping to brighten up the shopping centre on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
After five weeks trading at Barnet market, Young’s Fish, which has stalls at Ipswich, Colchester and Chelmsford markets, says Barnet’s shoppers are some of their most discerning customers.
“What we so like about Barnet market is that our customers are really interested in the fish we sell.
“They want to know where it is sourced, what is in season, and what other fish and shellfish can be ordered.
“That interest from our customers gives us a real pride in our job,” says James Young (18), son of the Michael Young, who started the business in 1981.
Two long-standing committee members of Friends of Barnet Market – Judith Clouston, vice-president of the Barnet Society, and local food writer and author, Jenny Linford – are delighted to hear of the success of Young’s Fish.
“We lost our last fish stall – run by Adrian Wright of Lowestoft – during the long lockdown because Adrian had to find another pitch.
“Although Barnet market was closed from March onwards, other markets remained open, and that is why we are so delighted Barnet is trading during the current shop closures,” said Ms Clouston.
Ms Linford, who has recently written extensively about the success of markets around the country on her website – https://jennylinford.co.uk/markets-matter/ urged local residents to support Barnet’s Wednesday and Saturday markets.
Last year was the 60th anniversary of what was originally Barnet’s cattle market expanding into fruit and vegetables and household goods.
Albert and Joan Bone opened the first fruit and vegetable pitch in 1959 – and the business has been carried on for three generations and is now in the hands of their grandson Tyler Bone.
“With a history like that, Barnet should be proud of its market, and understand that the business of running market stalls is a pretty fragile business and needs to be nurtured and cherished,” said Ms Linford.
“Markets are such a friendly place, the prices are always pretty reasonable, if not cheap, and it’s a tribute to Barnet that we still have a twice weekly market after it was mucked about for so many years without a permanent site.”
Ms Linford thought Barnet market was in better shape than for some years, having recently attracted a heritage cheese stall and a bread and cakes stall, in addition to the fruit and vegetable stalls run by the Bone and Gardiner families and Lenny’s meat stall.Attracting specialist suppliers, such a stall selling artisan cheeses, did make a difference said Ms Linford, author of Great British Cheeses, the first illustrated guide to British cheeses.
Because of the success of Young’s Fish stalls at markets across Essex, several traders urged them to give Barnet a try.
“We are really pleased we came,” said James Young, who was busy perfecting the trick of pulling the tough skin off Dover sole, a task that was previously the task of his colleague on the stall, Andy Stannard.
“I have been trying hard to get it right – and I really have been busy because we have been selling small Dover soles caught by a day boat off Suffolk. At three for £10 they are a real bargain.”
Young’s Fish makes three visits a week to Billingsgate Market in London and sources other supplies from around the country – skate and octopus from Devon, haddock, cod and plaice from Scotland, and shellfish from Cromer and other small ports.
“We can safely say that after just five weeks Barnet is definitely the nicest market we’re currently trading at. Everyone is so friendly and instead of just wanting to know the price of what we sell, as happens at our other stalls, customers here want to know all about the fish and where it came from.”
Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School is helping to promote National Road Safety Week with a large banner close to the school entrance at the busy road junction of Barnet Hill and Meadway.
Continue reading Improving road safety around High Barnet’s schools
Women are increasingly taking over from men in cultivating allotments – a national trend which is certainly being reflected at the popular Byng Road allotments in High Barnet.
Continue reading Barnet’s changing allotments: inspired by The Good Life?
A socially distanced two-minute silence was observed at the war memorial at Barnet parish church to mark Remembrance Sunday.
Continue reading Barnet’s fallen comrades remembered despite coronavirus pandemic
Without him knowing what was happening, past and present pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, Barnet, were voting secretly for their popular history teacher and sixth form tutor, Marc Fielder, to become the 2020 London Secondary School Teacher of the Year.
Continue reading Top London honour for QE Girls’ history teacher
Going to the pictures once or even several times a week used to be commonplace among the older generation…but with the closure of numerous cinemas across the London Borough of Barnet memories are fading fast.
Continue reading Wanted: Barnet memories of going to the flicks
Bus services on the 383 route are now running directly from Barnet to Finchley Memorial Hospital in response to an appeal by the Mayor of London to ensure that Transport for London responds to the redirection of hospital patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Continue reading Easier access to Finchley Memorial Hospital with direct bus
Specialists in medieval buildings have expressed amazement and delight at the discovery in Barnet High Street of an original timber framed roof that might date back to the 14th century or earlier.
Continue reading Medieval timbers uncovered during High Street conversion
A new brasserie and retail space – to be called Botannika – is to take over the former Carluccio’s restaurant at the entrance to the Spires shopping centre in High Street, Barnet.
Continue reading Brasserie offering vegan menu to replace Carluccio’s at Spires
Polish trained chef Lukasz Szumski is planning to add one or two specialities from his grandfather’s recipes to a traditional English menu at the Sebright Arms in Alston Road which has just re-opened as a gastro pub and sports bar after several weeks closure.
Continue reading New landlord joins publicans determined to stay in business
Searching for a celebrity connected wth all 272 tube stations on the London Underground has been a lockdown artistic venture for High Barnet cartoonist and caricaturist Simon Ellinas. He hopes his choices for tube stations in the London Borough of Barnet will become a talking point.
Continue reading Caricatures for Barnet’s Northern Line tube stations
Plastic barriers and traps have been set up across Monken Hadley Common to safeguard great crested newts which might be threatened by the construction of a new water main.
Continue reading Protecting Hadley Common’s great crested newts
To improve access for the disabled and children and visitors in wheelchairs, the main paths in and around the nature reserve at Barnet Environment Centre are to be re-laid with a rubber compound which will make them easier and safer to use.
Continue reading Nature reserve’s new paths will help disabled enjoy sensory trail
Young and old joined in to help with High Barnet Green Beings’ Sunday litter pick in and around the town centre.
Barnet Council is being asked to investigate whether restoration of the boarded up cricket pavilion in Tudor Park sports ground might be financed in part through a community infra-structure levy that will have to be paid on multi-storey blocks of flats proposed for the New Barnet former gas works site.
Continue reading Possible financial lifeline for New Barnet’s decaying cricket pavilion
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