Category: News

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Public consultation on proposed new house in Christchurch Lane spinney

Local developer Churchgrove Ltd expects to submit a planning application soon to build a house within existing woodland on the east side of Christchurch Lane (see plan above by Helene Landscape and Garden Design). It raises an increasingly urgent question in Barnet: how much, if any, green space should be sacrificed for new homes?

I wrote about this peaceful haven of wildlife less than 200 metres from Barnet High Street in a recent web post. Situated within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area, with numerous trees protected by Tree Protection Orders, it forms a ‘green corridor’ between two major pieces of Green Belt land, Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green. Its value for biodiversity is greater than its small size (0.438 hectare / 1 acre) would suggest. https://www.savechippingbarnetwoodland.org/ is petitioning to save it from development.

The Barnet Society got involved 18 months ago when the Council decided to sell its portion of the land for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. Since the part of the site where development is proposed has the least ecological value, a case could be made for building a single house.

Our concerns were twofold. The quality of the wood had to be conserved and enhanced wherever possible. And any house and garden must be in keeping with their natural setting and built to high environmental standards.

The initial plans fell short on all counts. To the developer’s credit, the scheme has now been revised. Whether it meets our original concerns we’ll find out at a public consultation on Friday 12 December from 4.30pm till 7:00pm at Pennefather Hall (next door to Christ Church), St Albans Rd, Barnet, EN5 4AL.

The developer’s team of planning, architectural, ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) consultants will be on hand to advise on their proposals. They are also offering to place a covenant on the site to the Barnet Planners to restrict planning permission to one residential property only, to allay concerns about any future or further development of the land.  

They trust that this transparency will dispel many negative comments, especially on the ecology and BNG improvements to the site. 

There is limited parking available on site, which is only a 5-minute walk from The Spires and alternative parking. 

Below is a visualisation of the proposed house by Alan Cox Architects.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

High Barnet’s Christmas tree adds some festive spirit to the High Street ahead of the town’s annual Christmas Fayre on Sunday    

Switching on the lights of the Christmas tree beside the parish church set the scene for festive events to be held during the annual Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday December 7.

Father Christmas and characters from The Bull Theatre’s Christmas pantomime Alice in Wonderland and the Stolen Christmas List joined in the ceremony.

Firefighters from Barnet Fire Station stepped in to erect and install this year’s Christmas tree when help was needed at the last minute.

Nick Staton of Statons estate agents – who has sponsored the tree for the last decade – was joined for the event by the team Vicar Father Sam Rossiter.

The fayre will be opened at 12noon on Sunday by the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich, who will cut a ribbon on the High Street close to Barnet Church.

Together with elves and other characters from the Bull Theatre, he will proceed to the marque on the Christmas Courtyard in the piazza outside Barnet College where he will welcome everyone and start the event.

Stalls will line the High Street; there will be the traditional fun fair close to the junction with St Albans Road; craft stalls in the Tudor Hall and more stalls on the Christmas Courtyard, through the Spires Shopping Centre and in Wesley Hall.

There is a full programme of events and entertainment: children’s activities and dancing by local groups in the Christmas Courtyard; live music, singing and choirs plus teas, mulled wine and refreshments at the parish church; live music, tea and cakes at the Wesley Hall; live music, choirs and performances at The Spires Shopping Centre, plus street entertainers outside Waitrose.

The Bull Theatre will be joining in the festivities, hoping to create a magical festive experience for families.

Santa’s Grotto will be open from 12.30pm to 4pm, with free entry and optional

donations towards the Christmas Fayre.

Visitors can enter through the front gate, follow the path along the side of the building, and come in through the open Studio/Café door (step-free access available).

There will be two performances of Leon’s Magic Show at 1.30pm and 3pm

(tickets £5). Two of Santa’s elves will join him on stage as they work towards

 earning their magician’s assistant badge, adding an extra touch of festive fun.

Bob Burstow, who helped to organise the installation of the tree, said it had been a close shave getting the tree up in time – and that is why the local firefighters were asked to help.

“We are so grateful because each December we get a Christmas tree supplied from Crews Hill by Tyler Bone, who runs a stall at Barnet Market.

“Unfortunately, this year’s delivery was a bit tight so when the tree arrived all our volunteer installers were at work – and that is when white watch from the fire station stepped in.”

Nick Staton said he was delighted to sponsor the cost of the tree. “We have been helping provide a tree for a decade or more and it is a great way of celebrating the community spirit of High Barnet and promoting the Christmas Fayre.” 

 ​​

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Christmas appeal to train volunteers for Citizens Advice Barnet which advises people visiting Chipping Barnet Foodbank

Thanks to the assistance of Citizens Advice Barnet, the Chipping Barnet Foodbank is reporting real progress in its long-term aim of reducing people’s dependency on supplies of groceries and essential household items.

Over the last 12 months with guidance from Citizens Advice, the foodbank says that 247 of the households they support are now better off financially and 82 of them no longer need foodbank assistance.

Citizens Advice Barnet hopes such a vivid illustration of the impact of their role will boost a Christmas appeal when – during the first part of December – any donations are doubled in value by match funding from the charity Big Give.

Donations received during the Big Give Christmas challenge – from December 2 to 9 – will fund training for the advice volunteers who support residents across the borough facing challenges such as financial hardship, debt and homelessness.

www.barnetcab.org.uk/christmas-2025

A volunteer adviser from Citizens Advice Barnet holds a drop-in session at Chipping Barnet Library every Tuesday (although the library is closed for essential electrical work from December 8 to January 4).

Juliana Fonseca (above right) who became a volunteer with Citizens Advice Barnet five years ago, now works as a part time adviser at the twice weekly Chipping Barnet Foodbank.

Under the leadership of foodbank manager Victoria Miller (above left), Chipping Barnet leads the way for foodbanks across the Borough of Barnet in being able to provide support and advice about benefits, jobs and housing as well as offering emergency food supplies.

Each month there is a programme of free support and advice at the foodbank.

Juliana represents Citizens Advice Barnet every Tuesday and Saturday. Staff and volunteers from other services and agencies such as Barnet Homes attend on a regular basis.

Victoria and her team say the latest results for the foodbank demonstrate the success of their work in helping foodbank clients manage their affairs and to cut down or eliminate dependency on the need food parcels.

Statistics presented at the foodbank’s annual meeting revealed that 247 clients were helped by Citizens Advice Barnet in the 12 months up to September and that a total of 672 separate issues were sorted out.

With Juliana’s help and advice on problems such as debt management and benefit claims, there was a financial gain of £274,332 for the 247 households, with 82 deemed to no longer need support from the foodbank.

“What is so important is seeing people face to face, listening to their problems and then working out how to help them,” said Juliana. 

“It really is so satisfying finding ways I can be of use. When people come to the foodbank, Citizens Advice can be a first port of call.

“I sense their relief at finding someone who will listen and who can help them sort out their priorities, perhaps over debts or legal rights, or how to get benefit increases or possibly claim for new benefits.

“Housing is a massive issue. A lot of vulnerable households get                                behind with their rents and then become homeless and they can be desperate for help and advice.”

Juliana is a Brazilian by birth and completed her legal training in Brazil. After moving to the UK, she became engaged in human rights work and joined Citizens Advice as a volunteer.

Three years ago, when the Chipping Barnet Foodbank obtained a financial inclusion grant from Trussell, the trust which supports foodbanks across the country, Juliana took on a part-time post as CAB adviser.

Appeal to fund training of more volunteers for Citizens Advice Barnet as it celebrates success of helping people who visit Chipping Barnet Foodbank

Chipping Barnet Foodbank, which was established in 2012, is open twice a week, on Tuesdays (12pm to 2pm) and Saturdays (10am to 12pm).

It is held in the parish centre at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church at 63 Somerset Road, New Barnet.

Over the last 12 months it distributed a total of 7,835 food parcels which supported 5,273 adults and 2,562 children, most of whom live in the six local wards of High Barnet, Barnet Vale, East Barnet, Brunswick Park, Whetstone and Underhill.

For manager Victoria it is the foodbank’s pioneering work in offering a wraparound service of advice which explains why it is the leading the way among foodbanks across the borough.

The latest help on hand is from an NHS talking therapist who visits each Tuesday and who can advise on mental health issues.

After two years’ experience, it is yet another indication of the scope of the foodbank’s initiative in offering people a multi-agency approach.

“When people arrive seeking help, we try to get to the root causes of why they need support,” said Victoria.

“Our monthly schedule of visiting advisers and volunteers from other agencies and charities provides that solid basis of support and is proving very successful.

“We have just had our annual meeting and even though there has been a 6 per cent increase in the food parcels we have issued, we have seen a drop in the number of people applying for help.”

Victoria helped to set up the Chipping Barnet Foodbank 13 yeas ago and became part-time manager three years ago.

In June she was honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours for her “services to the community in Chipping Barnet” and awarded a British Empire Medal which she was presented with by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa, at a ceremony at the Tower of London.   

Posted on by — 3 Comments

New zebra crossings and a mini roundabout for Mays Lane area…and a new controlled parking zone is also on its way  

Barnet Council has completed a major programme of road safety measures around Mays Lane and surrounding roads.

A controversial width restriction has been removed, new zebra crossings installed, a 20-mph speed limit zone extended, more yellow lines painted on the roads and dropped kerbs provided.

In announcing what it says is the completion of the largest ever such scheme in the borough’s history, the council fails to mention that further changes are about to be made.

Despite vociferous opposition from the Underhill Residents Group, the council is going ahead with an experimental controlled parking zone in 16 roads north of Mays Lane which are on either side of Chesterfield Road.

The new Underhill South zone – to be designated the US zone – is to be operated on an experimental basis for 18 months from Monday 15 December.

Originally the council proposed the zone should extend to a total of 29 roads on either side of Mays Lane but after a groundswell of opposition this was cut back to the 16 roads where a council survey indicated “extremely high levels of parking stress” caused by the demand for off-street parking by Barnet Hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The new road safety improvements in Mays Lane extend all the way from its junction with Barnet Lane in the east to Shelford Road in the west, with additional measures in Chesterfield Road, Quinta Drive and Whitings Road.

A new mini roundabout has been installed on Whitings Road at the junction Whitings Road and Bells Hill.

Perhaps the most contentious change is the removal of the width restriction on Mays Lane close to the junction with Manor Road and Leeside.

London Fire Brigade had raised concerns because the restriction impeded fire engines and reduced their response time.

There were also complaints about unacceptable levels of emissions resulting from queueing vehicles, but residents in two nearby roads – Hillside Gardens and Manor Road – claim that the removal of the width restriction has already led to increased traffic – and larger vehicles – using short cuts to avoid jams in Barnet town centre.

Quinta Village Green Residents Association says the increase in heavier vehicles along Mays Lane has fundamentally changed the nature of what was always, outside the commute period, a quiet, residential lane. –

However, on potential change following the removal of the width restriction is that it might be possible to re-route the Uno 243 bus between Barnet Hospital and Hatfield via Underhill, Mays Lane and Manor Road.

At present the 243 stops at Barnet High Street and High Barnet tube station on its route from Hatfield to Barnet Hospital and on its return to Hatfield stops at the Wood Street and Union Street junction and again in Salisbury Road.

Councillor Nik Oakley, Hertsmere Council’s cabinet member for transport – who led the campaign for the restoration of a bus service between Potters Bar and Barnet – told the Barnet Society that possibilities for amending the route of the 243 had been suggested to Uno bus.

Barnet Council completes its largest ever traffic improvement scheme in Mays Lane area -- where a new controlled parking zone is coming.

Barnet Council’s go ahead for the Underhill South CPZ – in the face of sustained opposition from the Underhill Residents Group – will require the installation of resident parking bays, yellow lines and signs and posts in 16 roads on either side of Chesterfield Road.

This work will need to be completed by the start of the scheme on Monday 15 December.

Residents in the affected roads will have a six-month period during which they give their reaction to the CPZ. A final decision on its operation will be taken by the council after the 18-month trial.

The Underhill Group has already collected over 750 signatures for a petition opposing the introduction of a CPZ which it says was opposed by a majority of the residents and had been rejected by 60 per cent of those living in the 16 roads included in the scheme.

https://www.change.org/p/oppose-a-controlled-parking-zone-in-underhill-south?utm_medium=custom_url&utm_source=share_petition&recruited_by_id=24715750-8834-11f0-9cee-83b7a10cb9e8

In explaining why the CPZ was approved, the council says parking stress surveys indicated there was support for parking controls and only “the most problematic roads” had been included in the experimental scheme.

Given the introduction of extensive new double yellow lines, the Quinta Village Green Residents Association says it fears this will result in a loss of car parking spaces and only amplify the problems caused by the long-standing displacement of parking from the hospital.

The roads included in the new US CPZ are Chesterfield Road, Dexter Road, Dormer Close, Edwyn Close, Greenland Road, Howard Way, Jarvis Close, Juniper Close, Matlock Close, Niton Close, Nupton Drive, Sampson Avenue, Sellwood Drive, Shelford Road, St Anna Road and Stanhope Road.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Judgment Day for High Barnet Place

UPDATE 2 DECEMBER 2025 Back in September, the Barnet Society submitted a 64-page critique of the planning application for 283 flats on High Barnet Station car park. The application will be decided by the Strategic Planning Committee at 7:00pm on Monday 8 December.

You can find our full submission here (dated 17 November). 802 objections have been received by the Council and only 104 ‘supports’. Strangely, many ‘supporters’ of the application show no knowledge of the site and have been canvassed by an organisation called Just Build Homes.

Despite the unambiguous proof of local opposition to this application, the Planning Officer is recommending its approval. The Council is committed to delivery of new housing and its Planning Committee could accept the recommendation. If it refuses permission, the developer is likely to appeal against the decision.

Alongside Barnet Residents Association we stand ready to speak at the meeting. If you care about the outcome, you can attend the meeting at Hendon Town Hall or watch via video.

Since the original application, Places for London have submitted numerous amendments and clarifications, which they claim respond to consultation feedback.

The design amendments are mostly minor changes to the appearance and internal layout of the buildings. Their height and footprint are unaltered. Misleading errors in key views have not been corrected. The Barnet Society’s extensive criticisms have been ignored.

High among our concerns is the almost complete lack of improvements to accessibility and safety for both residents and users of the station – indeed their worsening through loss of the car park.

We are also convinced that the site that should never have been considered suitable for 1,000 new residents. The resulting excessive density and poor design – and the operational difficulties that will beset tube users, residents and the public, commercial and emergency services trying to serve them – risk repeating the mistakes of postwar housing estates. That would be to the lasting cost of the community, Council and the identity and character of Chipping Barnet.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Star Pubs say Black Horse in High Barnet is unlikely to re-open until 2026 as hunt is still on for a new publican

Black Horse pub in High Barnet unlikely to re-open until 2026 as hunt is still on to find a new tenant after pub closed in September

Any hopes on the part of former customers that The Black Horse public house might re-open in time for Christmas and the New Year have been all but ruled out by Star Pubs.

A statement from the company made it clear it is “unlikely” the pub will re-open this year, but the company said efforts are being stepped up to find a new tenant.

The Black Horse closed in September on the departure of the previous tenant.

Continuing uncertainty about its future has attracted well over 3,000 signatures to a petition promoting a campaign to get the pub listed as an asset of community value.

Posts on social media have expressed strong support for a co-ordinated attempt to persuade Barnet Council to safeguard the future of one of High Barnet’s “most cherished pubs”.

In its latest statement, Star Pubs acknowledges the depth of local concern about what locals fear might become an indefinite closure.

“We are keen to re-open the Black Horse as soon as possible and we plan to advertise details on our website as soon as we are able.

“It is unlikely the pub will reopen this year but as soon as we have more details to share with you, we will of course let you know.”

Said to have been founded in 1720 as a coaching inn, The Black Horse – at the junction of Wood Street and Union Street – had its own stables which were converted into a small micro-brewery before becoming the pub’s kitchen.

The name Black Horse is steeped in the history of former coaching towns like Barnet and inns with that name were a trusted stop for travellers and their horses.   

The pub’s significance locally – and its echoes of coaching inns and associations with Barnet Fair – has attracted widespread publicity and support for the petition – https://www.change.org/p/save-the-black-horse-chipping-barnet-list-it-as-an-asset-of-community-value

Barnet Council have indicated that a formal application will have to be made to apply for The Black Horse to be declared an asset of community value and that will involve more than simply adding names to a petition.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Fun-packed day promised for Barnet Christmas Fayre with a magic show a highlight at The Bull Theatre

Stall holders, traders and community groups are all booked in for this year’s Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday 7 December, the traditional and popular curtain raiser to the town’s Christmas festivities.

Organisers are promising a fun-packed day…and are hoping for better weather than for the opening last December by the then Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Tony Vourou.

Special events include a full programme of singing and dancing in the courtyard at Barnet College and a children’s magic show at The Bull Theatre by Leon the Magician. (1.30pm and 3pm, tickets £5)

Leon – Leon Thomson of Barnet – was the youngest member of the Magic Circle when he joined at the age of 18. His recent shows at The Bull Theatre were a sell-out.

He will be assisted for his Christmas Fayre show by two elves who are both pupils at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, Nathaniel Morgan-Bennett (12) and Laurel Sumberg (13).

Nathaniel currently is currently playing Simba in The Lion King and Laurel was voted the second-best Matilda in the recent West End production.

Plans well advanced for Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday 7 December. Magic show a highlight.

Adding colour and fun to the day will be cast members from The Bull Theatre’s Christmas show, Alice in Wonderland and the Stolen Christmas List.

There will be performances for local schools as from December 1 with public shows on December 6, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28 at 11am and 1.30pm. (Tickets £10).

A Christmas Fayre organising committee at The Bull Theatre – led by Susi Earnshaw, Ros Staines, Carly Pryke and Laura Davitt – have taken on responsibility for the fayre from the Barnet Borough Arts Council.

“We have been encouraged by all the support we are getting from Barnet traders and community groups, and we know how important the fayre is to the town,” said Ms Earnshaw, theatre manager at The Bull Theatre.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Two re-laid pitches and installation of new floodlights are the start of extensive improvements at Barnet’s Byng Road playing fields

Barnet Council has contributed to the upgrading of the rugby pitches at the Byng Road playing fields by paying for the installation of six new floodlights.

Two of the pitches were re-laid during the summer and will remain fenced off until the start of the new playing season next autumn to give the grass ample growing time to bed in.

Barnet Elizabethans Rugby Club, which has planning approval for an extensive programme of improvements at Byng Road, is delighted with the council’s investment in new floodlighting which it says will do so much to extend the opportunities for playing and training.

Funding for the floodlighting was provided through the council’s income from the community infrastructure levy which is paid by developers.

Relaying the first two pitches was a costly exercise for the club because of the sloping ground at Byng Road and a poorly drained surface liable to get waterlogged.

During the worst of the winter months the pitches have often been unplayable for up to eight weeks.

If the two newly laid pitches are ready for use next autumn, the club will engage contractors to relay and resurface the playing area nearest the clubhouse.

Alex Bell, chair of the group responsible for ground improvements, said a target date had not yet been set for the demolition of the Elizabethans’ clubhouse, which dates back to the late 1950s, and which is in urgent need of replacement.  

Planning approval for a new clubhouse was obtained two years ago.

“Our aim is to start work on the clubhouse in the next couple of years once we have dealt with and met all the conditions which go with the planning agreement.”

After these conditions were finally agreed between the council and the club, there was a unanimous vote in favour of the scheme by the strategic planning committee despite fears that a new two-storey clubhouse and floodlighting would result in “substantial harms to the sense of openness” to the Green Belt countryside surrounding the playing fields.

There was concern that the scale of the new clubhouse together with 108 car parking spaces and a total of 12 floodlights would be highly visible and have a harmful impact.

Given the strategic significance of the Byng Road playing fields for Barnet Elizabethans – and the importance of maintaining outdoor sports facilities within the borough – the committee considered these “very special” circumstances outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

The elevation of the new clubhouse – with eight changing rooms on the ground floor and a function area above – far exceeds the dimensions of the current building, increasing the height by 3.4 metres to 7.6 metres and increasing the volume by 150 per cent to just under 1,000 square metres.

However, these dimensions are just below the threshold to be referred to the Greater London Authority.  

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Ceremony of Remembrance and a two-minute silence at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School on Armistice Day

Pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, Barnet, held their own Remembrance Day ceremony on Armistice Day as part of an initiative to remind a younger generation of wartime sacrifices.

At a short service on the lawn outside the school, two pupils who are Air Cadets laid flowers beside two British Legion “Time to Reflect” silhouettes.

The last post was sounded on a French horn by Kayla before a two-minute silence to mark the end of World War One.

Inside pupils watched the transmission of the British Legion remembrance virtual assembly for schools across the country during which Prince William described to young people the importance of wearing a red poppy.

Headteacher Mrs Violet Walker welcomed pupils to the ceremony which she said reflected the courage of men and women who gave their lives and those who returned and carried the weight of war.

Before pupils read out two remembrance poems – For the Fallen (Laurence Binyon) and In Flanders Fields (John McCrae) – Mrs Walker explained that they symbolised gratitude and respect for those who stood firm in the face of unimaginable suffering.

She said it was the responsibility of future generations to ensure the stories, sacrifices and hopes for a better future for the world were never forgotten.

Kayla (15) who performed the Last Post on her French horn, is a member of the school orchestra.

She spent the evening before studying the piece. It was “very special” being asked to play at the ceremony – her first performance of The Last Post.

Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, Barnet, hold Remembrance ceremony on Armistice Day as Prince William reminds young people about importance on the red poppy

A remembrance service at the school – a first for QE Girls-– was the idea of associate assistant head teacher Mrs Amanda Campbell who wanted pupils to have their own experience of Remembrance Day and Armistice Day.

Mrs Campbell hopes the school ceremony will become an annual event.

See Above, from left to right: Air Cadet Lacey, who laid flowers; Alexandra, who read the first poem; Kayla (French horn); Amber, who read the second poem; Mrs Amanda Campbell; and Air Cadet Ria, who also laid flowers.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Green around High Barnet war memorial packed for annual Remembrance Sunday Service  

High Barnet’s Remembrance Sunday service at the war memorial at the parish church was exceptionally well attended.

The first wreath was laid on behalf of the King by the Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Barnet, Martin Russell.

The green alongside Church Passage was packed for the ceremony and Mr Russell expressed his pleasure at the strength of support shown for the service.

Reservists from 240 Transport Squadron of the Royal Logistics Corps led the ceremonial march through the High Street from the Army Reserve Centre in St Albans Road.

Captain Chandra Pun – a former major in the Gurkhas – laid the wreath on behalf of the armed services.

Other local dignitaries who stepped forward with wreaths included Councillor David Longstaff, representing the Mayor of Barnet; Councillor Emma Whysall, representing the Labour group; and Olly Gough, a prospective Labour candidate for Barnet Council, who laid a wreath on behalf of the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, who was attending the Remembrance Sunday service in East Barnet.

The last post was sounded by bugler Jonny Tillett, a 14-year-old pupil at Mill Hill School – the first time he had performed at a Remembrance Sunday Service.

Sergeant Charlie Forster, who assisted in conducting the ceremony, complimented Jonny on his performance.

Father Sam Rossiter, team vicar at the parish church, led the service.

For the first time the full parish and evensong choir – plus the choristers – were in attendance under the church’s director of music Patrick Korczak.

Parish administrator Tony Long said a total of 31 organisations had asked to lay wreaths during the service, including Barnet police, Queen Elizabeth’s Girls School, Totteridge Academy, cadet corps, guides and others from a wide range of organisations.

Exceptionally well attended Remembrance Sunday service at Barnet Parish church

Another first on the day was a wreath on behalf of the Barnet Society which was laid by the chair John Hay – and which in itself was another first.

The wreath was made up of poppies left over from a production of Snow White, which Pinewood studios donated to Ursula Stone, founder of the much-acclaimed Flower Bank project in New Barnet, which re-purposes surplus flowers.

Among the others who stepped forward to lay wreaths were Kevin Callaghan, proprietor of the new Corner Cafe in St Albans Road, and representatives of the licensees and staff of the Sebright Arms, Monken Holt and Old Fold Manor Golf Club.

Among the stalls selling British Legion poppies in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday was one at the Spires installed by East Barnet British Legion whose branch secretary Lisa Partridge welcomed the support of Barnet Pearly Queen Evie Waldren.

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Star Pubs say “high level of interest” in re-opening Black Horse but mounting local concern over pub’s continued closure

Star Pubs want to re-open Black Horse public house as soon possible but concern over continued closure prompts petition to safeguard its future

Such is the depth of local concern over the continued closure of the Black Horse public house that a petition has been launched to gather support for its future to be safeguarded by Barnet Council with an order to declare it an asset of community value.

Owners Star Pubs, part of Heineken UK, told the Barnet Society that they are keen to re-open the Black Horse as soon as possible.

“The Black Horse is a great pub.

“We are in the process of recruiting a new operator and we are getting a high level of interest.”

Star Pubs operates 2,400 leased and tenanted pubs across the country and the last leaseholder of the Black Horse vacated the pub in mid-September.

Within a few days well over 1,000 people have signed the petition calling for the pub to be listed as an asset of community value. It has been organised in the name of Olly Gough – www.change.org/p/save-the-black-horse-chipping-barnet-list-it-as-an-asset-of-community-value

It says the current closure is a reminder that “times are tougher than ever” for pubs and that Chipping Barnet cannot risk losing one of its most cherished pubs.

Said to have been established in 1720, the Black Horse is described as having “real social importance to the local community” and if it ceased to be a pub it could become a place for social gatherings, recreation or cultural events.

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, says he has already alerted Barnet

Council to the continued closure.

“Given the status of the Black horse as a locally listed building within the Wood Street Conservation Area, I sought assurances that the council would retain the building and that any future development would be sensitive to its heritage status – which the council confirmed would be the case.”

An application for ACV status would need considerable support from the community.

Chipping Barnet ward Councillor Emma Whysall, who has expressed her concern over the pub’s closure, together with the Barnet Residents Association, are urging regular customers to band together to see if they can get sufficient backing for an application.

An ACV declaration was made by the council last year after the closure of the Prince of Wales, the last pub in East Barnet village, and it was added to Barnet’s list of buildings considered to be community assets.

However, the ACV was overtaken by Stonegate Group’s sale of the pub to the Heartwood Collection which runs a chain of licensed premises with dining areas, and which re-opened the Prince of Wales in May after what was said to have been “a multi-million pound” investment.

East Barnet Residents Association raised a petition with over 3,000 signatures in support of the ACV application.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Barnet trained-solicitor who became a top government lawyer advising Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands War

Barnet Parish Church was host to family, friends and neighbours – as well as numerous eminent lawyers – for a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the life of former Treasury Solicitor Sir Gerald Hosker who gave Margaret Thatcher critical legal advice at key points during her Premiership.

There could hardly have been a more fitting location for his fellow churchgoers and the wider community to commemorate the achievements of a Barnet-trained solicitor who went on to serve as the government’s top lawyer.

A few steps away from the front door of St John the Baptist is the Wood Street office of the Barnet solicitors’ practice where he was employed for five years as an articled clerk.

Sir Gerald, who died last year at the age of 91, was born in Finchley and became a lifelong resident of Barnet.

Renowned for his discretion, he took one secret to the grave.

Only after his death 11 months ago did his wife and family discover that during his National Service, he became a spy for MI5.

Sir Gerald’s career-making moment was the day he worked under Mrs Thatcher’s watchful eye as he put the final touches to a legal document authorising the seizure of Argentinian assets during the Falklands War – a move which the Prime Minister announced during an emergency Saturday sitting of the House of Commons.

After signing the document in 10 Downing Street, and before heading off for the debate, the Prime Minister expressed her relief: “Oh Gerald, this is the only piece of good news I’ve got.”

Father Sam Rossiter, the Barnet team vicar — above, with Helen and Jonathan Hosker — conducted the service of thanksgiving. It was attended by former Civil Service colleagues including Lord (Robin) Butler, cabinet secretary during Mrs Thatcher’s Premiership.

Sir Gerald was born in Finchley in 1933 and after the family were evacuated to Berkhamsted during the Second World War he went to Berkhamsted School and then the Law Society’s College of Law.

He became an articled clerk at Derrick Bridges & Co in Wood Street in 1951 and was admitted as a solicitor by the Law Society in 1956.

It was at this point, said his daughter Helen Hosker, that her father’s life story became rather “vague”.

In fact, he had been recruited by the security service MI5 and enrolled as a partner in a firm of solicitors which had attracted suspicion because of its links to the USSR.

Only recently she had challenged her father about the fact that he had been in an “exempt profession” during his national service, but it was not until one of Sir Gerald’s former colleagues, Geoffrey Claydon, prepared information for use in an obituary for The Times, that the truth was revealed.

Geoffrey, who died this year, had himself been recruited by military intelligence. The two men kept in close contact, never revealing publicly their shared secret.

Helen said her father had apparently been trained in the spying skills of the 1950s – lip reading, reading upside down, reading blotting paper, searching wastepaper bins and steaming open envelopes.

Such was his discretion that his wife, Lady Rachel Hosker (above) had no idea of his double life the day they were married in 1956 at St Mary the Virgin Church, Monken Hadley. “She had no inkling he was ever a spy.”

Sir Gerald joined the Treasury Solicitor’s Department in 1960 after working briefly for Clifford Turner & Co and after a series of promotions became under- secretary in 1982.

When the Falklands Islands were seized later that year, he was in the right place at the right time to assist Mrs Thatcher,

Helen recalled that on the Friday evening before the Saturday sitting at the House of Commons, police officers arrived at their home in Barnet telling him to report for work early next morning as 10 Downing Street had been unable to locate the Treasury Solicitor, the deputy Treasury solicitor or the Attorney General.

Rachel drove her husband to Downing Street where he found Mrs Thatcher sitting in a large chair. In anticipation of her request, he had already prepared draft legal advice on seizing Argentinian assets in the UK.

Mrs Thatcher signed the document, and while he watched the debate in the House, Helen’s mother was “in Foyles bookshop buying me some medical books.”

The following Monday Sir Geoffrey Howe, Chancellor of the Exchequer, sent him a note thanking him “for the major part he had played”.

After his promotion to deputy Treasury solicitor in 1984, he became solicitor to the Department of Trade and Industry in 1987 and was finally appointed Treasury Solicitor in 1992, a promotion which he had tried to achieve once before.

On the nomination of the Lord Chancellor, he became an honorary QC in 1991 — above with Rachel after the ceremony. This was followed by a knighthood in 1995.

In his tribute, Jonathan Hosker recalled that his father spent countless hours travelling to and from Whitehall sitting on the Northern Line, regularly falling asleep either going to work or on the way home.

One day he had woken up at High Barnet to find that the only other passenger still in the carriage had passed away.

For some reason, his father suffered from always feeling the cold – something which proved useful to the civil service before the arrival of mobile phones. One day after Sir Gerald had left an office in Whitehall, his staff wanted to contact him urgently.

“A message was sent to another office to say he was walking towards Victoria Station. How shall we recognise him? It was a lovely sunny evening and apparently the advice was, don’t worry, you’ll notice him, he will be the only man dressed in an overcoat, waist coat and hat”.

Service at Barnet Parish church to commemorate life of Barnet trained solicitor Sir Gerald Hosker who advised Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Falklands War

In his tribute, Father Sam Rossitter said he had built a deep relationship with Gerald and Rachel when giving Holy communion at their home in the years he was housebound.

“It is always a precious time for a priest to spend time with people whose faith inspires your own. He was a Godly man.”

Sir Gerald became a committed evangelical Christian in the 1950s after attending a Billy Graham mission in London, when he “committed his life to Jesus.”

In his entry in Who’s Who, he listed his recreations as “the study of biblical prophecy and swimming.”

After retiring from the post of Treasury Solicitor in 1995, he conducted a Several inquiries on behalf of Customs and Excise and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Other local interests included serving as a trustee at Lyonsdown School, New Barnet, where Helen and Jonathan went to school, and becoming  a trustee of the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon – a project which he had worked on himself early in his career when dealing with government conveyancing.

For some years he was a point of contact for his local Neighbourhood Watch.

On occasion he would be visited at home by Barnet police community support officers who liked nothing more than to have a chat with such a distinguished government lawyer, not realising perhaps that they were also in the presence of a former spy.   

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Record entries for Barnet Guild of Artists’ annual exhibition – and praise for High Barnet having so many classic views waiting to be painted

Local views painted by members of the Barnet Guild of Artists caught the eye of art critic Estelle Lovatt and former guild chair Nichola Hunt on the opening night of the guild’s annual exhibition at the Wesley Hall in Stapylton Road.

“Whenever I visit a local exhibition, I’m always keen to see which local scenes are on display,” said Ms Lovatt (above, right) who is a freelance critic for the BBC and other broadcasters and lectures at the Hampstead School of Art.

“High Barnet is so fortunate in having so many classic views to choose from and it is a delight to see how each artist has squared up to the challenge.”

She and Ms Hunt stopped at the panel displaying two oils by Chris Baker – Autumn Colour in Wood Street and Winter Walks on Hadley Green.

The guild’s 77th annual exhibition, featuring paintings, prints and calligraphy, is open daily until Saturday 1 November – from 10am to 8pm and from 10am to 12 noon on Saturday. Entry is free.

Ms Lovatt, who lives in North Finchley and knows High Barnet well, said she was all for encouraging local artists to try their hand at painting familiar local views such as Barnet parish church or Hadley Green.

“I think it is all about appreciating our local surroundings and what better way to engage with our locality than painting some of our favourite local views.”

Record entries for Barnet Guild of Artists' annual exhibition and praise from art critic for High Barnet's classic views just waiting to be painted.

Ms Hunt, a long-standing former chair of the guild, who was on a return visit to Barnet, opened the exhibition and enjoyed a re-union with two other former guild chairs – (above, from left to right) Nichola Hunt, Councillor David Longstaff, Gillian Griffiths and the guild’s membership secretary Helen Leake.

In welcoming guests on the opening night, Ms Hunt praised the guild’s revival in the post covid years.

“We have been going since 1948 when a group of local artists put on an exhibition at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School and decided to form a guild.

“We were so fortunate that among the group was Gwyneth Cowing who bequeathed a studio for the guild at Whalebones which has been a haven for local artists.

“Recently the guild has been going from strength to strength. We now have 132 members and there are more entries for the exhibition than for many years – 162 painting, prints and calligraphy.”

Helen Leake said the guild was waiting to receive new legal documents from the Gwyneth Cowing Will Trust for the freehold of a new artists’ studio to be provided in a proposed community building for the Whalebones redevelopment.

Demolition and clearance of the Whalebones smallholding and fields off Wood Street, has moved a step closer with developers having completed the purchase of the 12-acre site for the construction of an estate of 115 new homes.

Housebuilders Hill Residential of Waltham Abbey and the Gwyneth Cowing Will Trust were jointly granted planning permission last year to develop farmland which adjoins Whalebones House, former home of the Cowing family.

Councillor David Longstaff, a former guild chair, said the offer of the freehold for the new studio was a far better than the leasehold previously proposed.

“Gaining the freehold will give the guild much greater security and a wider range of options over the future use of the studio such as a chance to develop art classes for local children and arrange community events.”

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Protecting green spaces – how serious are our politicians?

View of Christchurch spinney in early autumn

This peaceful spinney in Christchurch Lane is a haven of wildlife less than 200 metres from Barnet High Street – but it’s threatened by new building. How can that be?

Barnet Council declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency in 2022. Its recently-adopted Local Plan contains policies and supplementary planning documents specifically to protect green spaces of all kinds.

Mayor Khan has similar planning policies and is currently consulting on London’s first Nature Recovery Plan (LNRS) to reverse biodiversity loss. Surely the spinney’s future is safe?

Worryingly, the answer is no.

Last year the Council authorised the sale of part of the spinney that it owns for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. Existing covenants on the land restrict development to private residential use. A planning application is expected before long.

The site is mainly well-established woodland with several Tree Preservation Orders but would benefit from sensitive management. Although small in area (0.438 hectare / 1 acre), its ecological value is great because it provides a vital undisturbed ‘green corridor’ for the transit of insects, animals and flying creatures between the Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green, both of which are in the Green Belt.

Local resident Marianne Nix says ‘The spinney is a rich and biodiverse habitat, regularly visited by badgers, foxes, muntjac deer, bats and hedgehogs as well as birds on red and amber conservation list 5.’ Above and below are some of her recent photographs.

The spinney’s location within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area should provide it with statutory protection. But the Barnet Society knows from bitter experience over the Whalebones Estate housing development that the Council can override Conservation Area status if it decides that development would be ‘less than harmful’.

The plan above is based on an interactive map that is a key component of the draft London LNRS. It shows Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (such as Hadley Green – purple on the plan) and Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance (such as Old Fold Manor golf course – sage green on plan).

On it is marked Christchurch spinney, highlighting its value of as a strategic link between the golf course and green. Unfortunately, the spinney itself is not designated in the LNRS.

Mayor Khan’s draft explains the purpose of an LNRS, identifies six overarching priorities for London and describes in impressive detail the range of landscape characteristics and wildlife species that deserve protection. It’s a welcome framework for the guidance of future development across London.

Development of the LNRS has enabled Council Biodiversity Officers to check the existing data. It turned out that much was inaccurate, out of date, incorrect or non-existent. It has now been updated and significant effort has gone into identifying potential sites of particular importance and for taking action. So thanks to the LNRS, we now have a better baseline for our local nature.

There’ll be a chance to suggest new locations such as Christchurch spinney when the LNRS is next reviewed, which will take place every three to 10 years (the government will advise on the timeframe). Until then, the Council’s duty is to protect the spinney.

In 2022, Barnet Labour’s Green Manifesto promised to ‘Protect ALL existing green spaces in the Borough’. In the May 2026 local election Barnet voters will be able to hold Councillors to account.

You can comment on the draft LNRS here. The deadline is Wednesday 29 October 2025.

Below: LNRS map extract showing designated areas in Chipping Barnet parliamentary constituency

Posted on by — Leave a comment

After staging Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, High Barnet drama group to explore Charles Dickens’ rich literary association with Barnet and Finchley

Artistic director Siobhan Dunne takes the applause at the final performance of Macbeth at The Bull Theatre…and already she is planning the next production by the Blue Door Company, High Barnet’s highly acclaimed drama group.

Charles Dickens Comes to Barnet is to be the story line for another of Blue Door’s locally inspired plays which build on the town’s rich history and literary connections.

Writing and scripting for the new play is due to start in November ready for a premier performance at The Bull Theatre in April next year.

After a run of highly popular productions which have explored the impact of the Battle of Barnet, the importance of Barnet Fair and most recently the year that Dr David Livingstone lived at a cottage on Hadley Green, the new drama will explore Dickens’ connections with both Finchley and Barnet and bring to life local links to immortal Dickens’ characters such as Oliver Twist and Mrs Gamp.

Packed audiences at The Bull Theatre for the group’s imaginative and daring production of Macbeth demonstrated the strength and versability of High Barnet’s community theatre company which brings together total beginners alongside members with decades of performance experience, backed up by dedicated local professional artists.

On the closing night, Francesco Giacon, who played Macbeth, led the thanks to Ms Dunne for her inspirational leadership and declared:

“We encounter ye with our hearts’ thanks” – based on the line from the play when Macbeth greets his guests at the banquet and says to the first murderer, “See, they encounter thee with their hearts’ thanks.”

In response, Ms Dunne reflected the pride of the Blue Door Theatre Company in having pulled off their own original presentation of a Shakespeare classic. 

“We recognise it has been a real privilege to perform Macbeth here in Barnet.”

“We manage two shows a year and we have so many people to thank for helping us to keep community theatre alive in the town.”

Ms Dunne appealed to the audience – and the residents of Barnet and beyond – to recognise the challenge they faced in keeping the lights on at a venue which was 40 years’ old, and which was in need of an upgrade.  

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise a minimum of £10,000 towards the cost of updating theatrical equipment and protecting the future of The Bull Theatre.

www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-bull-theatre

 Blue Door’s production of Macbeth was another milestone for Blue Door. It was the first time Ms Dunne had led a full theatrical company in staging Shakespeare’s play about the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition and power.

With the help of their production team, Blue Door delivered a stunning performance which conjured up a supernatural atmosphere full of music, sound and eye-catching projections.

Composer Nick Godwin created an original music score for the chorus and musicians who won a special round of applause (see above) – Helen Brown (violin), Nick Godwin (guitar, bouzouki, bodhran, mandolin) and Ned Wilkins (bass ukelele).

In her programme introduction to The Tragedie of Macbeth, Ms Dunne reveals that their next production will explore the relationship that Charles Dickens had with Barnet and Finchley called – Between the Lines.   

Work on writing the script will start in November – a joint task for Claire Fisher, who played Lady Macbeth, and whose play Mary Livingstone, I Presume was staged earlier this year, and Sarah Munford, who was one of the three witches in Macbeth and who has been a regular cast member in productions by Blue Door and its sister company The Bull Players.

Rehearsals are due to start in January ready for the play to be staged next April.

Dickens paid many visits to Finchley and Barnet and the time he spent in the locality proved a great inspiration when writing his novels.

On a number of occasions, he was said to have taken his wife to dine at The Red Lion during the 1830s.

At the time he was writing Oliver Twist and Oliver is said to have met the Artful Dodger in Barnet High Street on the steps of what was the former Victoria Bakery.

It was there that Oliver “sat, with bleeding feet and covered with dust, upon a doorstep” after he had “limped slowly into the little town of Barnet”.

While crouching in the High Street, Oliver wondered at the “great number of public houses (every other house in Barnet was a tavern large or small), gazing listlessly at the coaches as they passed through”.

Highly acclaimed production of Macbeth at Bull Theatre, Barnet, to be followed next year by a drama with storyline about how Charles Dickens Came to Barnet

Ms Dunne – with Claire Fisher (above left) – said the Dickens’ play will definitely reflect the historic importance of the licensed trade in Barnet; so, expect references to The Mitre and The Bull as well as The Red Lion.    

There is also a strong chance that Dickens visited the former Barnet Union Workhouse – although this is disputed by some historians – and that this was the workhouse depicted in Oliver Twist.

A friend had urged Dickens to visit the workhouse after hearing one of its young inmates “ask for more”.

Barnet gets its own mention in Dickens’s Dictionary of London (1879): “A pretty and still tolerably rural suburb, but on the north side of London and on clay…The best part of Barnet, from a residential point of view, is the ring of villas round the common”.

Finchley also has strong connections with Dickens’ work. In 1843 he lived at Cobley’s Farm on Bow Lane while writing Martin Chuzzlewit and used to visit the Green Man in East Finchley.

It is recorded that during his walks in the lanes around Finchley with the writer John Forster that Dickens conceived the immortal character Mrs Gamp. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Family homes rather than high-rise blocks of flats are planned for New Barnet gas works site where redundant gasholder will be demolished

After several ongoing local disputes about the height and density of new blocks of flats residents’ associations have welcomed plans to build 80 family homes on the remainder of the gas works site in Albert Road, New Barnet.

Save New Barnet campaigner John Dix said community groups were delighted that developers Berkeley Homes had reflected local opinion and are seeking planning permission for three- and four-bedroom homes – of two to three storeys in height – instead of opting for a high-rise scheme.

The four-acre site is just to the north of the much larger Victoria Quarter development where City Fairview are constructing a new complex of 420 flats in 11 blocks of up to eight storeys in height.

After years of opposition to schemes offering only high-rise flats, usually of just one- and two-bedrooms, Mr Dix said Berkeley Homes had taken heed of the campaign by community groups for the construction of more family homes.

Under the Barnet local plan, the four-acre brownfield site had been earmarked for as many as 190 homes.

Save New Barnet feared that Berkeley Homes might follow the example of City Fairview and build yet more blocks of flats.

“Berkeley Homes have seemed anxious to engage with the community, and it really is a pleasant change when a developer listens to what the community wants,” said Mr Dix.

“Our demand all along has been for more family homes rather than one-bedroom flats and well done to Berkeley Homes for having listened.”

Mr Dix acknowledged that there were some restraints on the site which might add to the sale price of the new houses – the site needed to be decontaminated and there will continue to be some underground pipework.

When asked by the Barnet Society at a consultation evening as to whether the scheme would include any affordable housing, architects JTP said this was still under consideration.

Berkeley Homes and other developers have been in discussions with the Greater London Authority over possible changes to the affordable housing targets for London – one proposal under discussion is reducing the requirement from 35 to perhaps 20 to 25 per cent in order to speed house construction. 

Family homes planned for remainder of New Barnet gas works site where redundant gasholder os to be demolished

Perhaps the biggest change to the area will be the demolition of the 90-year-old cast iron framework of the New Barnet gasometer – a local landmark as seen from the Victoria Recreation Ground.

Built in 1934, with an original capacity of 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas, the gas holder was decommissioned in 2009, purged of gas and collapsed to its lowest level.

Visible from streets all around New Barnet, the massive structure divides opinion – some think it should have been pulled down years ago while others admire its elegance and welcome its presence as a familiar sight on the local skyline.

The 38-metre-high frame of what was originally known as a column guided gasholder has been described by National Grid Property Holdings as having “no particular historic or architectural merit” and “little, if any, heritage value.”

Consultation on Berkeley Homes’ master plan for the Albert Road site closes at the end of October when an application will be made to Barnet Council for planning permission.

Demolition of the gasholder is likely to take place during 2026 along with other remedial work on the site. The scheme is due for completion in 2031.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Care minister’s visit to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice brings confirmation of continued government funding

Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, called in at the brightly lit sensory playroom at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in Byng Road, Barnet, when he met staff and parents.

During his visit he confirmed the financial settlement for the next three years for children and young people’s hospices under government funding from NHS England.

Mr Kinnock, who was accompanied by Noah’s Ark’s chief executive Sophie Andrews, met Rose Charles whose granddaughter Sophie Charles, aged 19, has a life-limiting genetic condition and who attends the hospice.

Rose, of Whetstone, praised Noah’s Ark for the support it had given her granddaughter whose brother Ben died in 2014 from the same condition.

“The difference that having Noah’s Ark has made is that Sophie is still experiencing a positive life.

“We have been supported in so many ways by the hospice since 2008. Everything the staff do is tailored to the individual.”

Having seen at first hand the work done by Noah’s Ark and the “extraordinary impact” it had, Mr Kinnock said he was determined that children needing the support of hospices should receive the “excellent, wraparound care they deserve”.

Under the three-year settlement, children and young people’s hospices will be provided with £26 million each financial year to 2028-29.

Noah’s Ark was allocated £882,000 under the 2025-26 settlement, which represented 13 per cent of its income.

Care minister's visit confirms continued government funding for Noah's Ark children's hospice in Barnet

Sophie Andrews said Mr Kinnock’s confirmation of funding for the next three years marked “a significant step forward”

“Whilst thing funding is welcomed and will give us a more solid foundation for the next three years, we will still rely heavily on the generosity of our community for the majority of our income.

“We thank every supporter who continues to stand by Noah’s Ark, helping us to be there for more children and families.”

Mr Kinnock’s confirmation of the three-year settlement was welcomed by Nick Carroll, chief executive of Together For Short Lives.

Continued government funding would help ensure seriously ill children and their families could continue to access vital hospice care.    

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Replacing a foodbank with a community grocery offering food at low prices is North Finchley’s contribution to easing hardship and helping keep families fed  

A community grocery store where needy residents and families can purchase a shopping basket of items for a minimum payment has opened in North Finchley as part of a growing initiative to provide affordable food.

On its opening day the North Finchley Community Grocery signed up over 100 people anxious to take advantage of the chance to do a supermarket shop at much lower prices.

Based at St Barnabas Church, 913 High Road, the community grocery is only the second opened in London in partnership with The Message Trust which aims to bridge the gap between a reliance on food banks and people lacking enough money to shop at supermarkets.

Already there are 32 community grocery stores across the country and two more are to open shortly all manned by volunteers from churches and other organisations.

Much of their stock is supplied from a warehouse in Manchester from where The Message Trust distributes food which has been supplied – or donated – to the charity because it is close to or just past its best before date.  

North Finchley store manager Claire Franks (above) showed how it was possible to fill a shopping basket with essential items including milk, bread, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, pasta, cereals, lettuce and a cleansing product for a minimum payment of £5.

Unlike food banks where recipients often need a community referral, the North Finchley store is open to anyone in need. All that is required is payment of a £5 membership fee.

There is a sliding scale of charges starting with a £5 shop – which saves an average of £20 on 12 items – up to £7.50 for 18 items; £10.00 for 24 items; and £12.50 for 30 items.

Multiple shops can be made each week, Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Alongside the store is the Hope North London Cafe and the aim, when possible, will be to offer other support and advice.

Jill Mallen (above), who is national training manager for Message, said the charity opened its first community grocery store in Wythenshawe, Manchester, during the covid lockdown.

They are now being established across the country in partnership with churches which provide the support and volunteer staff.

Most of those opened so far – including nine in the north-east of England and another nine in the north-west – are in deprived areas.

Now the push is on to establish community groceries in London and the south-east where there are known pockets of hardship.

A store is already operating in Ilford, and after North Finchley a third is to be established in Gurnell Grove, Ealing.

While North Finchley might give the appearance of being a comfortable middle-class neighbourhood, volunteer Vivien Metliss (above) said there were pockets of real hardship around North London.

As a helper at the previous weekly foodbank at St Barnabas – which has now been replaced by the community grocery – she had seen at first hand the hidden desperation within the locality among needy families and asylum seekers.

“Our weekly foodbank used to be open for just two hours a week, but we were overwhelmed with the demand.

“We were getting as many as 400 people turning up and it was hard to cope which is why we are delighted now to be working with The Message Trust.

“A community grocery offers the chance for people to stock up with food at a really low price and in a much more dignified manner. 

“Our store is just like a farm shop or going into a small supermarket store and it’s open five days a week.”

Vivien was on the desk enrolling new members. On the first day she signed up over 100.

“People can come into the church, off the street, and all they have to do is enrol. Then they can pay £5 and upwards for a basket of shopping.

“We have learned a lot from our experience of running the food bank. We hope access to a community store will help people in need get better at managing their finances.”

Community grocery opens in North Finchley providing low-priced food for needy families and push to close the gap between foodbanks and costly shops at supermarkets.

Store volunteer Clara Ng (above), who moved to North Finchley three years ago from Hong Kong and who attends services at St Barnabas, had appreciated her first day’s training.

“I do want to help in the community, so a chance to do sessions here at the store is an opportunity to meet other people and make a real contribution.”     

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Building on a retail opportunity: starting with a stall at Barnet Market to opening a delicatessen in The Spires shopping centre

Delihouse might be the smallest shop in The Spires – and only opened in the summer – but proprietor Jonathan Beecham is already expanding a delicatessen business which started with a Saturday stall at Barnet Market.

His deli and coffee shop offers freshly prepared bagels and sandwiches with a choice of fillings and has shelves stocked with a wide range of delicatessen products and baked breads.

Jonathan has been so encouraged by the support of a loyal band of customers that with the approach of winter he is proposing to offer a range of hot soups.

To meet demand for specialist cheeses, charcuterie, fish and fresh bakery, he is also planning to start a Friday delivery service for his range of artisan foods.

From starting with a stall in Barnet Market to opening a shop in The Spires shopping centre-- delicatessen trader's new opportunity.

After building up his experience in deli foods and catering, he took a stall at Barnet Market three years ago and trade was so strong he decided in the summer to take on a small vacant unit in The Spires, directly opposite Waitrose.

“I am so pleased to be welcoming loyal customers who got to know me at the market. Trade has been great.

“I’m definitely the smallest shop in the shopping centre and certainly the smallest deli and coffee shop I know, but customers say Delihouse is just what the Spires needs.”  

Delihouse is open from 9.30am to 4pm every day except Monday and from 8am on Saturday.

Platters of bagels and charcuterie board for parties and business events – and the Delihouse range of products – can be ordered online. See www.delihouseuk.com

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Full English breakfasts are on the march up the Great North Road as Hole in the Wall Cafe plans to transfer to Dory’s Cafe in High Barnet

Kevin Callaghan, proprietor of the Hole in the Wall Cafe – said to be Barnet’s oldest cafe – is temporarily transferring his business to the premises of the former Dory’s Cafe, another local institution, which ceased trading in the summer. 

The Hole in the Wall, established in 1935 and hidden behind hoardings on the Great North Road, is to be demolished along with other buildings on the Meadow Works industrial estate at Pricklers Hill.

The closure of Dory’s Cafe in August was the end of an era.

Opened in 1954, it had been run by three generations of the same family and its closure followed the retirement of its proprietors Guiliano Cardosi and Angela Casali.

Mr Callaghan has secured a lease on the former Dory’s Cafe – to be renamed Corner Cafe – and he will transfer the business on a date to be announced once all the legalities are complete.

The existing Meadow Works complex of industrial and commercial premises is to be replaced with a new self-storage depot which will include new premises for the Hole in the Wall Cafe along with co-working spaces.

Mr Callaghan and his staff have earned a well-deserved reputation for their full English breakfasts and lunch menu.

Over the decades the Hole in the Wall, where Mr Callaghan first started working 20 years ago, has become a well-used pit stop for lorry drivers and motorists heading out of London.

The closure of Dory’s Cafe prompted tributes across social media and a flood of memories of full English breakfasts, tasty snacks and friendly welcome – a reputation to be proud of.

Mr Callaghan is delighted that the Hole in the Wall will have a new home once the Meadow Works industrial estate gets a new lease of life.

Proprietor of Barnet's oldest cafe The Hole in the Wall is moving up the Great North Road to former Dory's Cafe in High Barnet while new premises are built.

Developers Compound Real Estate say they are awaiting planning permission but do have approval in principle for a new state-of-the-art self-storage facility and co-working spaces, fronting on to the Great North Road, which will be available to support local small businesses and entrepreneurs.

A cluster of ageing and dilapidated light industrial buildings will be demolished to make way for the new development.

One of the last to move out is a furniture maker which has been based at Meadow Works for the last nine years.

Proprietor Sebastian said that he was disappointed to be leaving as it had been difficult to find new premises and rents were high.

“We have managed to find another workshop in Waltham Abbey but that just shows how few affordable workspaces there are around Barnet. It’s not easy for small businesses in woodworking and carpentry.”     

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Community events at High Barnet Islamic Centre to include a monthly soup kitchen with a warm welcome and refreshments   

After a busy first year organising social events, volunteers at the High Barnet Islamic Centre are planning their next initiative to reach out to the local community – a monthly soup kitchen for homeless people and needy families.

Underhill Councillor Zahra Beg (left) was one of a group of Barnet councillors who gave their support to the work of the centre in strengthening inter-faith relations within the local community.

Councillor Beg – seen at the centre’s open day above left with Ruby Choudhury and Hui An Zainab – said she believed there was demand within the locality for initiatives like soup kitchens where needy people could get together for refreshments and company.

“Unfortunately, there is a cost-of-living crisis and there are homeless people who would love nothing more than a chance to get together, have something to eat and enjoy socialising.”

Anjim Iqbal, the Islamic centre’s events co-ordinator – seen above with the chair of trustees Shujaulhaq Siddiqui – said that once she was given the go ahead the monthly soup kitchen could be up and running within weeks.

“We have the volunteers all lined up to prepare the food. Local businesses have promised us the supplies we need.

“From what we understand there is a lot of demand for the chance for people to sit in the warmth and have some food, even if it just soup and bread and some other refreshments.

Since the centre, which is in Bath Place, just off Barnet High Street, opened in May last year, it has run a range of inter-community and multi-cultural events such as bazaars and open days.

A group of councillors, led by Barnet Council leader Barry Rawlings, were welcomed at the open day and brought up to date on the centre’s work in establishing links across local communities and faiths.

“We must stand together and one of the strengths of the London Borough of Barnet is that we have a multi-faith community which works together,” said Councillor Rawlings (above, third from left).

“But we must work at it all the time and stand up to people who try to create division.

“Barnet is a tolerant place. We celebrate our different faiths, and we all know we are much stronger together.”

Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, joined the councillors at the open day. (above, second from right).

He congratulated the centre on opening its door to the community and proposing an initiative like a monthly soup kitchen where there would be a warm welcome, refreshments and company.

“I have been to the High Barnet Islamic Centre a couple of times since it opened last year, and I have been really impressed to find a community which is so outward facing and welcoming.

“It is so heartening to see the Muslim community, like the other religious communities in Barnet, uniting in their efforts to bring people together and create a strong community.”

High Barnet Islamic Centre to expand its programme of community events with a monthly soup kitchen for homeless and needy people.

High Barnet Islamic Centre is one of several which have been established across the borough with similar centres at Mays Lane, Underhill, and with others at East Barnet, North Finchley, Edgware and West Hendon.

It opened in May last year after the Darul Noor charity, previously based at the Rainbow Centre on the Dollis Valley estate, raised £1.8 million to purchase the Bath Place centre from the Template Foundation.

Trustee chair Shujaulhaq Siddiqui said the centre was expanding its activities and the opening a monthly soup kitchen would add to a programme of events which included a youth club, table tennis and classes for children.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Family open day at Barnet fire station — exciting for children and for mums and dads to understand challenges faced by rescue services  

Youngsters queued up to sit in the cab of a fire engine and try on a firefighter’s helmet when Barnet Fire Station held its family open day – and it was also an opportunity for parents to learn about other challenges facing the emergency services.

Advances in fire prevention have led to a marked reduction in the number of fires but there is no fall off in rescue callouts to assist ambulance crews and paramedics and to help at other emergencies.

Firefighters of today must be skilled in cutting out injured passengers from crashed cars or gaining entry to houses where the occupants might have collapsed inside.

Barnet’s crews often assist at the aftermath of high-speed crashes on roads such as the M25 and A1.

Long-serving Barnet firefighter Nick Russ showed Barnet Vale Councillor Richard Barnes the heavy-duty metal cutter needed to cut through the bodywork of a crashed car, take off the roof and free injured passengers.

“Since I started as a firefighter 25 years ago, the number of callouts to fires has gone way down because fire precaution procedures are so much better.

“But we now have new challenges at serious road crashes or when people who are injured and who might have collapsed and are locked inside their own homes.

“We have the kit to gain entry to a house or flat and it is a task we do for ambulance crews and paramedics.”

Barnet fire station holds family open day with youngsters queuing up to sit in fire engine can and mums and dads learning about challenges for rescue services.

Councillor Barnes congratulated the fire station staff for welcoming local families to the station and allowing children to try on a firefighter’s helmet and sit inside the cab of the big pump fire engine.

“Only the other day I was speaking to one of the Barnet firefighters who told me he visited Barnet fire station with his grandfather – and now he works there!

“That illustrates the importance of us all getting to know why it is so important to have a local fire station that can deal not only with fires but also assist at terrible car crashes and rescue people in emergencies.”

Barnet fire station has a complement of 28 firefighters who are split into four watches of seven – so on anyone day there would be seven fighters on duty. Firefighter Nick Russ said he and his colleagues were delighted to have the chance to answer questions about what they did and allow children to climb into the fire engine and try out the equipment.

“The thrill of sitting in a fire engine never dies for some people. Only the other day the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson came along to see us and asked if he could climb into the cab.

“He said that as a child he had always wanted to get inside a fire engine but never had the chance.”   

The family day was in aid of Macmillan cancer charity – one of the charities which the Barnet station supports, together with the charity for injured firefighters.

During the summer, a fire engine from Barnet can often be seen visiting schools or at a fete, all part of the outreach from the station.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

An “apple and pear celebration” in New Barnet – and a chance to turn crates of surplus fruit and windfalls into apple juice

An abundant crop provided an ideal opportunity for the chance to turn surplus fruit into apple juice at an autumn open day in New Barnet organised by the campaign group Incredible Edible.

Each crate of apples produced around a litre of juice – and that required plenty of volunteers to cut up and then prepare the apples ready for pressing.

Wendy Alcock, founder of a Barnet-wide campaign to encourage home cultivation in gardens and on unused land, said apples and other fruit had all benefited from a wet winter and warm spring and summer.

“What better way could there be of using up surplus fruit and windfalls than turning them into apple juice”, said Wendy seen above at the cutting up table, with from left to right, Janet Smith, Wendy Alcock, Elaine Jackson, Sue R and Sue Taylor.

What had been billed as an “Apple and Pear Celebration” was held in the community garden established by Incredible Edible on former spare land beside St John’s United Reformed Church in Mowbray Road.

Campaigning group Incredible Edible organises apple juicing day at New Barnet to take advantage of bumper crop of apples and pears

After cutting the apples into pieces the next task was to crush them in what is known as scratter, a crusher which was in the capable hands of Dave Ford (left), assisted by Daniella Levene, founder of the group Community Harvesters.

Daniella and Wendy were both delighted with the abundance of fruit this year, including apples, pears, plums and peaches.

So far this autumn Community Harvesters have collected around 750 kilos of apples and pears for distribution to local foodbanks.

The apples have been slightly smaller than some years, due to the drought, but there had been plenty of sweet fruit.

Incredible Edible organised a morning of activities for children all based around apples, including cutting out apples for printing shapes in different colours.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Fine summer results in excellent flavour for Barnet honey but beekeepers’ association faces difficult times after move from Whalebones  

Honey of exceptional quality collected this summer has been a bonus for members of the Barnet and District Beekeepers’ Association during what has been a year of uncertainty for a well-established society.

Senior judge Fiona Dickson-Wood (above, left) was full of praise for exhibits at the association’s 111th annual show at the Hadley Memorial Hall when she was welcomed by show secretary, Linda Perry.

She congratulated the entry from Adam Armstrong whose honey won best in show for its clarity, depth and flavour. 

Adam also won the prize for the best mead. Such was its quality, that he was encouraged to exhibit nationally as well at his local show. 

Entries were lower than expected although beekeepers have been the beneficiaries of a good spring and fine summer weather which has produced honey with high density and velocity.

Overall, 2025 has been a troubling year for the association which is on the point of leaving its longstanding headquarters on the Whalebones estate in Wood Street and is having to move its equipment to temporary storage at a farm in Arkley.

For decades the stable block at Whalebones had been home for the beekeepers’ association.

It was left for their use by the late Miss Gwyneth Cowing who built an adjoining timber-framed studio used by members of the Barnet Guild of Artists.

However, last year the Miss Gwyneth Cowing Will Trust and Hill Residential were granted planning permission for build 114 houses at the farm and fields adjoining Whalebones House (which had been the Cowing family home, and which is now in private ownership).

A new studio for the artists is to be built by the trustees and a lease for its use is about to be signed by the artists’ guild. It has acquired charitable status to meet its enhanced responsibilities.

Miss Cowing’s trustees’ original proposal was that the artists and beekeepers would share the new building to be constructed in Wellhouse Lane, next to Well Cottage, and directly opposite the bus terminus outside Barnet Hospital.

But after lengthy discussion members of the beekeepers’ association have decided that the potential financial liabilities of signing a lease – and the need to establish charitable status – were too onerous for such a small organisation.

Instead, the beekeepers have been offered temporary storage space in a container at a farm in Akley while the association looks for a more permanent base.

Once the beekeepers have moved out of the stable block the building will be transferred to the private owners of Whalebones House.

If all goes to plan, the guild will move to its replacement studio towards the end of 2026.

Once the new building is up and running, work is expected to start preparing the Whalebones fields for redevelopment.

Preparatory work will include demolition of the artists’ studio and the adjoining agricultural buildings which made up Whalebones farm, a small holding run by a former tenant farmer, Peter Mason, who died last year.

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Last chance to have your say on Barnet Heights

… or High Barnet Place, as the development proposed next to High Barnet Station is officially called (see above). But Barnet Heights would be a more accurate description of 283 flats over the whole of the present car park in blocks of 5 to 11 storeys high.

Whichever, it’s the most serious threat to Chipping Barnet’s character and functioning in decades. And Friday 19 September is the deadline for public comments on the planning application.

The Barnet Society strongly opposes the proposals, and urges you to do so too.

Our key reasons for objecting strongly to the current planning application are because:

  • It breaches many policies in Barnet’s recently-adopted Local Plan.
  • It would create homes of unacceptably poor safety and quality in terms of layout, detailed design and amenity.
  • It would be no more accessible – and probably less safe – than the present site.
  • Contrary to the developers’ claims, it would be unsustainable by many environmental standards.
  • It would irreparably harm the identity of the neighbourhood, nearby and from afar.
  • No compensating benefits of significance are offered in terms of transport connectivity or new/improved facilities to the existing community.

We’re currently finalising a full justification of our objections. A draft summary of them can be found here.

The Society would welcome a development that combined a genuine improvement to the public realm and public transport connectivity alongside well-designed homes at a sympathetic scale of development. But this application is not that.

As I write, over 300 objections have been posted on the Council’s planning portal – impressive, but we need more.

In March Dan Tomlinson MP’s position was neutral, but his current stance has not yet been made known. Former Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has submitted an objection.

Curiously, of the 26 supporters of the scheme, hardly any actually live in Chipping Barnet.

How you can comment

Have your say one of these ways:

  1. on the Council’s planning portal (ref. no. 25/2671/FUL) via the Comments tab;
  2. email comments direct to planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk (cc sam.gerstein@barnet.gov.uk); or
  3. post your comments to the Planning Officer: Sam Gerstein, Planning and Building Control, Barnet Council , 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, NW9 4EW.

In the cases of 2 & 3, be sure to include:

  • the application ref. no. (25/2671/FUL) clearly at the top
  • the site address (High Barnet Underground Station, Station Approach, Barnet EN5 5RP) and
  • your name, address and postcode.

Sending a copy of your comments to our MP dan.tomlinson.mp@parliament.uk and to your local Councillors will increase the effectiveness of your objection.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Leading pioneer in renewable energy – and fellow of Women’s Engineering Society – is guest of honour on return visit to QE Girls’ School  

An award-winning engineer in the development of offshore wind technologies, visiting professor Emily Spearman – who grew up in High Barnet – returned to Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School to present prizes at the annual celebration of excellence.

Securing an A in GCSE mathematics at QE Girls in 1996 had been the springboard for Emily’s career – a career that included her nomination last year as one of “100 women brilliant in renewable energy.”  

She was delighted to congratulate Ejona Hasani – above, left – on winning the school’s 2025 trustees’ prize for outstanding achievements in maths.

Ejona – also an Abbott prize winner – is taking up a place at Warwick University to study economics.

Recalling her five years studying at QE Girls, where she remembered rushing through the corridors from one class to the next, Emily said was a chance to reflect on what school life had taught her – lessons she was keen to pass on to the pupils of today.

She had a strong sense of purpose; she knew what she liked and didn’t; she found English and history hard work; but was always curious and she gained an A in maths GCSE which secured her a place at Woodhouse sixth form college and then Nottingham University.

“One of the teachers in the maths department at QE (Mrs Sheena Duncan) recognised my potential.  She believed in me and recognised in me what others hadn’t. Through her support I have been able to achieve what I have.”

Pupils always had to fight for themselves, find sponsors and advocates, as everything achieved was a springboard to the next achievement.

“QE Girls was my springboard to college and university.”

Emily, who became an environmental officer for her university, found herself at the age of 21 as the only woman on an oil rig off Aberdeen, assisting in research and the collection of deep-sea data.

Other assignments included making environmental assessments on major construction projects across the world and, after eight years, she returned to academic life gaining an MBA in global energy at Warwick University.

Currently she is a senior leader of a BP offshore wind company, where she is working on offshore technologies such as drones and robots, and a visiting professor in energy and power at Loughborough University.

Emily’s return for the prize giving was a chance to meet up with Nigel Royden (above, left), her history teacher at QE Girls in the early 1990s, who taught at the school for 36 years, and who was presented with a long service award on his retirement.

Members of the Spearman family are no strangers to QE Girls: her father Jeffrey was chair of the school governors when the school hall was rebuilt after being destroyed in an arson attack in 1991 and her sister Jessica was also subsequently a chair of the school trustees.

Former QE Girls' School pupil, now leading pioneer in renewable energy,, presented awards at annual celebration of excellence.

Head teacher Violet Walker (far right) welcomed the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich.

As guests mingled after the presentation, Emily – at the suggestion of the Barnet Society – agreed that given her role in the development of renewable energy –and as a judge in climate change awards – perhaps she would like schools to do more to encourage a greater interest in the subject.

One idea would be for an annual prize for the pupil devising the most imaginative strategy for tackling climate change – a suggestion Mrs Walker agreed was a possible innovation.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Campaign underway to secure long-term future for highly successful on-site school farm at Totteridge Academy

A bumper summer crop of pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers and other produce is another illustration of the continuing success of GROW, the school and community farm which has been created on a six-acre field next to The Totteridge Academy in Barnet Lane.

Visitors were welcomed at an open day by the farm’s managing director Lucy Hollis (above, far right) who is encouraging local residents to give their opinions on whether GROW should be granted a ten-year lease of the land.

There was nothing but praise for the way this educational charity has encouraged pupils at The Totteridge Academy to get involved in the planting and growing of vegetables, fruit and flowers.

A fascinating look back at the inspiration behind the development of an innovative school farm – and GROW’s success over the last six years – has been prepared by Anna Robins (see her text below).

Some of the produce from the farm goes straight to the school kitchen for seasonal meals for pupils and surplus is sold at a farm shop at the school entrance.

GROW’s contribution to the community has expanded since it opened in 2019 with the introduction of raised-bed gardens for use by families who have no outdoor space and through the organisation of regular gardening clubs for children on Saturdays and in school holidays.

GROW’s aim is to gain security of tenure of its site with a ten-year lease and ensure community support for any future planning applications.

The open day marked the start of a month-long consultation to test public support for the farm and to gain approval for a lease agreement with United Learning Trust (on behalf of Totteridge Academy) and the Department of Education.

For Rob and Yvonne Verrill – above with Lucy Hollis – the chance to be shown around the farm brought back family memories.

“Our son went to The Totteridge Academy, and it is great to see how the school is now offering local children the chance to learn how to cultivate and grow food.

“It is so beneficial to get children involved out-of-doors activities. It is great for their self-esteem.”

Another first-time visitor Nick Gagen was shown the raised beds where families without gardens can grow produce.

“I live in Manor Road and have walked past the farm lots of times but never been inside. It’s great to see what GROW does for the school and local community.

“I grew up in the Cambridge Fens, so I know how important is to understand all about nature and plants.

“My family used to say that when children who were evacuated from London during the last war arrived to stay, they had no idea that food was grown out in fields. They thought it all came in tins and boxes.”

For farm manager Chis Haigh the tomato crop has exceeded expectations with lots of varieties doing well – heritage tomatoes, Roma, gourmand and gardener’s delight.  

He says that securing a long lease on their field – which was previously unused by the school – would assist in planning future cultivation and make it worthwhile to plant more fruit trees such as apple, pear, quince, plum and mulberry.

GROW has already planted over 60 fruit trees and around 500 hedge-row trees around the perimeter of the farm.

In her history about the development of GROW, Anna Robins (above) – chair of the Byng Road Allotment Committee – explains that this initiative was part of a recovery plan for The Totteridge Academy after several troubled years and a falling school roll.

In 2016, Chris Fairbairn was appointed the new head teacher by United Learning Trust, which had taken over the management of the school, and he set about a five-plan to make Totteridge the “most improved school in London”.

Anna – who said Mr Fairbairn knocked his promise “out of the park within two years” – takes up GROW’s story:

“While Mr Fairbairn and his team steadied the ship and set it on a course to success, the school was also moving up the social ladder. The school’s hall was featured in a 2018 John Lewis advertisement and Mr Fairbairn’s invited his university friends to deliver assemblies and classes – radio and television presenter Rick Edwards, historian Dan Jones, and television presenter George Lamb.

“According to George Lamb’s interview with the Harmony Project, he was having his own crisis that mirrored The Totteridge Academy.  While he achieved success as a radio and television presenter, he ‘felt empty’ and his achievements were ‘pointless and did not know what to do with himself’ – a fact echoed by his dad: ‘a game show host […] Not a very serious guy in the scheme of things’. 

“Affected by the 2011 riots, George Lamb threw himself into volunteer and community work focussing on disenfranchised and disengaged people.  In 2016, like The Totteridge Academy, in times of turmoil, George Lamb also turned to Mr Fairbairn.  Over the next few years, George Lamb became a regular visitor at Totteridge because he “liked the energy that his friend brought to the school”. 

“He was looking ahead to the next generation, realising that raising young people’s environmental IQ was important as ‘there will be no human rights, if there is no planet’.  On his next visit to TTA, George Lamb spotted a derelict six-acre field next to the school’s old car park that was supposed to be redeveloped into football pitches.  Due to a lack of funding and declining pupil numbers, this was never actualised, and so these six acres were dedicated to GROW.

“In December 2019, GROW submitted a planning application to change the use of these six-acres from school playing field to a City Farm with educational farming.  Officially launched in 2019 by George Lamb, the school grounds started their transformation into a community farm. In June 2021 it featured in the Evening Standard, on BBC’s Gardeners World in October 2021, and Children in Need in 2024. 

WHAT DOES GROW DO?

“By far the main beneficiary of GROW is the Academy itself. The initiative’s biggest achievement is connecting the school kitchen to GROW’s food to create seasonal dishes for pupils and staff.  Pupils can see the journey of their food from field to fork. Over the past six years, GROW has provided food for over 100,000 school lunch plates for the Totteridge Academy community.

“Also, GROW’s aim is to integrate itself with the entire school curriculum and to apply the subject knowledge on the farm. While some subjects are easily applied to the GROW farm, like science and the recently revived Food Technology, GROW’s challenge is to support all subjects across the curriculum so all pupils can access and learn from GROW.  Other subjects that have used the GROW farm are photography, English, and geography – most of which were re-introduced to the Academy’s curriculum due to its academic success.

BENEFITS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY

“The local community can access GROW: by a community stall in the academy’s car park, where fresh food is affordable and accessible for all ( Wednesday 3pm-6pm. from November 3pm-5pm); Grow-Cook-Share which provides local families with no outdoor space with a raised bed to grow fruit and vegetables; and BUNCH an AQA qualification in floristry for people aged between 13-16 years old. 

“GROW also provides after-school programmes and holiday clubs for free school meal recipients. 

“In the last few years GROW has spread its initiative across the London Borough of Barnet.  They are working with Underhill School & Children’s Centre and Whitings Hill Primary School by supporting them to set up their own farms to help their communities access fresh food and enhance their wellbeing through farming.

“Grahame Park now has its own community garden welcoming local residents to grow food, learn new skills, and connect with their neighbours. It is a thriving hub with over 550 visitors joining the community garden. 

“Together with Live Unlimited, GROW runs two additional clubs on Saturdays.  Live Unlimited was set up in 2018 for children who are or have been Looked After by the London Borough of Barnet.  Its aim is to help children gain life skills, build relationships and networks, reduce isolation and providing them with the best opportunities possible.  Live Unlimited ensures that all care-experienced children and young people reach their potential and lead happy and fulfilling lives. 

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

“Residents of London Borough of Barnet can also access GROW by volunteering to help grow food and flowers, learn how to farm their own food as well as help with their mental health.  It is available to anyone over the age of 16 years old and takes place on Wednesday morning from 10.00am – 4.00pm.  Wellies, waterproofs, gloves, and tools are also available for volunteers to use. If that is not enticing enough GROW also provides a vegan lunch made from GROW farm produce and offers a 20% discount at their community stall. 

“Adults who need additional support are not forgotten either.  They are invited to volunteer at GROW Friday from 10.00am to 1.00pm.  Volunteers will work in a group of no more than five adults and will get involved in a range of activities that best suit their individual needs and interests.

“Since January 2025, GROW has sown over 25,000 seeds – 1,200 pumpkins, 5,000 leeks and 450 tomatoes and are on target to sow a total of 64,500 seeds by the end of August.  It has sold a half a tonne of food to the community, had 153 people participate in their various programmes and had another 48 volunteers join GROW.” 

For further information, please visit their website:  https://www.wearegrow.org/.  Or if you have any questions or would like to volunteer at GROW please contact:  hello@wearegrow.org

Posted on by — 2 Comments

From toy shop to branch Post Office – another franchised business moves into Barnet High Street

Barnet’s Crown Post Office, which is about to become a franchise operation, will move across the High Street at some point in November to new premises in a former toy shop.

Once it becomes a franchise – as from Thursday 11 September – the branch will offer customers longer opening hours to include Saturday afternoons and Sundays (11am to 4pm).

Toy Galaxy, at 112 High Street, which closed some months ago, is to be refitted as a Post Office branch and stationery store.

It will have two open plan serving positions, four self-service machines and, initially, two additional counters.

There will be level access to the new Post Office through an automatic entrance. Inside there will be low-level serving counters, a low-level writing desk and hearing loops.

The new branch will be managed by the UOE store group (Universal Office Equipment UK) which already operates a chain of franchised Post Offices around London and the Home Counties, including Potters Bar and East Finchley.

Elliott Jacobs, who is chief executive of UOE and Postmaster for the franchised business, told the Barnet Society that the empty Toy Galaxy shop would be undergoing a “major refurbishment”.

His company was proud to be enhancing the delivery of an essential service with a seven-day a week Post Office and retail stationery store.

As part of the closure process, the Post Office is to carry out a six-week consultation exercise during which customers can give their opinions on the siting of the new location, ease of access, and any other feedback. 

After always having had its own Post Office – trading for more than a century from an imposing Edwardian building close to the parish church – Barnet is one of the last 108 town centres across the country to lose its Crown office.

This follows the Post Office’s decision to cease all retail operations and offer redundancy payments to existing staff – all of whom at the Barnet Crown Office, said to number around nine, are thought to have accepted the offer.

Barnet Post Office, which was rebuilt during the reign of King Edward VII, re-opened in 1905.

It was designed by the architect Jasper Wagner and displays – right at the top – the King’s motif ER.

An early post card illustrates the prominent position of the building in the High Street and hints at its significance as the town’s Post Office.

Barnet had a distinguished history having been a regular stopping off point for mail coaches heading out of London for Scotland and the north.

Set in the wall, just to the right of the letter box, is one of the original boundary stones of the ancient parish of Chipping Barnet.

Barnet's Crown Post Office becomes a franchise business and is to move across the High Street to a vacant toy shop and offer a seven-day service.

Its massive wooden front door also has a story to tell – set within the frame is a small grille and window.

Local folk lore has it that police constables patrolling the High Street sometimes popped into the Post Office late in the evening and at night – and could peep through it unobserved to keep an eye out for any nefarious activity.    

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Work underway to stabilise precarious brickwork in fire-ravaged Hadley Green house before reconstruction starts

A massive crane has been brought in by contractors to help install scaffolding and internal braces to stabilise the walls of a large Georgian house on Hadley Green which was gutted in a disastrous fire over the May bank holiday.

Seventy firefighters supported by ten fire engines fought the blaze at Hollybush House, but the roof collapsed and all that was left was the shell of the Grade II listed building and its chimney stack.

Plans are now being prepared for the repair and restoration of the house, which was built in around 1790 and which the owners say they recognise is an important part of the historic heritage of Monken Hadley.

An application has been submitted to Barnet Council for the post-fire reconstruction, including repairs to the walls, high-level masonry, windows, doors and roofs and the reinstatement of historic stairs and rooms.

Work starts on reconstructing Hollybush House, a Georgian property on Hadley Green which was gutted in dramatic May bank holiday fire.

A report to the council by architects and historic building consultants Donald Insall Associates says masonry at a high level and in some areas at the rear of the property was left structurally unstable and needed to be stabilised.

Work is due to start on the reconstruction in October and should be completed by March 2027.

Because the internal floors and fabric of the building were totally destroyed, the architects say it will only be possible to recreate the original appearance of the house.

The rebuilding would go “as far as it is possible” to restore the significance of the Grade II listed building and its contribution to the character and appearance of the Monken Hadley Conservation Area.

Hollybush House is one of several Grade II-listed buildings along the east side of Hadley Green, including Wilbraham Almshouses and Grandon to the north-

east, and Livingstone Cottage, Monken Cottage, Monkenholt, and Fairholt to the south-west.

The houses along Hadley Green Road are all located within the registered battlefield for the 1471 Battle of Barnet, a defining conflict of the Wars of the Roses.

Hollybush House is described in the consultants’ report as a modest country house formed of an amalgamation of 18th century domestic buildings and later additions.

It is thought that the site began as an early-18th century cottage, which was extended in the late-18th century with a classic Georgian country house façade.

The main house, which retained the majority of the historic features and decoration, suffered the worst damage.

However, there are some surviving historic items – a few sashes, shutters, and doors – which were temporarily removed for repair and refurbishment, but the loss of original historic fabric meant that the significance of the house had been permanently diminished.

Soon after the current owners purchased Hollybush House in 2020, they applied for planning permission to restore the building.

After 18 months of restoration work, which included installing a new roof and windows, the refurbishment was due to have been completed sometime in early 2026 – until fire broke out in one of the rooms in the early hours of Bank holiday Monday and spread to the roof.

Posted on by

Work to start soon on a new studio for Barnet Guild of Artists – a continuing legacy of Whalebones benefactor Gwyneth Cowing

Members of Barnet Guild of Artists are preparing for their 74th annual show in October – in what might become their final year in their unique and much-loved art studio.

Tucked away in the woods at Whalebones, off Wood Street, the timber framed studio was built by the late Miss Gwyneth Cowing who left it for the artists’ use.

The guild have been rebuilding their membership after a difficult few years following the cancellation of activities during the covid pandemic and uncertainty surrounding plans for the redevelopment of much of the Whalebones estate.

Helen Leake, the guild’s membership secretary – see above – says they will be very sorry to leave Miss Cowing’s original studio which holds so many happy memories for generations of local artists.

If all goes to plan the guild is due to move into a replacement studio towards the end of 2026 on a site in Wellhouse Lane, next to Well Cottage and directly opposite the bus terminus outside Barnet Hospital.

New premises for the artists are to be built by Hill Residential, and the Gwyneth Cowing Will Trust, which were granted planning permission last year to build 114 new houses on fields adjoining Whalebones House.

A lease on the proposed new building is about to be signed by the guild which has acquired charitable status given its enhanced responsibilities.

By moving into a new premises, with a much bigger art studio, full disabled access and modern facilities, the guild will have the opportunity to widen their appeal and work with other arts groups.

“We do want to engage much more with the wider community and our new premises will give us the chance to work with other organisations and arrange community sessions for local artists,” said Helen Leake.

The guild now has a membership of 128 artists and is appealing for a treasurer and new trustees to help with the administration.

Members are currently preparing for their annual exhibition to be staged again at the Wesley Hall during the last week of October.

Seen at work in the well-lit Whalebones studio – under the watchful eye of Gwyneth Cowing’s portrait on the wall – are from left to right, Helen Leake. Carole Wilson and Victoria Vickers.

Recent works completed by guild members are about to go on display at the Open Door Cafe at Christ Church in St Albans Road.

An ambitious project completed by guild members under the leadership of Toni Smith was the painting of a large mural on an external wall of Brunswick Park Primary and Nursey School in Osidge Lane.

The mural is of a tree and owls and the school’s colours.

One member who helped with the project was Mark Wiltshire, above.

Such was the size of the mural – measuring four metres by five metre – that scaffolding has to be erected to provide access.  

For more information on the guild’s activities see www.barnetguildofartists.com