Fly tipping of garden rubbish and even builders’ rubble has become a worrying problem along the edges of Monken Hadley Common – and the worst offenders are a few of the owners of the priciest properties in roads such as Parkgate Crescent, off Camlet Way, and Fairgreen, off the Cockfosters Road.
Continue reading Fly tippers beware: Monken Hadley Common curators intend to fight back
Albert Bone who in 1959 opened the first fruit and vegetable stall at what was then Barnet cattle market has died at the age of 95.
Continue reading From cattle to fruit and veg: death of pioneering stallholder at Barnet market
Keen photographers in the Borough of Barnet are being invited to submit entries to a European photographic competition which is being organised by Barnet’s twin town Le Raincy, a suburb of Paris.
Continue reading Photographic competition involving Barnet and twin town Le Raincy
Dollis Valley Greenwalk, one of Barnet’s precious green open spaces, is about to get some extra care and attention from volunteers anxious to enhance its biodiversity and ensure its future wellbeing.
Continue reading Enhancing and safeguarding the beauty of the Dollis Brook countryside
Protecting the historic townscape around Barnet parish church, Hadley Green and Monken Hadley requires the constant monitoring of planning applications – a task that is becoming no easier thanks to cuts made by Barnet Council.
A star baker from Channel 4 did a roaring trade selling home-made cakes and pastries at New Barnet’s first zero-waste market.
Continue reading Top baker helps launch New Barnet’s pioneering zero-waste market
Dorina Cardosi, a welcoming face for so many years behind the counter at Dory’s cafe, Barnet, has died at the age of 86.
A Help for Heroes fundraiser which hopes to attract the support of local cyclists is being organised by Andy Perrin, a wounded Army veteran who lives off Mays Lane Barnet.
Continue reading Wounded Army veteran to lead cycling fundraiser
A property development company specialising in office-to-residential conversions has bought the Spires shopping centre and its five-acre site between Barnet High Street and Stapylton Road for £28 million.
Barnet Council has given the go ahead for the forecourts of four businesses in Leicester Road, New Barnet, to become the site of a ground-breaking zero waste market selling produce assembled and made from surplus food, flowers, and other recycled materials.
Continue reading New Barnet to lead the way with borough’s first zero waste food and flowers market
A hunt is on for women, children and former staff who might be able to unlock memories of one of the less publicised roles of 33 Lyonsdown Road, New Barnet, the listed Victorian villa that is under the threat of demolition.
Violinist Charlie Lovell-Jones who is to perform at the opening concert of the inaugural High Barnet Chamber Music Festival in July visited the parish church to familiarise himself with the setting and acoustics.
Continue reading Testing acoustics for chamber music festival at parish church
Electric go-karts and a bouncy castle were just two of the attractions at a free fun evening to attract new recruits to the 1st Barnet Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association.
Continue reading Fun evening heralds return of activities for children and young people
New Barnet’s distinctive – but badly discoloured – war memorial is one of six within the borough which is to be cleaned and restored by Barnet Council.
Continue reading Corrosion of Angel of Peace statue disfigures New Barnet war memorial
After having missed out for so long on the thrill of attending live performances a treat is in store with the return this summer of five open-air shows by Theatre in the Park at Oakhill Park, East Barnet.
Continue reading Theatre in the Park returning to East Barnet – an end of lockdown treat!
The future of 33 Lyonsdown Road New Barnet hangs in the balance as the last the property guardians have left the villa. This locally listed building has been threatened with demolition by its owners, Abbeytown Ltd, who unsuccessfully applied to build a five-storey block of flats on the site.
Community action to clean and oil the extra long bench in Church Passage has spurred Barnet Council to act: its street scene department has carried out a power wash of a section of the paving to remove grease and grime left by accumulated food stains.
Continue reading Power wash brightens up Church Passage after bench restoration
Celebrations to mark this year’s 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet will gain added impetus next month with the release by the Royal Mail of eight commemorative stamps illustrating scenes from the Wars of the Roses.
The Spring edition of the Barnet Society newsletter is now available to non-members.
Distributed in paper form by a team of volunteers to all our members, it’s a vital insight into life in and around Chipping Barnet. It is also a wealth of interesting and thoughtful local content.
As a society, there’s lots of work to do that we try to fit in alongside our jobs, and other interests. We are keen to encourage new generations to join us; making sure we best represent the people who live in our area of Barnet.
With environmental conservation such a strong topic; we’d like to perhaps, try and do more practically to support the enviornment locally. As we have done for 75 years, we try to ensure that as and when development takes place (and indeed, it is inevitable that some has to)- it conserves, complements or appropriately contrasts the heritage we have, rather than dominating or destroying it. But we would like to do more.
If you have time to write and an interesting idea or topic for an article of local interest, please do get in touch. If we possibly can we will provide support to authors (proofreading, reviewing drafts, discussing ideas).
If you have an interest in conservation, the local environment and heritage: please consider joining the Barnet Society, or making a donation to help us keep doing what we do.
Alongside updates on all the latest planning issues (among others Whalebones, and 33 Lyonsdown Road), other highlights from this issue include:
Rambling into the future, a look at our plans to republish Volume I of the popular Rambles Around Barnet (I for one am looking forward to supplementing my copy of Volume II!), and potentially develop a Rambles III. We would love to receive suggestions or ideas for local walks or places to visit via email or our social media.
Work-from-homers wake up and smell the coffee, a chat with Hugo James and Annabelle Shields-Porte the owners of Perk Coffee, who relocated their business from Camden during lockdown.
United in a Common Cause, a guest article by William Boyes, Clerk to the Trustees of Monken Hadley Common writing about the potential new structure of the running of Hadley Common. Further details can be found on the Trustees own website.
April is the most important month in the history of High Barnet station — the first steam train pulled out on 1 April 1872 and the first tube train left for Charing Cross on 14 April 1940 after the much-delayed extension of Northern Line electrification.
Continue reading April anniversaries for arrival of steam and electric trains at High Barnet station
A memorial service at Hadley Highstone marked the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet — starting a year of commemorative events which all being well will include a return in September of the highly successful Barnet Medieval Festival.
Continue reading Wreaths laid in memory of men who died 550 years ago in the Battle of Barnet
A band of volunteers spent the afternoon scrubbing down High Barnet’s most popular street art fixture — the long teak bench that extends for much of the length of Church Passage and provides a welcome resting place for one and all.
Continue reading Community action delivers — volunteers scrub clean the longest bench in Barnet
Land Registry documents hold the answer to at least some of the mystery surrounding the ownership and future of High Barnet’s vacant market site: the land is now owned by Aberdeen City Council which purchased the site for £4 million in April 2019.
Continue reading Can you believe it? Aberdeen Council now owns historic Barnet marketplace
Barnet High Street is once again resplendent with heraldic banners from the Wars of the Roses — just one of the many ways in which the local community will be celebrating this year’s 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet.
Continue reading Medieval banners helping to bring Barnet High Street back to life
Developers preparing revised proposals for tower blocks of flats on the former gas works site in New Barnet say they have “learned lessons” from their previous failure to get planning approval.
Continue reading Troubled gas works site developers say lessons have been learned
Resident guardians who are having to leave a Victorian mansion in New Barnet that has been their home for the last five years fear for the safety of the building while a planning dispute drags on.
Continue reading Campaign to preserve New Barnet Victorian villa for community use
Critical questions about the future of the town centre will have to be addressed by Barnet Council if plans go ahead to replace much of the Spires with blocks of flats.
A socially distanced service, the chiming of the parish church bell and a minute’s silence marked the centenary of Chipping Barnet war memorial.
Continue reading Commemoration of centenary of memorial to “Barnet boys who gave their lives”
The Spires shopping centre in Barnet High Street is up for sale for £25 million and the agents are promoting the option of a new owner possibly replacing some of the shops with several five-storey blocks of flats.
Continue reading Spires up for sale at cut-price offer after slump in shopping centre values
After being roundly refused planning permission last year and failing to get the support of the Mayor of London, developers are again inviting residents to offer ideas and opinions on fresh proposals for a massive housing scheme on the New Barnet gas works site.
Why not become a member? Receive our latest newsletter hot off the press four times a year, and support our work with a membership.
If you have some local news, history or want to bring something to our attention please email us.
📢Your food waste recycling update is on its way!
Households will receive letters with all the information you need about our new weekly food waste recycling service, launching 30 March 2026.
You can view a copy and find out more at: http://www.barnet.gov.uk/foodwaste
NEW: All the latest from the Barnet Christmas Fayre
NEW: The latest from GROW, Totteridge Academy’s on-site farm
NEW: Public consultation on proposed new house in Christchurch Lane spinney
Chipping Barnet Library is closed from Monday 8 December to Sunday 4 January for essential electrical works. Additional staffed hours are available at North Finchley and Osidge libraries during this time.
Check out our library opening hours: https://bit.ly/43m15I5
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