News from The Barnet Society

The sun sets on the Barnet inspired networking site.  Friends Reunited, the social networking website created in the back bedroom of a semi-detached house in Barnet, has finally closed down after being left with only “a handful” of active members.

Maintaining the great musical tradition of Barnet parish church has been the outstanding achievement of Terence Atkins, its organist and choirmaster for the last 40 years.

Finishing touches are being added to the newly built, eco-friendly Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road, ready for its official opening in the spring.

A seasonal concert that drew on the great range of musical talents at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, Barnet, rounded off the year, and also the first term of the new headteacher Mrs Violet Walker.

Barnet Museum – and its role in leading the Battle of Barnet project – was singled out for praise by the Mayor of Barnet Councillor, Mark Shooter, when he opened the annual Barnet Christmas Fayre.

Twenty years ago this December, the first of two tree plantations was inaugurated at Whitings Hill to commemorate the Barnet Society’s 50th anniversary; the second followed in January 1996.   To celebrate the woods' 20th – and the Society's 70th – birthdays our Vice Presidents, Jenny Remfrey and David Lee, relate how the project came about.

Over 100 stalls will line the High Street and the courtyard outside Barnet College for the annual Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday 6 December. After a procession in the High Street, the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Mark Shooter, will open proceedings just after 12 noon.

An oak tree in memory of the former Chipping Barnet MP Sir Sydney Chapman has been planted on Hadley Green, beside the road that bears his name.

Renewed uncertainty about the future of the White Lion on St Albans Road has led to a successful bid to persuade Barnet Council to declare that the pub is a community asset of value to local residents.

Dr Gillian Gear, who fought a heroic battle to save and maintain Barnet Museum when Barnet Council withdrew its financial support, has died after undergoing treatment for some weeks at Watford General Hospital.

Two new housing developments are changing still further the appearance of Union Street in High Barnet, which in recent years has lost shops, offices, a school and even its public house.

A living roof planted with sedum is one of the eco-friendly features of the new Barnet Environment Centre, which is nearing completion at the end of Byng Road.

High Barnet’s biggest and best jumble sale – that is the proud boast of the 1st Barnet Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association, which holds three jumble sales a year to pay for the cost of the brigade’s upkeep and equipment.

A yellow ribbon is tied around the trunk, and the words “save me” have been sprayed onto the bark of a healthy 100-year old oak tree which Barnet Council intends to cut down as part of a housing scheme in Whitings Road.

When work starts in October on a survey and excavation to find the site of the Battle of Barnet of 1471, local residents and schoolchildren will have their chance to play a part in the great upsurge in interest in medieval history that has occurred since the discovery of King Richard III’s remains in a

Barnet Council has been accused by supporters of the Campaign for Real Ale of acting in an underhand way in rejecting an application to grant community asset protection to the now closed Old Red Lion public house at the bottom of Barnet Hill.

Barnet Council is being urged by the Campaign for Real Ale to prevent the demolition of the Old Red Lion public house, at the bottom of Barnet Hill, by declaring it a community asset for the use of local residents.

At a time when Barnet’s library service is threatened with savage cuts, The Hyde Institute in Church Passage is a reminder of the proud place libraries deserve in the community, and a celebration of craftsmanship.

Sunday mornings are quite a rush for the bell ringers of High Barnet. At 9 a.m. they meet up at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist and the bells ring out for half an hour before the start of the main morning service at 9.30.

Another of High Barnet’s oldest public houses is to close – the Old Red Lion, at the bottom of Barnet Hill, is to serve its last pint on Saturday 28 February, following its sale by the Hertford brewers McMullen and Sons Ltd for housing development.