News from The Barnet Society

High Barnet’s former Crown Post Office is to be converted into nine self-contained flats if an application is approved by Barnet Council – a change of use which highlights the rapidly changing nature of the High Street.

With a rapidly approaching deadline of mid-October, a fund-raising campaign has taken on new urgency as Mays Lane residents prepare their community bid to take over the derelict former Quinta Youth Club.

Prizes at the annual celebration of excellence at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, Barnet, were presented by a former pupil who was later awarded an MBE for her contribution towards supporting young people.

Cast members are going through their storylines before rehearsals start in September at The Bull Theatre for a new play which aims to portray the life and times of the townspeople of Barnet during the Second World War.

A time capsule was buried in the grounds of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in Byng Road, Barnet, as part of the celebrations to mark its 20th anniversary. Twenty messages from children and families supported by the hospice were placed in the capsule to help commemorate its work.

Record breaking hot weather and a lack of rain have dried out many ponds and streams in and around High Barnet. Hadley Green and Hadley Common have both been hard hit by the drought.

Wartime comings and goings among patrons and staff at Barnet Odeon contribute to storylines in the latest production by the Blue Door Theatre Company to be staged at The Bull Theatre in October.

A decade long campaign to get Trent Park House open to the public was celebrated with the official opening of the House of Secrets, a new museum within the house which reveals the secrets of espionage during World War II.

Standing proud in the re-opened garden of the Black Horse public house are three former regular customers who have taken on the lease of what they hope will once again become a popular community pub.

Residents and conservationists have reacted with alarm at a proposal to include the historic gate at Monken Hadley within an eruv – a symbolic boundary for Orthodox Jews – which would require the installation of two 5.5metre high poles with a crosswire over the road.

An expanded site for Barnet Medieval Festival with a much larger battlefield for re-enactments and displays won high praise from a record attendance of well over 600 Wars of the Roses enthusiasts.

Barnet Medieval Festival welcomed a record turnout of over 600 medieval military re-enactors who opened the two-day event – being held over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday June 6 and 7 – with a re-enactment of the Second Battle of St Albans.

A new tee shirt commemorating the 555th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet will be on sale at the annual Barnet Medieval Festival over the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday June 6 and 7.

Approval has finally been given by the office of the Mayor of London for the redevelopment of land around High Barnet tube station with five blocks of flats despite warnings this would cause irreparable damage to an historic skyline.

After the loss of several pubs around High Barnet in recent weeks, work has finally started on major repairs to the Black Horse in Wood Street, and it is due to re-open in mid-June after being closed since last September.

Labour has kept control of Barnet Council following a post-election pact with the Conservatives to ensure administration of the authority and services to residents continue without interruption.

David Bone broke off from selling fruit and vegetables to accept a Civic Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of 65 years of service at the twice weekly Barnet Market.

An historic whalebones arch beside Wood Street, High Barnet, has had to be encased in scaffolding after the owners of Whalebones House feared it might collapse and cause an injury to passersby.

Violet Walker led her final commemoration day service as head teacher of Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ ahead of her retirement at the end of the summer term.

Painting and caring for the Battle of Barnet banners which are displayed along the High Street each summer is an historic legacy for the town which volunteers at Barnet Museum hope might gain international recognition.