Tag: high barnet

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 — 3 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

Campaign by St John Ambulance to increase public confidence in responding to cardiac arrests by using CPR techniques and defibrillators

Despite the widening public provision of defibrillators, the Barnet branch of St John Ambulance is keen to do more to increase people’s confidence in responding to cardiac arrests by embarking on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation treatment.

To help improve survival rates, members staged a Restart a Heart event at The Spires shopping centre where St John Ambulance nurse Emma Ball (above) gave a demonstration.

Currently less than one in 12 survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and the aim of the Barnet first aiders is to encourage community support and interest in first aid and to recognise that defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.

Emergency responder Winnie Bacon (above right) of the Barnet St John community engagement team helped to organise the event so that volunteers could train people in key first aid skills.

“We want to familiarise people with defibrillators and so that one day, perhaps, they can save a life by having the confidence to step in if there is an emergency.”

Ruth McQuillin (left) insisted that the instructions inside defibrillators – and there is one on the wall at the entrance to The Spires – are clear and simple.

“There are diagrams showing where pads should be applied to the chest and a defibrillator gives spoken instructions on what to do.”

Alongside the demonstration was an exhibition showing the history of the St John Ambulance branch in Barnet which has a membership of 60 volunteers.

The display was compiled by archivist Stephen Krause (left), who joined the branch in Barnet 47 years ago.

He is a member of the St John Fellowship and chairman of the St John Ambulance Historical Society.

Barnet’s branch dates back to 1903 and, says Mr Krause, is one of the oldest in the borough.

“Alfred Mosley, an entrepreneur, sponsored a hospital in South Africa during the Boer War and he was so impressed by the dedication and skill of the St John volunteers that he decided to pay for a branch to be set up in Barnet.

“At the time there were lots of accidents in workplaces, especially on the railways and in mining, which St John volunteers attended.

“The Barnet branch has always had a high profile, and we’ve become very well known.

“For 38 years we provided first aiders at Barnet Football Club matches at the old Underhill stadium.”

Winnie Bacon joined the Barnet branch in December 2020 to help with covid injections after St John Ambulance secured a contract with the NHS.

“Today you can see St John Ambulance volunteers at all sorts of events, such as the London Marathon and here in Barnet at events like East Barnet Festival and the Barnet Christmas Festival.”

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

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

Sad farewells with house building to start soon on farmland at Whalebones, off Wood Street, the last countryside between Arkley and High Barnet

Demolition and clearance of the Whalebones smallholding and fields off Wood Street, High Barnet, has moved a step closer with developers having completed the purchase of the 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.

With ownership having been transferred from the Cowing trustees, the handover has required the relocation of two long-standing tenants of Whalebones – the Barnet Guild of Artists and the Barnet and District Beekeepers’ Association.

A replacement studio for the artists’ guild is to be provided in a new community building to be constructed in Wellhouse Lane but the beekeepers’ association, which has been based at Whalebones for the last 60 years, has moved to a temporary site at a farm in Arkley. 

Trustees for the late Miss Gwyneth Cowing, granddaughter of the founder of the Barnet Press, who died in 1987, first applied ten years ago for planning permission to build houses on fields at Whalebones,

A protracted campaign to save a significant wildlife habitat and the last remaining farmland between Arkley and High Barnet ended in October last year when the Mayor of London gave the final go ahead after Barnet Council had voted narrowly in favour of the scheme.

Most of the new houses – see image above from the Hill Group – will be built in the largest of the fields which is opposite the Arkley public house, and which is between the new Elmbank development and the woods around the now privately owned Whalebones House.

In an interview for Built Environment News, The Hill Group’s founder and group chief executive, Andy Hill, confirmed that the purchase of the Whalebones farmland had been completed.

He reiterated previous undertakings that half the site will be retained as “publicly accessible open space”.

“Whalebones Park is a site of outstanding beauty, and we are proud to be entrusted with its future.

“Our plans respect the heritage of the Grade II listed Whalebones House and the character of Barnet, while delivering a sustainable new neighbourhood.”

Space will be provided close to Well Cottage for a small holding for an agricultural tenant. The former tenant farmer at Whalebones, Peter Mason, who had been there since the 1960s and who had once reared cattle and horses at Whalebones, died last year.

Planning approval has been given for 115 houses and apartments in buildings ranging from two to five storeys in height.

“Spacious, modern family homes” would be available for private sale and affordable homes would be provided in partnership with the affordable housing charity Sovereign Network Group.

SNG’s regional managing director Matthew Bird told BE News that its partnership in the development of Whalebones Park would demonstrate how affordable homes can be integrated into high quality sustainable development.

“Our 54 homes at Whalebones will provide much-needed opportunities for local people to access affordable rent and shared ownership in Barnet, supported by the wider benefits of new open space and community facilities.”  

Alongside the purchase of the farmland by The Hill Group, the former stable block has also changed hands and has been acquired by the owners of Whalebones House.

In recent days there have been some emotional farewells because over the decades the stable block, with its much-loved ornate and welcoming interior, had been home not only for the beekeepers but also for groups of Barnet Girl Guides and Brownies.

Miss Cowing’s generosity in providing a meeting place for local organisations – and paying for the construction of the timber-framed artists’ studio – left a legacy of philanthropy which the trustees of the estate said they had been anxious to preserve and respect.

Unlike the Guild of Artists which is signing a lease for use of a new community building in Wellhouse Lane, the beekeepers’ association decided it was not in a position to secure charitable status and take on added responsibilities.

Instead, the beekeepers have found temporary storage place for their equipment at an apiary on a farm in Arkley but will miss the use of the stable block for meetings, lectures, training courses, honey extraction and storage.

Moving out was a sad moment for long serving members of the association who gathered for a final group photo in a room which, for them, held so many memories – from left to right, president Geoffrye Hood, apiary manager Wilf Wood, association secretary Ann Songhurst, and Shri Kam.

The association, which currently has 107 members, has apiaries at various sites around High Barnet including Cat Hill, Arkley, and also Mill Hill. 

Four hives of bees kept at Whalebones were moved from the site earlier this year.

One of the greatest disappointments for the association will be the loss of a purpose-built facility for honey extraction which was fitted out with the latest equipment with help of a grant from the Millennium Commission which distributed funds to mark the turn of the millennium.

Geoffrey Hood said their facilities had been of great importance in the association’s education programme and every year since 2013 he had helped to train ten to 15 newcomers to beekeeping.

“We tend to start new beekeepers off with a hive at one of our apiaries and then they usually find their own sites.”

Developers Hill Residential completed purchase of farmland at Whalebones off Wood Street, High Barnet, site of 115 new homes

The Barnet and District Beekeepers’ Association had its very own postcode. Wilf Wood said a former president Rodger Hedgecoe arranged with the Post Office that letters should be addressed to EN5 4BZ.

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 — 17 Comments

Planning inspector is being asked to reconsider Barnet Council’s rejection of plans for Barnet Football Club’s return to Underhill

Barnet Football Club has launched an appeal against the refusal of Barnet Council to approve an application to build a new stadium at Underhill.

A public inquiry before a planning inspector will give the club a chance to explain what it believes are the reasons why a new football ground should be permitted on playing fields close to the club’s previous stadium.

Despite being within the Green Belt, the club hopes an inspector will overturn the planning department’s advice that a new stadium in a “valued local park” would result in “substantial and irreversible harm to the openness and function of the Green Belt”.

BringBarnetBack, the group which is campaigning to bring the club back to a site as close as possible to its original home at Underhill, believe every effort should be made to secure a full public hearing.

When the application was considered by the strategic planning committee in July, members voted by 6-0 to reject the plan (with three councillors abstaining).

Councillor Barry Rawlings, leader of the council, told the Barnet Society that planning officials were now assessing the grounds of which the club had launched its appeal.

As the debate about whether Barnet FC should return to Underhill – from its current base at The Hive, Harrow – was now “a live issue” once again he was restricted in what he could say.

But he wanted to emphasise that his door as council leader remained open if the club did come forward with other alternative sites for a new stadium in or around High Barnet.

“It is difficult because of the proximity of the Green Belt, but as a council we would be prepared to look at other sites suggested by the club, such as a ground shared with another club or land already designated for sport.”

A survey conducted by the Barnet Society among community groups and councillors before decision in July, showed that the town was split down the middle over whether a 7,000-seat stadium should be built on Barnet Playing Fields.

Underhill Councillor Zahra Beg, who spoke out against the application in July, said she remained opposed to using the playing fields for a football stadium, but she was anxious to understand the grounds on which the club was appealing.

Planning inspector being asked to reconsider Barnet Council's refusal to grant planning permission for new stadium for Barnet Football Club at Underhill.

In view of promotion to League Two of the Football League, BringBarnetBack believe the club’s current success – it is currently placed 10th in the League – strengthens the case for securing a return to Underhill which they argue would provide a tremendous boost to match attendances and boost the High Barnet economy.

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

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 — Leave a comment

Clearing out charred remains piled up inside is next step in restoring historic Hadley Green mansion gutted by fire last May

Work is about to begin removing charred debris from inside a fire-ravaged Georgian house on Hadley Green after completion of a delicate operation to construct a framework of scaffolding and supports to stabilise the outer walls.

A massive fire over the May bank holiday gutted Hollybush House leaving only the shell of the Grade II listed building and its chimney stacks.

As the outer structure was considered so unsafe, access to the interior of the house – even by fire investigators – has had to wait until the scaffolding was finished.

Upper brickwork, especially at the rear of the building was left in such a fragile state there was a fear of outer walls collapsing.

Once the charred remains have been removed it will be possible to make a full assessment of the state of the building and contractors will be able to secure the brickwork and make a start on repairs and restoration.

The owners of Hollybush House, which was built in around 1790, say they are determined to ensure full restoration as they recognise its importance as part of the historic heritage of Monken Hadley.

Myshkin Clarke Hall, lead architect for the project, told the Barnet Society the owners of the house were committed to putting it back as it was.

Fire investigators would enter the building together with the clear-out crew.

He thought it would take two or three months to remove all the debris which would give them a chance to see how bad the damage was and then they could start repairing the brickwork.

An intricate web of scaffolding and internal supports had been necessary to secure the walls. The aim was to retain the original façade.

Brickwork on the front façade had survived quite well but was precarious at the rear and around the chimney stacks as the mortar had been damaged in the fire. Some of the bricks were cracked and would need to be removed and replaced.

Long term it might take two to two and half years to build a new roof, complete the reconstruction and finish off all the interior installations.

Work about to begin removing charred debris piled high inside Georgian house on Hadley Green gutted in fire last May.

Ten fire engines and 70 firefighters tackled the blaze which broke out at around 1am on May bank holiday.

Hollybush House, which it is thought went for an estimated £4.5 million when last sold in 2020, was in the process of being renovated and refurbished. A new roof had only recently been completed together with new windows.

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 — 20 Comments

Transport for London bans flats protest rally outside High Barnet station – but across the road residents launch their “New Battle of Barnet”

A mass protest against plans for five high-rise blocks of flats on the car park at High Barnet tube station attracted over 250 residents who were greeted with toots of support from the horns of passing motorists.

London Transport moved swiftly to warn of prosecutions if protestors gathered around the station entrance, so the rally was switched to the other side of Barnet Hill.

Fifteen posters warning of the consequences of any “unauthorised protests or gathering or loitering” had been fixed to walls and fences all around the lower entrance.

A posse of four members of London Underground staff stood at the station forecourt and were on hand in case of any breach of Transport for London byelaws.

Despite the ban on meeting in the area around the station’s lower entrance, the groups organising the protest – Barnet Society, Barnet Residents Association and Hands Off high Barnet – were determined to show the strength of opposition to a redevelopment they argue is the “wrong scheme, in the wrong place”.

As supporters were marshalled back up the slope of the station entrance to cross the road to the grassy bank on the opposite side of Barnet Hill, there were muttered protests at what was seen as TfL’s high-handed approach in banning a rally on their land.

In particular, the wording of the notices – suggesting their presence might lead to prosecutions – led some residents to complain that TfL seemed to be turning High Barnet into a police state where free speech and protest were being suppressed.

While remaining friendly and approachable, the four London Underground staff on duty outside the station entrance were a clear indication that TfL meant business – the rally had apparently been banned on grounds of health and safety.

As the crowd of protestors continued to grow in size – approaching 250 people or more on some estimates – the organisers said they were delighted by the turn out.

Four thousand leaflets had been distributed calling for support, reminding residents they had until Friday 19 September to register their objections with Barnet Council.

Gordon Massey, who analysed the scheme on behalf of Barnet Residents Association, told the crowd they had to recognise that TfL – through its subsidiary Places for London – was determined to build as many homes as possible on spare land at London Underground stations.

“283 flats on this site are far too many and the design of them is absolutely dreadful. Just listen to the noise from the road and think what it will be like living there.”

He praised the joint effort there had been with the Barnet Society whose planning and environment spokesman Robin Bishop said the society’s team approach would allow them to present Barnet Council with “a substantial submission” detailing the faults in the scheme.

As the rally continued, hand-made posters held up by the grandchildren of Jane Ouseley (far left) amused passing motorists who tooted their horns in support of the message: “No tower blocks in High Barnet”.

Summing up the defiance of the crowd was a slogan on one of the posters: “The new Battle of Barnet”.

Another poster on the roadside at the entrance to the station left passers-by in no doubt about what the protest was all about.

Ken Rowland, chair of the residents’ association, said the size of the crowd showed why residents felt so strongly about an “appalling and monstrous” development.

“We need to stop this…the children living in homes in these blocks will not be able to open the windows…they will be overlooking an electricity sub station and railway tracks, and it is not the appropriate place for a development of this size.”

Kim Ambridge, a founder member of Hands-Off High Barnet which fought successfully against a 2019 plan – later withdrawn – for high-rise flats, deplored the loss of the station car park.

Her concern was reinforced by Barnet Vale Councillor David Longstaff who thought that by building over a well-lit car park, TfL was failing to acknowledge the fears of women arriving at the High Barnet station late at night.

At the end of the rally the crowd showed their contempt for TfL’s ban on the protest outside the tube station by marching up the High Street to the parish church of St John the Baptist.

Mass protest rally against tower blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station goes ahead despite Transport for London ban on gatherings outside the station entrance

A final photo-opportunity underlined another message of from the rally – that the proposed 11-storey block of flats at the station would break the historic skyline of High Barnet and compete with the commanding presence of the church tower.

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 — 2 Comments

Chipping Barnet MP promoted to Treasury junior minister – a chance to demonstrate his commitment to tackling economic insecurity

A little over a year after being elected Labour MP for Chipping Barnet, Dan Tomlinson has been promoted to become a junior minister at the Treasury.

In a reshuffle announced by the Prime Minister on the day MPs returned to Westminster, Mr Tomlinson was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

His promotion from the backbenches to assist in the development of Labour policies to rebuild the economy reflects his previous experience as an economist with think-tanks working on ways to boost living standards and tackle poverty.

For the past year Mr Tomlinson – seen above when campaigning against the closure of High Barnet post office – has been one of Sir Keir Starmer’s backbench champions of economic growth.

His appointment to the ministerial ranks followed in the wake of the promotion of Darren Jones who was moved from the Treasury to a new cabinet post of Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Mr Jones, who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has been replaced by James Murray, previously the Exchequer Secretary – the post now taken by Mr Tomlinson.

In the general election in July last year, Mr Tomlinson, at the age of 31, defeated the long-standing Conservative MP, Theresa Villiers (who was made a Dame Commander in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours) and he became Chipping Barnet’s first Labour MP for over 70 years.  

He broke the Conservatives’ hold on what had been one of their safest seats and followed in the steps of an illustrious Labour predecessor Stephen Taylor MP, who won the newly created constituency of Barnet in the 1945 Labour landslide and who became an influential adviser on the creation of the National Health Service.

After studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, Mr Tomlinson joined the Treasury and moved to the Resolution Foundation in 2015 becoming a senior economist on housing, employment, public spending and living standards.

In 2022, he joined the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as principal policy adviser leading their research and advice on aspects of economic insecurity.

From 2018 to 2022, he served as a councillor in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

After being elected to Westminster, he was listed as one of eight newly-elected Labour MPs who would become advocates on the need to improve social housing – a cause which he has told his constituents was influenced by his own childhood experiences, having grown up on free school meals and having been homeless for a time as a child.

From the start, he indicated that he was determined to use his expertise to work with Keir Starmer, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, to tackle the cost- of-living crisis – and after only 14 months as an MP, he has the chance to put his experience to the test.

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Co-ordinated fight back by community groups organising a united front against plans for high rise flats at High Barnet station

Community groups are presenting a united front in objecting to Transport for London’s planning application to build five high-rise blocks of flats on a car park and strip of land alongside the London Underground station for High Barnet.

To highlight the strength of opposition to the “wrong scheme in the wrong place” a rally is to be held on the morning of Sunday 7 September at the lower entrance to the tube station starting at 11.30 am.

Barnet Council has extended until Friday 19 September the deadline for residents to respond to the scheme.

After widespread complaints about the decision to organise public consultation during the summer holidays when so many people were likely to be away, the council acknowledged extra time should be given to ensure residents understood the full impact of the application being made by TfL’s property subsidiary, Places for London.

Leading the way in opposing the scheme are the Barnet Society and the Barnet Residents Association which have both been preparing a detailed list of objections to the application to provide 283 flats in five high storey blocks, one of which would be 11 storeys high.

They say the five blocks of flats are “unattractive and overbearing” and completely out of scale and character for the locality with the eleven-storey block rising above the skyline.

Gordon Massey, who prepared a point-by-point summary of the association’s objections, says the proposed development is a “poorly designed blot on the landscape” with the expectation that the flats would be overwhelmingly purchased by buy-to-let landlords.

Living conditions on the new estate would be poor as 75 of the flats would be single aspect facing west, raising issues of noise, heat and ventilation with the likelihood that with all windows having to remain closed, they would rely on mechanical ventilation.

“We are not opposed to the redevelopment of this site for housing, but the people of High Barnet and future residents of this development deserve something much better than this.”

Mr Massey’s conclusions are in line with those of Robin Bishop, who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and the environment, and who thinks the scheme would have a brutal impact on the existing townscape and greenery of High Barnet, Underhill and Barnet Vale.

“Our main objections to the scheme are to the alien scale and character of the designs; its unsustainability as a neighbourhood; its unsafe environment; and the lack of community benefits.”  

Other community groups warn of grave consequences if the development goes ahead with the danger that sandwiching high-rise blocks of tiny flats onto a strip of land between the tube line and Barnet Hill would, in their opinion, be destined to create the slum housing of tomorrow.

Hands Off High Barnet, a campaign group which co-ordinated objections to a 2019 scheme to build seven blocks on the site – a plan which was later reduced and withdrawn – fears the same mistakes are being made once again.

Of the 283 flats being proposed, 68 would be of only one bedroom when High Barnet desperately needed more family homes.

The loss of a well-lit station car park would pose a particular danger for women returning to High Barnet late at night.

“After all the objections we made to the last application, TfL are still not making it any easier for disabled passengers who need to be dropped off or collected at the station,” said Kim Ambridge, one of the founders of Hands-Off High Barnet.

John Dix of the Save New Barnet Campaign – which fought long and hard trying to prevent too many new flats being squeezed into the Victoria Quarter site – said he thought the station scheme was “really shocking”.

The children’s play space in the new development was the “absolute bare minimum” for under 11s.

“One of the children’s play spaces is a steep slope – it drops by 3.3 metres from top to bottom – with steps down the middle underneath one of the blocks.

“They call it the ‘undercroft’ play area, but the wind assessment says it is a problem area and is not for lingering.

“How any human being could classify this dark, draughty underpass as a play area is beyond me.

“The children’s play area for the 12-18-year-olds is, wait for it…500 metres away on Barnet playing fields.”

Mr Dix said he hoped Barnet Councillors read the details of the application, refuse to give approval, and tell the developers to go back to the drawing board.

To raise awareness of TfL’s application and publicise the rally on Sunday 7 September volunteers hope to distribute a leaflet – see below – to around 4,000 households in High Barnet.

Community groups across High Barnet organising co-ordinated fight back against plans for high rise blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station
Posted on by — Leave a comment

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

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Smaller apples than usual but plenty of surplus produce on its way to foodbanks as volunteers tackle fruit-laden trees

A bumper crop of apples and plums is being collected for foodbanks across the London Borough of Barnet by volunteer fruit pickers from Barnet Community Harvesters who save and redistribute surplus produce.

Despite record summer temperatures and a prolonged drought, many trees have been fruiting far better than expected.

On their fifth visit of the season, volunteers picked 103 kilogrammes of cooking and eating apples from three adjoining gardens in Sebright Road, High Barnet.

Three crates with 45 kilogrammes of fruit were delivered to Chipping Barnet Foodbank and the rest went to Colindale Foodbank.

This is in addition to over 200 kilogrammes already donated Colindale and the Finchley Foodbank.

Organiser Daniella Levene (above, centre) who established the group five years ago – seen with volunteers Chris Schwarz (left) and Sue Goodwin – said the exceptionally hot and dry weather had advanced the fruit harvest by at least two weeks.

“Usually, we do our fruit pick at Sebright Road in early September, so to be here in the last week of August just shows the impact of climate change.

“We have noticed how fruit is ready for picking earlier and earlier each autumn but there has been a real change this year.

“When there is a drought, the trees do get stressed and can produce more fruit.”

Daniella said apples they were picking tended to be smaller but often sweeter than usual.

There was plenty of fruit on the trees and especially good crops of plums and damsons.

Surplus apples and plums on their way to Barnet's foodbanks as volunteer fruit pickers from Community Harvesters get to work

The visit to Sebright Road was hosted by Helen Harte (left, above) who was delighted that surplus apples from trees in three adjoining gardens would be going to foodbanks.

“There are far too many apples for us and otherwise they would have to go into our green bins which is such a waste.

“Unfortunately, there is a limit on the amount of fruit we can leave out on our doorsteps, so we are delighted the fruit is being picked in top condition and then going straight to foodbanks.”

Daniella said the fruit collected by Community Harvesters’ volunteers was always gratefully received at the foodbanks.

“Colindale is one of the busiest in London and fresh produce is so expensive in the shops, so our initiative is really appreciated.”

Although delighted by this autumn’s crop of fruit, Daniella doubted the group would match their record year of 2022 when the harvesters donated 1,800 kilogrammes of fruit to local foodbanks.

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Landing on Barnet Hill soon – unless the Council can be persuaded to refuse it

This development would permanently alter the identity of Chipping Barnet. If approved by the Planning Committee, it would set an extremely damaging precedent for the town centre and neighbouring areas. We have until Friday 19 September to comment on it – see how to do so at the end of this post.

The planning application

Places for London (PfL, a partnership between Transport for London & Barratt London) want to build 283 flats over the whole of the present car park in blocks of 5 to 11 storeys high. You can see the full application at https://publicaccess.barnet.gov.uk/online-applications/ (reference no. 25/2671/FUL).

At a public meeting on 20 March Dan Tomlinson MP was neutral about the scheme, but asked PfL to deliver more benefits for the community. Examples suggested were moving the northbound bus stop closer to Station Approach and providing bus access to the station forecourt. Frustratingly, the application offers only some benches and better lighting to the pedestrian ramp and a couple of extra disabled car bays.

Mr Tomlinson has told the Society that he is reviewing the application and will reassess his position.

The Barnet Society’s response

The Barnet Society strongly objects to the application.

We do so with regret because we respect Barnet’s need for new homes and support good design. We also accept the principle of building at transport hubs, and would welcome improvements to this prominent site.

But the designs submitted are not appropriate for this location. They amount to massive overdevelopment, to the great detriment of the character of Chipping Barnet and with almost no compensating benefits to the local community. Our main objections are summarised below.

An alien imposition

The designs are entirely out of scale and character with our green and historic neighbourhood.

At the top and bottom of Barnet Hill, few buildings exceed three storeys, but those proposed would rise over three times as high. They would totally dominate the existing townscape and greenery that make High Barnet, Underhill and Barnet Vale special. They would break the historic skyline from several viewpoints.

Two of the published visualisations are particularly misleading. View 2 (from Underhill) shows only three of the five blocks. Our own version (above) shows a truer picture.

View 14 (from Pricklers Hill) hides St John the Baptist’s church, which currently dominates the skyline, behind a tree. Below, our version demonstrates how the development would compete with – and detract from – the traditional preeminence of the church.

We do not object to gentle densification of our neighbourhood, but this would be a brutal and irreversible step-change.

It would also be a clear breach of Barnet Council’s own recently-adopted Local Plan, which expressly rules out buildings over 7 storeys at High Barnet Station.

The developers’ claim that ‘the tallest building serves [as] a welcoming and attractive gateway from the Station’ is a sublime example of marketing oversell. The trees lining both sides of Barnet Hill already provide a distinctive and beautiful southern ‘gateway’ to our town. The Station needs no such a grandiose landmark: its reticence is part of its charm.

An unsustainable neighbourhood

The applicants and their designers describe their proposals as an ‘exciting well-connected and highly sustainable residential neighbourhood’ (Planning Statement 2.6). On the contrary, it is disconnected and unsustainable at almost every level.

The constraints of the A1000, Northern Line, TfL structures, unstable geology and sloping topography force the applicants to propose a height and density that would be expensive to build, service and maintain for decades to come.

Squeezed between the busy, noisy and polluted road and railway, the new homes could not economically provide healthy environments internally or externally. The promised Passivhaus standards require levels of construction skill and expenditure that we doubt would be attainable.

Flat layouts are often poor.  Some are only single-aspect and, facing north-east, would have very poor sunlight and natural ventilation. A high proportion face south-west with potential to over-heat in summer. Expensive acoustic mitigation and mechanical ventilation (costly to run) would be necessary.

Only 35% of the total number of flats would be ‘affordable’. No guarantees are provided to restrict buy-to-let or overseas investors. At least some of the flats would probably become over-occupied, resulting in a population of nearly 1,000 with no gardens and minimal amenity space.

It would have a high proportion of children but only token outdoor play space. Outdoor play and social space for older children, young adults and the elderly would be negligible. Family stress would increase.

A truly sustainable scheme would place public health, community energy and low waste at its heart. It would be complemented on-site by a rich range of habitats and community gardening, and supported by excellent public transport connections and cycleways. None of these are on offer. Biodiversity net gain could only be achieved by substantial off-site provision. Residents would lack most of the physical, social and economic infrastructure necessary for a settled, inclusive and intergenerational neighbourhood.

An unsafe environment

We are unconvinced that there would be a net improvement in safety. Removal of all general car parking spaces would increase risks to women and other travellers with concerns for their personal safety, especially in late evening and early morning.

Although the ‘woodland walk’ would get an upgrade, the new recessed benches are likely to encourage misuse. The long and contorted strip between the new flats and the tube tracks would invite anti-social behaviour. With its many dark recesses and corners, the project would rely heavily on CCTV cameras and external lighting to meet Secure by Design standards.

Lack of community benefits

Connectivity between tube, buses, taxis and private vehicles would remain poor. Direct bus access to the Station forecourt is ruled out. TfL make no commitment to moving the northbound bus stop closer, or to a cycle lane on Barnet Hill. Pedestrian and wheelchair accessibility would be only slightly improved. Congestion would worsen.

New demand for local surgeries, nurseries and schools would be significant, with no certainty of the developer’s contribution to meeting it.

Loss of car parking

We are unconvinced by the rationale for removing the car park. The only spaces left would be a few disabled bays and (ironically) those for TfL staff. Yet park-and-ride is an option highly valued by residents on the fringes of Barnet and Hertfordshire and boosts tube use. Without improved public transport and connectivity to the Station consequences would be severe, both for travellers and for residents near the Station.

The inconvenience and distress caused by CPZs has lately been illustrated at Underhill South. Similar protests can be expected from residents in the proposed Zones E (Barnet Lane & Sherrards Way) and F (Meadway, Kingsmead, Potters Lane, Prospect Road, Leicester Road & King Edward Road) as well as others affected in Barnet Vale and parents of pupils at St Catherine’s RC Primary School, many of whom have to drive considerable distances due to its wide catchment area.

Postwar mistakes repeated

The mistakes of postwar estate planning – not least in the nearby Dollis Valley Estate – have been forgotten. If approved, in a few years’ time future Barnet residents, politicians and planners will wonder how this development was allowed to happen.

Above: proposed view from King George’s Fields

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;
  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 reference no. (25/2671/FUL) clearly at the top plus your name, address and postcode.

Increase the effectiveness of your objection by sending a copy of your comments to our MP dan.tomlinson.mp@parliament.uk and to your local Councillors.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

By walking a mile and a half a day, High Barnet store director raises over £1,000 for cataract operations by Sightsavers charity

A familiar face in Barnet High Street, Pragna Raghwani, who is store director at Specsavers, has raised well over £1,000 for the international medical health charity Sightsavers.

She spent a month walking a total of 100 miles – by completing a mile and a half early each morning before work – as her way of attracting donations towards Sightsavers’ mission to provide cataract operations across Africa and Asia.

Partly blind herself, Pragna says that what she has found so satisfying during almost 20 years at Specsavers’ branch in High Barnet, has been her ability to support and advise customers who are also visually impaired.

High Barnet store director Pragna Raghwani raises over £1,000 by sponsored walk for Sightsavers charity for cataract operations in Asia and Africa.

Pragna was diagnosed with normal tension glaucoma in 2010. Despite undergoing four eye operations, she has lost her sight in the left eye and has only 30 per cent vision in her right eye.

“As someone who lives with visual impairment, I know about the problems first hand and how life changing it can be.

“Over the years I have been able to help lots of customers in High Barnet who are also partially sighted, and the work is very rewarding.”

After previously being store director for Specsavers at Borehamwood, Pragna became store director at High Barnet in 2007 and has built up connections and friendships with other traders and businesses in the High Street.

Pragna has won recognition for her contribution to optical and audiological care. She has been an examiner, mentor, and coach for the Association of British Dispensing Chemists and was Specsavers ambassador during Glaucoma Week.

Her voluntary work includes taking part in local school career fairs where she engages with teenagers and young adults interested in pursuing careers as opticians and audiologists.

Her challenge to raise money for Sightsavers had the support of donations from friends, family, colleagues and local supporters and contributions are continuing to add to the £1,000-plus already collected.

“To complete the 100 miles within a month, I walked a mile and a half every morning between 6am and 7.30am in my local park at Kingsbury.

“My son bought me a pedometer, so I have been able to count the steps and make sure I walked the right distance every say.”

She wanted to support Sightsavers because of what she says is the “incredible work” the charity does in providing life-changing cataract operations in Africa and Asia.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Race is on for community groups rallying opposition to “massive” high-rise redevelopment around High Barnet tube station

Overwhelming local opposition is emerging to Transport for London’s latest application to build five high-rise blocks of flats on a car park and land alongside High Barnet tube station.

Since plans were published four weeks ago, the response has been heavily against the scheme for being a “massive overdevelopment” with the tallest 11-storey block being described as “horrendous” and “overbearing”.

But the race is now on among community groups to raise public awareness and marshal their case against the plan before the September 2 deadline for registering comments with Barnet Council.

Ward councillors and High Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson are to be briefed by the Barnet Society and Barnet Residents Association as the two organisations finalise their detailed responses.

There have been some complaints of underhand tactics: Why is a consultation on such a significant application being conducted during the summer holidays when so many residents are likely to be away? 

Some of the comments posted so far online have been in favour arguing that 283 new flats would provide “much-needed housing” and “smarten up” the area.

But comments posted on the Barnet Society website since 23 July – and direct responses to the society’s draft of its own objections to the plan – indicate mounting opposition.

Issues of greatest concern are the potential harm a massive development might have on the historic character of High Barnet; the loss of the station car park; the smallness of the flats (68 of 283 would be one-bedroom); the lack of community benefit or support for a new neighbourhood of nearly 1,000 people; and the failure to make substantial improvements to public access to the station and connections for bus passengers.

A fuller understanding of the implications of the development by TfL’s subsidiary Places for London is generating additional criticism.

To offset the loss of the station car park – and prevent commuters parking in nearby roads – new controlled parking zones are being proposed for Underhill (Barnet Lane/Sherrards Way) and Barnet Vale (Meadway, Kingsmead, Potters Lane, Prospect Road, Leicester Road and King Edward Road).

There are also increasing doubts about the poor layout inside the blocks and fears that a high proportion of the flats facing south-west could probably overheat in the summer.

Robin Bishop, who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and environment, says the five blocks of flats would have a brutal impact on the existing townscape and greenery of High Barnet, Underhill and Barnet Vale.

The tallest block of 11 storeys – seen superimposed in orange on the photograph above of the view taken from Pricklers Hill –would “break the historic skyline from several viewpoints and compete with, and detract from, the traditional pre-eminence of St John the Baptist parish church”.

“Our main objections to the scheme are to the alien scale and character of the designs; its unsustainability as a neighbourhood; its unsafe environment; and the lack of community benefits.”

Under the approved Barnet local plan, land around the tube station is earmarked for the construction of up to 300 homes but with a height limit of seven storeys.

Breaking that undertaking by approving the plan would be regarded by the scheme’s opponents as a grave betrayal by Barnet Council.

Community groups marshalling opposition to massive high rise flats at High Barnet tube station before deadline for comments on 2 September.

If the application is approved, it would mean the closure of the container yard operated by Container Safe Ltd which rents out around 120 self-storage containers on what was originally the station coal yard.

Paul and Bev Meehan, who run Container Safe, say that under the terms of their lease for the site from TfL they are subject to six months’ notice.

The couple faced the same uncertainty in 2020 when an application was made to build 292 flats on the site – a plan that was subsequently withdrawn.

They point to the fact that they do provide a vital service for many small businesses and traders in and around High Barnet who store equipment and supplies inside the containers.

Storage space has become increasingly expensive for small businesses which find the rents being demanded on new industrial units are prohibitive.

Comments on the plan can be made via the Barnet Council website quoting reference no. 25/2671/FUL.

Alternatively, you can email comments direct to planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk or post your comments to the Planning Officer: Sam Gerstein, Planning and Building Control, Barnet Council , 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, NW9 4EW. In both cases you must also include the application number (25/2671/FUL) and address (High Barnet Underground Station Station Approach Barnet EN5 5RP) plus your name, address and postcode.

The Barnet Society recommends that views should also be forwarded to your local councillors.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

A thinning out of trees around the wooded entrance to High Barnet tube station was needed on “safety grounds”

Some of High Barnet’s much-loved mature trees have faced a sustained summer assault at the hands of the chain saws of tree surgeons.

A height reduction and the removal of what were said to be overhanging, or dead branches has resulted in a dramatic make-over of the trees at the pedestrian entrance to High Barnet tube station.

After reducing the height of the trees along the station’s wooded frontage in Meadway contractors started cutting back trees at the junction with High Street and Barnet Hill.

The work was said to be necessary because of the overhang of branches and the danger of them falling onto pedestrians or vehicles.

Pedestrian access had to be closed off during the work which also necessitated the installation of temporary traffic lights causing considerable congestion on Barnet Hill.

By the end of the day the path up from the tube station towards the crossroads at Meadway had been transformed… with a much reduced tree canopy.

At the upper end of the High Street a sycamore on the courtyard between the Huddle Cafe and the MinimuMaximuM shop had to be felled because it was dying back and posed a danger.

The tree was self-seeded but dead branches had been falling off for some time and the owners of the land said that the tree had to go as it was an accident waiting to happen.

However, shade from the sun in the seating area beside the Huddle Cafe is somewhat reduced following the tree’s removal.

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Future road closures such as Wood Street, High Barnet, could cost contractors as much as £2,500 a day

A three-week closure of Wood Street, High Barnet – resulting in widespread rush hour traffic disruption and a lengthy diversion for three bus routes – is an illustration of why there is likely to be strong support for Barnet Council’s plan to force utility companies to speed up their work.

Road pricing would impose lane rental charges on excavating main roads across the borough punishing contractors with escalating costs.

Currently the scheme is out for consultation and if approved by both the council and the Secretary of State for Transport, the charges would take effect from April 1 next year.

Lane closures on Barnet’s busiest main roads would cost utility companies and contractors a daily charge of £2,500.

Wood Street’s closure in both directions between the Black Horse roundabout and Hillside Gardens – from August 5 to August 26 – is causing traffic jams, delays and unnecessary costs for road users.

Three major bus routes along Wood Street – 107, 263 and 307 – are being diverted along Stapylton Road, St Albans Road and the High Street.

Ambulances serving Barnet Hospital are also unable to use the most direct route.

Adding to the congestion is the pinch point beside the Black Horse public house where buses and large commercial vehicles have to pass in single file along a narrow section of Stapylton Road.

Thames Water has put up notices apologising for the inconvenience. Contractors are working at a depth of 3.5 metres to repair a collapsed sewer.

But as with a similar three-week closure of Barnet Road, Arkley, for sewer repairs – again in both directions and resulting in lengthy bus diversions – there appears to be little if any late night or weekend working by the contractors.

Nearby residents in Arkley complained vociferously about the time taken to complete the work.

A diversion of the 107 (New Barnet to Edgware) required buses to follow a route along the High Street, St Albans Road and the A1 and meant the withdrawal of buses along Wood Street and Barnet Road.

Barnet Council’s consultation on the introduction of a lane rental scheme for the borough’s main roads opened on 30 July; closes on 9 September; with feedback due by 25 September so that a decision can be taken by a government deadline of 30 September for schemes to take effect next April.

A note on the consultation –  https://www.engage.barnet.gov.uk/lane-rental-scheme-consultation  – says the introduction of lane rental charges on the busiest roads at the busiest times should limit the amount of disruption across the borough’s road network.

Transport for London have been operating a lane rental scheme on some highways since 2012 and the introduction of the scheme in Barnet would affect just under 14 per cent of the borough’s roads.

Road closures such as Wood Street, High Barnet, could cost Thames Water and contractors £2,500 a day under new Barnet Council road lane rental plan.

Wood Street is one of the main roads that would attract the highest charges of up to £2,500 a day for lane rentals between 7am and 7pm on weekdays and between 7am and 10am and then 3pm to 7pm at weekends.      

Posted on by — 26 Comments

End of an era in Barnet town centre: Dory’s closes after 71 years in business leaving customers dismayed by the loss of a welcoming cafe  

Dory’s, High Barnet’s celebrated family run cafe which provided refreshments and a warm welcome for generations of satisfied customers, has closed for business after the retirement of its proprietors Guiliano Cardosi and Angela Casali.

Surprise at the sudden loss of a town centre institution prompted tributes across social media and a flood of fond memories of the three generations who have produced a constant supply of full English breakfasts, hot meals, snacks and endless rounds of teas and coffees.

People unaware of the closure lined up to read notice of the sad news to customers and friends:

“After 71 wonderful years of serving our community, we would like to share the news that Dory’s, our family run business, will be closing its doors.”  

Angela Casali (above, far right in the family photo) told the Barnet Society that she and her brother had decided to retire.

“Sadly, running a cafe does not appeal to the next generation of the family”.

Her grandfather Ottorino Pellicci opened the cafe in 1954 on taking over from the Mancini family.

Dory’s was the name chosen for the cafe – the name by which Ottorino was known – at the corner of Bruce Road and St Albans, a prime location next door to the former site of Barnet Market.

So far, no decision has been taken about the future of the cafe, a business which was rightly proud of its claim to be the oldest family business trading in Barnet town centre.

Guiliano (above, front row, far let) and Angela said they were “incredibly grateful for the support, loyalty, relationships and memories built over the years”.

They were constantly surprised by who came through the front door of the cafe – sometimes someone who remembered their grandfather or perhaps a television star or celebrity.

When the cafe’s doors closed on Thursday 31 July word spread quickly – but not fast enough for a steady flow of customers turning up next day hoping for some refreshments.

They were all shocked by the news and dismayed by what they thought was the end of an era.

David Clark (above) said that although he had only been a customer for the last three years, he thought it was a tragedy Barnet was losing such a vital community hub.

“Whenever you went into Dory’s you ended up talking to other people – that was its secret, it was such a friendly place.

“You really couldn’t expect not to start up a conversation, so I will miss it. For me, Barnet will never be the same again.”

The week after Ottorino and his wife Crimene opened for business in 1954, Barnet’s cattle market closed, but the subsequent success of Barnet’s stalls market ensured a regular clientele.

The couple’s daughter Dorina (who died in 2021) and her husband Tony Cardosi (centre, front row in family photo above) took over the business and were then succeeded by their son and daughter Guiliano and Angela.

After 71 years trading in High Barnet, Dory's family run cafe closes for business to dismay of generations of customers.

Angela (above, fourth from the left) has fond memories of helping her mother and father when stalls filled the former cattle market (now the site of a car park).

“Back in those days trade was so good we used to get queues outside our door.   

The closure of Dory’s marks another sad loss among the dwindling number of family and independent businesses in High Barnet town centre.

Dory’s demise follows the closure of the Victoria bakery and Julian’s hardware shop.

Peter Wanders, proprietor Wanders shoe shop, is now thought to be the oldest trading name.

He opened his shop in September 1986 followed a year later by the arrival of Vajsur (Vince) Gadhavi at Smokers’ Paradise, now the Paper Shop.

Peter and Vince both had fond memories of the extended family which ran Dory’s and the welcome they offered. 

“It was renowned for being a proper working man’s cafe,” said Vince. “Sometimes there would be customers waiting outside ready for Dory’s to open at 5am.

“My paper shop is open from 6am, but Dory’s was always busy by then, so we are all really going to miss the early morning comings and goings just across the High Street.”  

Posted on by — 25 Comments

The High Barnet Station car park planning application is in!

Places for London (PfL), the partnership of Transport for London and Barratt London that wants to build on High Barnet Station car park, has submitted a planning application to the Council. Members of the public have until 2 September to comment on it. Above is a visualisation by jtp Architects & Masterplanners.

The designs are basically the same as those exhibited in February-March this year. The Barnet Society’s web post on 17 March set out our views on the development. Our conclusion then was that unless our concerns – especially regarding its overbearing scale, alien character, poor accessibility, and loss of almost all car parking – were addressed, the Barnet Society was minded to oppose the plans.

Since then, PfL have reduced the number of homes from 300 to 283 but increased the height of the tallest block to 11 storeys. They’ve also made some other adjustments to the designs of buildings and landscape. We’re scrutinising the 120-odd documents in discussion with Barnet Residents Association. As soon as we’ve come to a conclusion, we’ll publish a more detailed web post.

Meanwhile, you can view the application on the planning portal (reference 25/2671/FUL). The best documents to begin with are the Summary of Proposals followed by the Design & Access Statement (in 8 parts). Have your say via the Comments tab (but you’ll need to register first).

One drawing we haven’t been able to find so far is a single view of the whole scheme, but cut’n’pasting two elevations gives an overall impression of it from Barnet Hill.

Posted on by

Blue Door theatre group aims to recreate dark, supernatural world of Macbeth for autumn performance at Bull Theatre, High Barnet

High Barnet’s acclaimed drama group is busy rehearsing for their autumn production — an imaginative presentation of The Tragedie of Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s play about the destructive consequences of unchecked ambition and political power.

Macbeth is a classic tale about a murderous medieval king which director Siobhan Dunne says seems so relevant to the events of today in a world troubled by despots, bullies and tyrants prepared to murder to get power.

Her innovative production aims to break new ground with original live music and projections designed to recreate the dark, supernatural world of the weird sisters – the three witches who appear to Macbeth and Banquo.

After several recent sell-out productions retelling the history of Barnet, the Blue Door Theatre Company are determined that their interpretation of Macbeth will be another milestone for one of the Bull Theatre’s most exciting and original community theatre groups.

There will be four performances from Thursday 16 October to Saturday 18 October – just the right timing for any local students for whom Macbeth is a set text for GCSE English.  (Tickets £15 via www.thebulltheatre.com)

For Siobhan Dunne this will be a first – the first time she has produced Macbeth with a full theatrical company.

Together with other members of her production team – above, from left to right, movement director Naomi Richards, Siobhan Dunne and composer Nick Godwin — they are planning a performance which will conjure up a supernatural atmosphere full of music, sound and eye-catching projections.

“Shakespeare’s intention in Macbeth was for us all to hold a mirror up to ourselves and what better time to delve into the corrupting effects of war and power-hungry despots,” said Siobhan.

“For anyone studying Macbeth, our production should be particularly exciting and rewarding as the key features of the story are perfectly underlined.”

The two lead characters — Macbeth (Francesco Giacon) and Lady Macbeth (Claire Fisher) — recognise the challenge they face in getting to grips with two of the most demanding theatrical roles.

Francesco agrees that it is no easy task trying to understand Macbeth’s character and then think how best to play the part.

“I am having to make a personal assessment of how to portray a complicated and perplexing role, someone who is ambitious, a murderer, paranoid and resigned to his fate, but then defiant when he realises the game is up.”

Claire Fisher, whose first play Mary Livingstone, I Presume? was performed at the Bull Theatre earlier this year, is relishing the chance to perform a celebrated Shakespearean role.

“I am trying to find the right balance between Lady Macbeth’s ambition for Macbeth and for herself, and she is not a very nice person.

“Together we have some intense scenes, and we have to pitch it right. We are a married couple in a very tempestuous relationship egging one another on to destruction.”

Claire said that after the challenge of writing the drama about the ghost like presence of Mary Livingstone, inside Livingstone Cottage on Hadley Green, she was so enjoying the opportunity to take part in Macbeth.

“Shakespeare’s words and poetry have such a wonderful rhythm. They are certainly easier to learn than anything I might have written.”  

In Shakespeare’s day there were not many props in his productions as most of the interpretation was through the acting but over the years scenery has had an increasingly significant role, which has presented a challenge for another Blue Door stalwart.  

High Barnet drama group to stage Macbeth at Bull Theatre and aim to recreate the dark, supernatural world of a Shakespearean tragedy.

Sculptor and artist Cos Gerolemou (above) who has worked behind the scenes on so many of the company’s productions, has been preparing some blood-thirsty props – including Banquo’s mask.

“Perhaps the grisliest of all is Banquo’s head in a sack. I think it is pretty realistic.

“What has been so fascinating for me is thinking whether Shakespeare would approve of what I’ve created.

“There weren’t many props in Shakespeare’s day but with the passage of time there is greater interpretation of his works and that’s where props and scenery play their part.”

Siobhan is sure the audience will be wowed by the amazing masks which Cos has made.

“One of the key aspects of Macbeth is that the characters don’t show their true selves.

“So, to have hooded or masked characters is a classic Shakespearean ploy for people who are not presenting themselves as they truly are.”

Another innovation for the production is the original musical score composed by Nick Godwin who plays guitar for the North London group The Silencerz.

“I hope what I am creating with the music and chorus is the right mood for a Shakespearean tragedy like Macbeth,” said Nick.

“All the texts are there for the songs in Macbeth but the music that was played at the time of those first performances has disappeared over the years.

“So, it is a real privilege for me coming at this afresh and trying to put music to the words.

“The musical score has a real part to play. For example, the three witches are played in so many different ways. They can be fairly childlike or frightening and intimidating. So, the composer has a choice.”

Nick has put together a team of musicians including violinist Helen Brown and bass player Ned Wilkins.

Siobhan says the Blue Door group is also so pleased to have support and advice from Naomi Richards who has become movement director for the production.

“For ten years, Naomi performed and toured with the percussion group Stomp, so she knows all about the importance of physical theatre.

“This will be of real help in advising the cast. We are all trying to recreate the dark surroundings and supernatural world of Macbeth. We are determined our audiences will get to see a unique production.”

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Pub of the year award regained by The Mitre as Barnet’s real ale enthusiasts voice concern over closures in neighbouring Enfield

After missing out on the award for several years, Barnet’s oldest hostelry Ye Olde Mitre Inne has been voted pub of the year for 2025 by the Enfield and Barnet branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

At a presentation evening, CAMRA members said they were pleased to be back at The Mitre which has recently been refurbished by the brewers Greene King.

Peter Graham (above, right), chair of the Enfield and Barnet branch, handed over the award to Harrison Smith, team leader of the bar staff.

Since the Enfield and Barnet branch was established in 1975, The Mitre has won the pub of the year award more than any other local pub, its reputation for real ale having been well established by a previous landlord Gary Murphy.

Mr Murphy relinquished the lease in 2021 after spending 13 years building up The Mitre’s offer of real and craft ales.

He became a cheerleader for publicans across the country and campaigned against the plight of 15,000 tied landlords struggling against exorbitant rents and additional beer charges.

In presenting the award, Mr Graham said it was great to be back at The Mitre. They still missed Mr Murphy but were keen to congratulate the staff on winning the award.

In a poll of members, The Bohemia in North Finchley was placed second and third was The Elephant Inn, also in North Finchley.

Mr Graham – seen here with fellow CAMRA members – said that real ale pubs in the Barnet area seemed to be trading more successfully than those in the Enfield area.

“We have had some closures recently of pubs around Ponders End and Enfield Wash and this is of concern, so we are pleased that across in Barnet the pubs do not seem to be struggling as much.”

The only current closure is of The Lord Nelson in West End Lane, Barnet, but the tenancy is being advertised by Punch Pubs and CAMRA members hope it will be trading again before the end of the summer.

Harrison Smith said customers at The Mitre thought its recent refurbishment had been a success.

“Some people were worried when they heard that improvements and alterations were being made to such an historic old pub, but once they were back inside, they seem reassured.”

New beer pumps were installed and improvements made in the cellar. The original windows facing onto to the High Street were retained and the opportunity take to repair a stained-glass window at the front of the pub.