The last few stations I have visited on the Northern line have been very interesting. I wonder what's in store for me today. It takes me longer and longer to reach these suburban stations. Today I am travelling midweek on a warm day and that means trains and tubes are much busier. But I have age on my side and these days someone always offers me a seat - something I never refuse. I am going to try and visit two stations today but with the increasing heat I'm not sure I will have the stamina.
Finchley Central station is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line. A station opened here in 1867 as part of the Great Northern railway's line between Finsbury Park and Edgware stations. Northern Line trains started serving the station in 1940 and the main line passenger services stopped in 1941. The station has two entrances which are joined by a footbridge over the tracks.
On the Southbound platform is a plaque to Harry Beck and a copy of his original map.
Beck's map of the Underground, first designed in 1931, can truly be described as a design classic. He lived nearby and used this station to travel to and from London. He was employed as a draughtsman by the underground and spent his spare time designing a new map for the network inspired by an electric circuit. The map shown above is his 1933 design and consequently doesn't show all current stations. The beauty of his design is that new stations can be easily added or removed. Many other transport systems throughout the world have adopted Beck's concept for their own maps.
Not knowing the area I decide to carry straight on past the shops and office blocks. I noticed there was greenery ahead but until I got a bit closer I didn't realise there was a huge viaduct crossing the road.
Known as the Mill Hill Viaduct it was built in the 1860s for the Great Northern Railway branch to Edgware. It was designed by John Fowler who also designed the Forth road bridge near Edinburgh. It has a total of 13 arches. It is common to see these in and around London carrying the trains above roads but this one was exceptionally high. At 18m I think this is the highest one carrying an Underground train. On my journey to the next station I will be going over the viaduct. But being on the train I won't even notice.
Running next to the viaduct is a nature area with bridges across the Dollis Brook. The brook flows into the River Brent which then flows in to the River Thames.
I wandered along the Greenwalk for a little while but decided it was taking me too far from the station.
Someone had mentioned that there was a very old church not too far from the station so I decided to try and find it. I was glad I made the effort as the church was open and I was able to go in and have a look around. The oldest part of the church is the base of the tower and the chapel which date back to the 14th cent.
Much has been rebuilt and renovated over the centuries.
The organ was built by Henry Willis in 1878 but had to be rebuilt in 1948 due to war damage. However, it has still been declared of archeological importance by the British Organ Studies.
The octagonal font dates from the 13th century having been dug up in the rectory garden. It was probably hidden there during the English Civil War. It was restored in 1891 and moved to its current position in 1953.
Above the font is a memorial to Alexander Kinge who died in 1618.
Another 17th century memorial is this one to Colonel Seale who died in 1682.
This chair at the back of the chapel is for the use of the Mayor of Finchley and was set up in 1933. In 1965 the Municipal Borough of Finchley became part of the London Borough of Barnet and the borough of Finchley abolished, So there is no longer a Mayor of Finchley to take up his seat in the chapel.
Next to the church is the former home of the Vestry clerk. In 1725 the building was divided into two dwellings and rebuilt in 1851. The one on the right became a Workmen's Hall and Reading room. When it was renovated in the 1960s it became known as the Blue Beetle and is the meeting place for local clubs and organisations.
At the corner of ballards Road and Gravel hill is this office building which used to be the Queen's Head pub. On closer inspection you can see a blue plaque placed there by the Finchley Society as a reminder that this was once the site of a toll gate.
Toll gates would have been as popular as the modern day equivalent of parking meters. With the expansion of London, new roads were needed. An Act of Parliament in 1826 created the Marylebone and Finchley Turnpike Trust which built a new road that ran south from Finchley and was called Regents Park Road. It was opened to traffic in 1830 and lasted as a turnpike, a road with a barrier, that was only lifted when a toll was paid. These turnpikes were located at various points of the road. They were very unpopular and lasted until the railway arrived c1870.
I seemed to wander aimlessly for some time and then came across an impressive building - Stephen's House. An information board filled me in with the following details regarding its history.
Avenue House was the home of Henry 'Inky' Stephens from 1874. Stephens was heir to the Stephens Ink Company and was a businessman, politician and a chemist with interest in water management, horticulture and agriculture. The house was built in 1859 and enlarged and refurbished by Stephens. The house was left to the public when Stephen's died in 1918. But at that time it had already been requisitioned as a Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital. Between 1919 and 1925 it became the Royal Air Force hospital.
On the main road out of Finchley is this statue. Known locally as 'The Naked Lady'. It is officially called 'La Delivrance' by Emile Guillaume (1867-1942). It was created to commemorate the victory of France and her allies over Germany in the First World War. The original of the statue was exhibited at
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the Paris Salon in 1920. It was seen and admired by Viscount Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail newspaper who commissioned this copy.
This mid 19th century building with its iconic green topped tower was once Christ's College. The school was founded by Rev Thomas Reader White in 1857. It outgrew the site and moved in the 1990s. It is now home to a primary school.
This part of Finchley is known as Church End.
Park House was built in 1739 and is one of the oldest houses in Finchley.
On the wall was the fire insurance plaque by the Hand in Hand Company. The Company was founded in 1696 and was one of three companies which were started after the Great Fire of London. The fire of 1666 devastated London, There were very few deaths but the destroyed property was valued at £10,000,000 (£1.5 billion in today's money). This led to the development of fire insurance. Companies realised it would be cheaper to put out fires than rebuild homes. So the companies began to employ their own fire brigades. The insurers created 'fire mark' plates to identify which houses were insured by each company when the fire brigades arrived. Insurance companies often had reciprocal arrangements with each other, so that if a fire brigade put out a fire insured by another company, then the brigade's company would be reimbursed. It wasn't until 1833 that a unified Fire Brigade was established and there was no longer a need for individual houses to display a 'fire mark'. It is therefore not that common to see these fire marks still on houses.
Above these retail units is the King Edward Hall. Built as a private banqueting hall in 1911, it has three floors plus attics. During the First World War the building was used as a temporary hospital.
Toll gates would have been as popular as the modern day equivalent of parking meters. With the expansion of London, new roads were needed. An Act of Parliament in 1826 created the Marylebone and Finchley Turnpike Trust which built a new road that ran south from Finchley and was called Regents Park Road. It was opened to traffic in 1830 and lasted as a turnpike, a road with a barrier, that was only lifted when a toll was paid. These turnpikes were located at various points of the road. They were very unpopular and lasted until the railway arrived c1870.
I seemed to wander aimlessly for some time and then came across an impressive building - Stephen's House. An information board filled me in with the following details regarding its history.
Avenue House was the home of Henry 'Inky' Stephens from 1874. Stephens was heir to the Stephens Ink Company and was a businessman, politician and a chemist with interest in water management, horticulture and agriculture. The house was built in 1859 and enlarged and refurbished by Stephens. The house was left to the public when Stephen's died in 1918. But at that time it had already been requisitioned as a Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital. Between 1919 and 1925 it became the Royal Air Force hospital.
On the outbreak of WW2 it was requisitioned again for use as the Air Raid precautions HQ for Finchley and an Auxiliary Fire Service Station was established on the site. The basement became the contro; room and the small room in the tower was used for fire watching. From here spotters could direct emergency teams to the scene when bombs fell locally. At the end of the war the house was used as the offices of Finchley Borough Council after its offices were destroyed by the bombing.
The house is now a meetings and events venue and home to a number of charities and small businesses.
I sat there enjoying a cup of tea and sandwich and just thinking that if I hadn't found anything else today, this would have been worth the journey.
The characters at the bottom are Spike with his fellow goons- Harry Secombe and Peter Sellars.
The cafe and Visitors centre.
A time line tracing the history of the site back to the 13th century
At the back of the house was a beautiful garden. It was delightfully quiet with a welcome outdoor seating area and cafe, just what I was hoping to find.
I sat there enjoying a cup of tea and sandwich and just thinking that if I hadn't found anything else today, this would have been worth the journey.
Also in the garden is this statue 'A conversation with Spike' by John Somerville, 2014. Spike was a comedian who first became famous for 'The Goon Show'in the 1950s. The statue was installed here by The Finchley Society of which he was president. He lived nearby and freqently visited the house and garden.
Soldiers: represent his time in the army during WW2. He wrote about his experiences in his first book 'Adolf Hitler - My part in his Downfall'.
Fairies: Spike had a lifelong fascination with them, convincing his children that there were fairies living at the bottom of the garden. This inspired him to start writing poetry, at first just for his children but was later published.
Elephants: Spike was born in India whilst his father served in the army. the family moved to Burma and returned to England when Spike was 15.
The characters at the bottom are Spike with his fellow goons- Harry Secombe and Peter Sellars.
Comedy and Tragedy masks: represent the fact that his life was a mixture of the two. When he was wounded in combat he began a struggle with a manic-depressive illness that lasted the rest of his life.
On the main road out of Finchley is this statue. Known locally as 'The Naked Lady'. It is officially called 'La Delivrance' by Emile Guillaume (1867-1942). It was created to commemorate the victory of France and her allies over Germany in the First World War. The original of the statue was exhibited at
.jpg)
the Paris Salon in 1920. It was seen and admired by Viscount Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail newspaper who commissioned this copy.
I really enjoyed my visit to Finchley Central. There was more to see than I had anticipated and consequently I didn't visit two stations today. Maybe next time.
