Church End, Finchley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church End |
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 Ballards Lane |
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 Church End
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| Population | 15,715 (2011 Census. Finchley Church End Ward) |
| OS grid reference | TQ255905 |
| • Charing Cross | 7 mi (11.3 km) SSE |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | N3 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament |
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| London Assembly |
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Church End, often called Finchley Central, is a lively neighborhood in Finchley, located in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. This area grew up around its historic church and the Finchley Central Underground station. Once an old village, Church End is now a busy suburban area, about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of central London.
Contents
What's in a Name? The Story of Church End
Church End got its name in 1683. The name comes from old English words meaning 'district by the church'. It refers to St Mary's Church, which is the main church for the area. Today, 'Finchley Church End' is also the name of a local government area, called a ward, in Barnet.
Exploring Church End's Geography
The main road in Church End runs from south to north. It starts as Regents Park Road near the North Circular Road. When it reaches the bridge at Finchley Central station, its name changes to Ballards Lane. The very heart of Church End is the old area around St Mary's Church. A tall brick tower, part of Pardes House Primary School, is a well-known landmark there.
Fun Things to Do and See in Church End
Church End has many useful and interesting places.
Libraries and Shops
You can find a public library on Regents Park Road. It's in a modern building called Gateway House. This library moved there in 2017 from its old spot next to the church. North of the station, along Regents Park Road and Ballards Lane, is a busy shopping area. It has old Victorian and Edwardian shops, along with modern stores like Sainsbury's and Tesco. There are also a couple of pubs where people can relax.
Parks and Green Spaces
Further north, Victoria Park is a popular spot. Every July, it hosts the Finchley Carnival, a big fun fair that started in 1905. The park also has clubs for lawn bowls and croquet, with a modern clubhouse.
Historic Homes and Museums
To the southeast, along East End Road, you'll find two important places. One is Avenue House, built in 1859. It's home to the Finchley Society, a group that cares about local history. The other is the Sternberg Centre, a Jewish cultural center.
Avenue House was once the home of Henry 'Inky' Stephens (1841-1918). His father, Dr Henry Stephens, started the famous Stephens Ink Company in 1832. They made the first "Blue-Black Writing Fluid."
A small museum, called The Stephens Collection, celebrates this invention and the Stephens family. It also shows the history of writing tools with photos and old items. The museum moved to a new Visitor Centre in 2016.
Henry 'Inky' Stephens was also a local Member of Parliament (MP). When he passed away in 1918, he left Avenue House and its beautiful ten acres of gardens to "the people of Finchley." A local charity now runs the house and gardens, which are open to everyone. In 2014, the estate was renamed Stephens House and Gardens.
South of Church End, along Regents Park Road, is College Farm. This is the last farm left in Finchley. You can also see a famous statue called La Délivrance nearby.
A Look Back: Church End's History
Church End has a long and interesting history, with many changes over the centuries.
St Mary's Church and Hendon Lane
St Mary-at-Finchley, Finchley's oldest church, was built around the 12th century. Records mention it from the 1270s, and by 1356, it was dedicated to St Mary. The church building has been changed many times. The oldest parts, like the north wall and the tower, are from the time of King Henry VII. The organ, built in 1878, came from the famous organ makers, Henry Willis & Sons. In the churchyard, you can find the graves of Thomas Payne, a writer, and Major John Cartwright, a political reformer.
Next to the church was an old inn called the Old Queen’s Head. It was named after Queen Anne. In 1833, the original inn burned down and was rebuilt. Later, the church's rector (a type of priest) refused to renew its lease. The inn then moved to its current location as the New Queen’s Head in the 1860s. The old inn building became a school called Finchley Hall. Later, it was used as council offices. After being damaged in 1940, it was taken down. The Church End Library stood on this site until about 2015.
From 1787 to 1880, a small jail cell, called a cage, stood near the church. The local church community started a school in 1813, which was rebuilt as St Mary's School in 1852. Today, only the infants' (young children's) section, built in 1902, remains at the original spot. The main school building site is now the Barnet Civil and Family Courts Centre. The old infants' building is set to become a synagogue.
Finchley's old rectory (the home of the rector) was also near the church. It was first mentioned in 1476. In 1810, it was mainly made of wood. In 1848, a new rectory was built. During the English Civil War, the church's old Norman font (a basin for baptisms) was hidden in the rectory garden. It was found again in Victorian times and is now back in the church.
In 1888, Finchley Council started a volunteer fire brigade on Hendon Lane. It stayed there until 1933. In 1904, Finchley got the first motorized fire engine in Great Britain! Gravel Hill, a nearby road, got its name from the gravel pits that were common there in the 1700s and 1800s.
Close by is Finchley Garden Village, built around a green space in 1910. At the bottom of Hendon Lane is a lane called Crooked Usage. Its unique name comes from when Hendon Lane was straightened in 1911–12.
Regents Park Road and Ballards Lane: A Changing Landscape
Before the 1820s, the only way north from Temple Fortune to Finchley was along Ducksetters Lane. This road was close to the current Regents Park Road. It ended where Gravel Hill is today. The road then continued as Ballards Lane. Some large houses were built on Ballards Lane from the 1400s. Only Cornwall House, from the 1700s, remains today.
The King of Prussia pub was open by the mid-1700s. It was rebuilt in the 1960s and later changed its name. It closed in 2016 and became a restaurant. But in 2019, after a local campaign, it reopened as a pub and took back its original name, The King Of Prussia.
In 1826, a new toll road was built between Marylebone and North Finchley. In Church End, this road is now called Regents Park Road. It replaced Ducksetters Lane. People in Finchley had to pay a toll to use this new road, which caused protests. The tollgate was eventually moved and then removed completely.
By 1845, Peter Kay had started a garden nursery on Ballards Lane. In 1874, William Clements started another nursery. The famous artist Ford Madox Brown lived on Regents Park Road from 1853 to 1855. He painted several scenes there, including his famous work "The Last of England."
In 1867, Finchley and Hendon station opened. It later became Finchley (Church End) station and then Finchley Central station in 1940. The railway and the removal of tolls helped new homes and shops to be built. A row of shops called Albert Terrace and The Railway Hotel appeared. The hotel was replaced by an office block in 1962, which included a pub called The Minstrel.
The area remained a village until news of a possible tram line encouraged more building. From 1893 onwards, shops were built north of the railway station. Trams were introduced in 1909. In 1911, King Edward's Hall replaced Clements' nursery. It was used as a hospital during World War I.
The Alcazar Cinema opened in 1913. It later moved south to where Gateway House was built. Gateway House was taken down in 2015. A new public library, a small supermarket, and apartments now stand on that site.
At the north end of the shopping area is Finchley Police Station. It closed in 2012. There has been a police station in Finchley since 1873.
Across from the police station is Victoria Park, which is about 18 acres (7 hectares). It opened in 1902 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It was Finchley's first public park. It has a playground, tennis courts, a cafe, and a lawn bowls and croquet club. Since 1905, Victoria Park has hosted the Finchley Carnival.
Finchley Manor: A Historic Estate
East End Road runs from Church End to East Finchley. This road might have been known as Piryton Lane in 1423. Along this road is the manor house for the Bibbesworth estate. This was Finchley's main manor house. A manor house was definitely there by 1253, but it burned down and was rebuilt in the 1400s and 1500s. Only a ditch, possibly a moat, remains from the original building.
The manor house you see today, now the Sternberg Centre, was built in 1723. It was used as a boys' school from 1819 to 1857. From 1863 to 1882, a magistrate (a type of judge) lived there and heard cases in the main hall. From 1921 to 1981, it was a girls' school.
Until the early 1900s, a strange oblong pond with an island was opposite the manor. It was called the “moat.” However, it was more likely a fish pond or a hole left from digging clay to make bricks. The lane called The Avenue, behind Avenue House, comes from a line of trees planted in the 1600s. Avenue House and its ten acres of land were bought in 1874 by Henry 'Inky' Stephens, the ink maker and philanthropist. He left it to the people of Finchley when he died in 1918. The grounds later became a public park. The estate is now known as Stephens House and Gardens.
East of the manor house was Manor Farm. Parts of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s painting "Found" were painted there. Today, Finchley Cricket Club and an LA Fitness gym are on this site.
Long Lane: From Vineyards to Businesses
Another road from Church End to East Finchley is Long Lane. It was known by this name in 1719. About halfway along, at a crossroads, is Squires Lane. This lane runs from the manor house to the High Road.
Behind the large houses on Ballards Lane, Squires Lane, and Long Lane, was Claigmar Vineyards. This vineyard started in 1874. By the 1890s, its 161 greenhouses were producing a lot of grapes, tomatoes, and cucumbers every year!
In 1903, Finchley Electric Light Company opened a power station on the vineyard site. It was later bought by the Finchley Council. Sir Charles Redvers Westlake, an engineer there, later helped build the Owen Falls dam in Uganda. Today, the site is the headquarters for the Pentland Group of companies.
Also on Squires Lane, Finchley Urban District Council opened its first swimming pool in 1915. It closed in the 1990s and was replaced by houses. Squires Lane School was built in 1906. It later became Manor School and then Manorside School.
Nether Street and West Finchley: Old Roads and Famous Residents
Nether Street was an old road by the mid-1300s. It was sometimes called “Lower Street.” It mainly provided access to properties and land, like Moss Hall and Brent Lodge. Brent Lodge was a large property built between 1817 and 1824. It was taken down in 1962.
West Finchley station opened on March 1, 1933. It became part of the London Underground in 1940. Nether Street is famous as the childhood home of actor Terry-Thomas.
West of Nether Street is Dollis Brook, a small river that forms the boundary between Finchley and Hendon. The Dollis Brook Viaduct carries the Northern line railway over the brook. It was built between 1863 and 1867. It has thirteen arches and is 80 feet (24 meters) high, making it the highest point above sea level on the London Underground system.
Beyond is a very large house called Nether Court. This estate was originally in Hendon but became part of Finchley in 1933. The house was built in 1883 for a local businessman. Finchley Golf Club used the grounds in 1892. You can also see a row of California redwood sequoia trees nearby.
At 60 Court House Road, there is a plaque from the Finchley Society for Harry Beck. He designed the famous London Underground tube map. He lived here from 1936 to 1960 and used Finchley Central tube station. You can see a copy of his map and a plaque on the southbound platform there.
Notable People from Church End
- Ella Corfield, a pharmacist.
Images for kids
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Old map showing a part of Finchley in the 1930s.
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Map showing wards of Finchley in the 1950s.
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Long Lane pasture
