Finchley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Finchley |
|
|---|---|
 Ballards Lane, Church End, Finchley |
|
 Finchley
|
|
| Population | 65,812 (2011 Census |
| OS grid reference | TQ255905 |
| • Charing Cross | 6.8 mi (10.9 km) S |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | N2, N3, N12, parts of N20 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament |
|
| London Assembly |
|
Finchley is a large area in north London, England. It's part of the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is located on high ground, about 11 kilometres (7 miles) north of Charing Cross, a famous spot in central London.
It's mostly a place where people live, with three main shopping and community areas. These are North Finchley, East Finchley, and Finchley Church End (also known as Finchley Central). In 2011, about 65,812 people lived in Finchley.
Contents
History of Finchley
The name Finchley probably means "Finch's clearing" or "finches' clearing" in old English. This name was first written down in the early 1200s. Finchley isn't mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was a big survey of England made in 1086. However, by the 1000s, the Bishop of London owned its lands.
Long ago, Finchley was mostly a forest with few people. The people who lived there supplied pigs and wood for fuel to London.
Farming started to become more common around the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. By the 1400s and 1500s, the forests on the east side of the area were cleared to create Finchley Common. The old Great North Road went through this common. This road was famous for highwaymen (robbers on horseback) until the early 1800s.
St Mary-at-Finchley Church was first mentioned in the 1270s. A small village called East End, which later became East Finchley, started to grow by 1365. It was near the northern gate of the Bishop of London's park.
The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (a train line) reached Finchley in 1867. It connected Finsbury Park to Edgware, passing through Finchley. A branch line from Finchley to High Barnet opened in 1872. In 1905, tram services started in Finchley, and later they were replaced by trolleybuses.
In 1933, there were plans to make the train lines through Finchley part of the London Underground. This included building a new tunnel to connect the Northern line from Archway to East Finchley. Much of this work was done, and East Finchley station was rebuilt. However, the project stopped because of World War II. All passenger trains from Finchley to Edgware stopped in September 1939. Even so, Underground trains started running from central London to High Barnet in 1940, and to Mill Hill East in 1941, to reach army barracks.
After the war, the plan to extend the Underground line further was cancelled. However, steam trains still used the line through Finchley for goods until 1964.
How Finchley is Governed
Finchley used to have its own local government. From about 1547, it had a parish vestry (a local committee). This became a local board in 1878, then an urban district council in 1895, and finally a municipal borough council from 1933 to 1965. Today, Finchley is part of the larger London Borough of Barnet.
From 1959 to 1992, the area was represented in the UK Parliament by Margaret Thatcher. She was a very famous politician who became the UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Now, Finchley is part of a new area called Finchley and Golders Green for Parliament.
Geography of Finchley
Finchley is on a flat area about 90 metres (300 feet) above sea level. It's about 11 kilometres (7 miles) north of Charing Cross and 6 kilometres (4 miles) south of Barnet. To the west, there's the Dollis valley, formed by Dollis Brook, which is the natural western edge of Finchley. Mutton Brook forms the southern edge. These two brooks join to become the River Brent.
Most of Finchley sits on a type of clay or glacial soil. The most fertile areas were along a triangular gravel line. Small villages grew at the three corners of this line, which became the main centres of Finchley today:
- Church End, also known as "Finchley Central." This area is north and west of the North Circular Road, around Ballards Lane and Finchley Central tube station. Its postcode is N3.
- East Finchley, located roughly between Highgate and the North Circular Road. Its postcode is N2.
- North Finchley, around Tally-Ho corner, stretching west to the Northern line tube line. Its postcode is N12.
Other residential areas include West Finchley (N3) and Woodside Park (N12), which are named after their tube stations.
It's important to know that the area of London called 'Finchley Road' is not actually part of Finchley. It's further south in Swiss Cottage, Camden. That area is named after a section of the A41 road that eventually leads to Finchley.
 |