East Finchley

infobox UK place
official_name= East Finchley
london_borough= Barnet
region= London
country = England
map_type = Greater London
latitude= 51.59016
longitude= -0.17534
constituency_westminster=Finchley & Golders Green
post_town= LONDON
postcode_area= N
postcode_district= N2
dial_code= 020
os_grid_reference= TQ265895

East Finchley is a suburb of north London, built from the 1890s onwards, situated convert|5.4|mi|km|1 north-west of Charing Cross. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central to the west.

History

The land on which East Finchley now stands was once part of the Bishop of London's hunting ground. More recently, it was home to some grand 'country' estates of wealthy Londoners, from which several roads take their names (e.g. "Summerlee" Avenue, "Park Hall" Road).

Chambers London Gazetteer reports that at one time East Finchley was referred to as the "East End". However, this name faded away and now only refers to the more famous "East End of London" to the east of Central London

Transport

East Finchley tube station is marked by a well-known statue of an archer by Eric Aumonier in the Art Deco style, and pointing his arrow towards the opening of the tunnel which starts south of the station and runs all the way to the end of the Northern Line at Morden. This convert|17.3|mi|km|1 long tunnel was for many years the longest in the world. There was originally an arrow at Morden Station to match the archer at East Finchley, but this was stolen not long after the station was opened.

Amenities and features

The independent Phoenix Cinema (once called the "Rex") is located on the High Road, and regularly shows films with more individual appeal than is the case with the cinema chains. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in the UK (the only older ones having started life as theatres). Time Out, the arts magazine, describes the "Phoenix" as the best single-screen cinema in London.

There is a listed Art Deco public library located on the High Road opposite Church Lane.

Behind the library are some award winning allotments, owned by Barnet Council. Adjacent to these are the Fuelland allotments which are held in trust.

The massive St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery is located on the High Road. Established in 1854, it is the oldest municipal cemetery in London and the largest. The Victorian painter Ford Madox Brown is buried there.

Hampstead Garden Institute is located in new facilities in East Finchley and offers a range of educational courses.

Housing

Housing in East Finchley is diverse in its nature, encompassing most housing styles, from 19th Century terraced housing and 1960s council estates to multi-million pound mansions on The Bishop's Avenue. The three 11-storey tower blocks of Prospect Ring, near to the centre of East Finchley, are visible for miles around.

Schools

East Finchley has several state primary schools, including Martin Primary School, and Holy Trinity Primary School. There are two secondary schools in East Finchley itself - Bishop Douglass RC High School (Roman Catholic and mixed) and Christ's College (boys only up to Year 11, mixed sixth form). Many local children attend schools elsewhere in the London Borough of Barnet, or for those living in the direction of Muswell Hill to the east of the High Road, Fortismere School (mixed comprehensive, falls under the London Borough of Haringey Local Education Authority).

Popular culture

Peter Sellers lived with his mother at 211b High Street. [ [http://barnet4u.co.uk>] . George Michael, the 1980s singer was born in Church Lane [ [http://barnet4u.co.uk Front Page Barnet4U ] ] . Mick Jagger lived above the wine shop in the High Road.Gracie Fields lived in Bishops Avenue. Thomas Pierrepoint, the official British hangman in the early 1900s lived in Huntingdon Road, by chance not far where the eighteenth century gibbet stood in Lincoln Road. Well-known actors and journalists now live locally.

US TV show presenter and former politician Jerry Springer was born in East Finchley Underground station in 1944, during World War II.

References

External links

* [http://www.east-finchley.com Local community website]
* [http://www.the-archer.co.uk The Archer] East Finchley's community newspaper
* [http://www.channel4.com/fourdocs/film/film-detail.jsp?id=1344 Spark] a 4-minute documentary film about the allotments in East Finchley by Adam Gee