Dollis Brook - Whetstone
Dollis
Brook
The Dollis Brook flows southwards
Post to the east Oakleigh Park
Post to the west Dollis Brook Valley
Post to the south Totteridge Lane
Allum Way
Alongside the railway this car parking area covers the old goods yard of Totteridge and Whetstone Station and leads to warehouses and offices. At one time Northern Cottages stood at the end.
Athenaeum Road
Developed by the Whetstone Freehold Estate Company from 1869 on the site of Matthews’s farm .
The Athenaeum Institute opened in 1881 with a grand concert. It was developed by George Waterlow of the printing family and was opened in what were converted barns. In 1883 musicians and gymnasts still performed there but by 1887 it was in decline and in 1906 was a photographic studio. This was probably the site on which Birt Acres worked on developing early cinematographic equipment. It was still a factory in the 1950s having been used by a dry cleaning company
St Mary Magdalene. Roman Catholic church. A church was on this site by 1925 and run by the Fathers of Sion until 1973. In 1930 a larger church was built here and the original church used as the church hall and was still on site in in 1975. The current red brick church was consecrated in 1958.
Chandos Avenue
Part of the estate of the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos sold in 1892 and still only partly developed 1920.
Dame Alice Owen’s Ground. This used to belong to the Dame Alice Owen School in Islington from where students had get to the playing fields by public transport. The 10-acre site featured an Edwardian style red brick pavilion and a groundsman’s house. When the schools moved to Potters Bar the ground was sold to the London Borough of Barnet as a public facility.
High Road
The old Great North Road
1225 Barnet House. Borough offices built 1966 and designed by Seifert
1262 Griffin. This was there in 1697. The road widens in front of it to allow for coaches to stop. It is a red-brick Georgian building of two storeys, rebuilt c. 1929 and next to a plain two-storeyed late-18th house. In the 18th it was made up of three properties from 1739 and in 1837 sold to Meux, brewers. Outside it is a stone which could have been the base of a cross but which was later used as a mounting block
1264 owned in the 15th by the Sanny family. It had become The Griffin by the 17th but part was operated as a shop from the 19th including the post office. In the 20th it was used as a photographic studio and Pizza Express from 1998.
1266 Pilgrim offices. Owned by the Foxe family in 1484 and some wattle and daub remains in the attic. In the 17th it became a pub called the Fox Inn, and later became the Crown. By 1849 it had become two shops.
1277 The Bull and Butcher. This is now used as a bar called iBar. The site was first mentioned in 1375 and the pub has also been called the Princes Arms and the Black Lion in 1675. The present pub was built in 1928.
1308 Green Man. This was The Lion in 1636, which had been there since at least 1521. It later became the Green Man. It is an imposing building, rebuilt in 1830, of red brick in three narrow storeys. It is now a tyre depot and shops
1331 Ivy House. 17th house.
1339 The Limes. 18th house in brick and in use as offices. On a drain pipe are the intials of Richard and Elizabeth Bridgemour.
1432 Blue Anchor
1446 Travel Lodge and Halfords, Built 2010 on the site of the Black Bull. The pub had dated from at least 1800 but had been rebuilt. It had a dance hall behind and was used as a training area for boxers.
Oakleigh Park North.
Developed by the Whetstone Freehold Estate Company from 1869
13 This was at one time the Russian News Agency Tass and their radio monitoring station 1941-1951. The house was built in 1871 for Alfred Smith who called it The Cottage. In 1926 it was known as The Lodge. After Tass moved out it reverted to private ownership. It was demolished before 1970 and replaced by two houses. .
19 Tower House. This was an Admiralty base used for keeping an eye on the Russians at no.13. It is said that this is where Rudolf Hess was brought. It was built in 1871 for Benjamin Looker who opened a boys' school there and who doubled the size of it. It was still St Andrews school in 1939 but was requisitioned by Friern Barnet Council for use as an auxiliary fire station and garages were built at the back for two fire pumps and two lorries. 33 firemen were stationed here as well as a one station commander, four watch commanders and 28 firefighters. The ARP was also housed here and in 1940 the basement was strengthened, presumably to act as an air raid shelter. In 1942, parts of the building it were taken over by the National Blood Transfusion service which led to huge filing systems throughout the building, including the basement. A small laboratory was also built - which was demolished in August 1994.
Sources
British History, Friern Barnet web site
Closed pubs web site
Heathfield. Finchley and Whetstone Past
London Borough of Barnet web site
Pevsner and Cherry. London North
Smyth. Citywildspace,
Stevenson. Middlesex
The Dollis Brook flows southwards
Post to the east Oakleigh Park
Post to the west Dollis Brook Valley
Post to the south Totteridge Lane
Allum Way
Alongside the railway this car parking area covers the old goods yard of Totteridge and Whetstone Station and leads to warehouses and offices. At one time Northern Cottages stood at the end.
Athenaeum Road
Developed by the Whetstone Freehold Estate Company from 1869 on the site of Matthews’s farm .
The Athenaeum Institute opened in 1881 with a grand concert. It was developed by George Waterlow of the printing family and was opened in what were converted barns. In 1883 musicians and gymnasts still performed there but by 1887 it was in decline and in 1906 was a photographic studio. This was probably the site on which Birt Acres worked on developing early cinematographic equipment. It was still a factory in the 1950s having been used by a dry cleaning company
St Mary Magdalene. Roman Catholic church. A church was on this site by 1925 and run by the Fathers of Sion until 1973. In 1930 a larger church was built here and the original church used as the church hall and was still on site in in 1975. The current red brick church was consecrated in 1958.
Chandos Avenue
Part of the estate of the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos sold in 1892 and still only partly developed 1920.
Dame Alice Owen’s Ground. This used to belong to the Dame Alice Owen School in Islington from where students had get to the playing fields by public transport. The 10-acre site featured an Edwardian style red brick pavilion and a groundsman’s house. When the schools moved to Potters Bar the ground was sold to the London Borough of Barnet as a public facility.
High Road
The old Great North Road
1225 Barnet House. Borough offices built 1966 and designed by Seifert
1262 Griffin. This was there in 1697. The road widens in front of it to allow for coaches to stop. It is a red-brick Georgian building of two storeys, rebuilt c. 1929 and next to a plain two-storeyed late-18th house. In the 18th it was made up of three properties from 1739 and in 1837 sold to Meux, brewers. Outside it is a stone which could have been the base of a cross but which was later used as a mounting block
1264 owned in the 15th by the Sanny family. It had become The Griffin by the 17th but part was operated as a shop from the 19th including the post office. In the 20th it was used as a photographic studio and Pizza Express from 1998.
1266 Pilgrim offices. Owned by the Foxe family in 1484 and some wattle and daub remains in the attic. In the 17th it became a pub called the Fox Inn, and later became the Crown. By 1849 it had become two shops.
1277 The Bull and Butcher. This is now used as a bar called iBar. The site was first mentioned in 1375 and the pub has also been called the Princes Arms and the Black Lion in 1675. The present pub was built in 1928.
1308 Green Man. This was The Lion in 1636, which had been there since at least 1521. It later became the Green Man. It is an imposing building, rebuilt in 1830, of red brick in three narrow storeys. It is now a tyre depot and shops
1331 Ivy House. 17th house.
1339 The Limes. 18th house in brick and in use as offices. On a drain pipe are the intials of Richard and Elizabeth Bridgemour.
1432 Blue Anchor
1446 Travel Lodge and Halfords, Built 2010 on the site of the Black Bull. The pub had dated from at least 1800 but had been rebuilt. It had a dance hall behind and was used as a training area for boxers.
Oakleigh Park North.
Developed by the Whetstone Freehold Estate Company from 1869
13 This was at one time the Russian News Agency Tass and their radio monitoring station 1941-1951. The house was built in 1871 for Alfred Smith who called it The Cottage. In 1926 it was known as The Lodge. After Tass moved out it reverted to private ownership. It was demolished before 1970 and replaced by two houses. .
19 Tower House. This was an Admiralty base used for keeping an eye on the Russians at no.13. It is said that this is where Rudolf Hess was brought. It was built in 1871 for Benjamin Looker who opened a boys' school there and who doubled the size of it. It was still St Andrews school in 1939 but was requisitioned by Friern Barnet Council for use as an auxiliary fire station and garages were built at the back for two fire pumps and two lorries. 33 firemen were stationed here as well as a one station commander, four watch commanders and 28 firefighters. The ARP was also housed here and in 1940 the basement was strengthened, presumably to act as an air raid shelter. In 1942, parts of the building it were taken over by the National Blood Transfusion service which led to huge filing systems throughout the building, including the basement. A small laboratory was also built - which was demolished in August 1994.
Sources
British History, Friern Barnet web site
Closed pubs web site
Heathfield. Finchley and Whetstone Past
London Borough of Barnet web site
Pevsner and Cherry. London North
Smyth. Citywildspace,
Stevenson. Middlesex
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