Hendon
Encyclopedia
Hendon is a London
suburb situated 7 miles (11.3 km) northwest of Charing Cross
.
Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex
. The manor is described in Domesday (1087), but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier. There is even evidence of Roman settlement discovered by the Hendon and District Archaeological Society and others; an urn burial of a headless child was found in nearby Sunny Hill Park. The Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railways were built through Hendon in the 1860s. There is evidence of problems of wild horses feeding between the tracks. The underground, at Golders Green
arrived in 1907. Much of the area developed into a suburb of London and now the area is mostly built up with some countryside in the Mill Hill
area, such as the Copthall Playing fields. Hendon big industry was mostly centred on manufacturing, and included motor and aviation works, and developed from the 1880s. In 1931 the civil parish of Edgware
was abolished and its area was added to the great civil parish of Hendon.
Hendon became an urban district
in 1894. In 1932 the urban district became the Municipal Borough of Hendon
. The municipal borough was abolished in 1965 and the area became part of the London Borough of Barnet.
Hendon’s claim to fame is in flying and Hendon Aerodrome
is now the RAF Museum
. The area is closely associated with the aviator Claude Grahame-White. Another part of the Aerodrome site is the Hendon Police College
, the training centre for the Metropolitan Police
. The Metropolitan Police Book of Remembrance is displayed in the entrance of Simpson Hall at the centre. There is also a memorial garden.
It is a former borough
and ancient parish. The name means the high place or down, and Hendon's motto is Endeavour. The Burroughs
is a
civic centre for the London Borough of Barnet, and also the site of Middlesex University Business School
.
The River Brent
runs trough Hendon. On 30 Nov 2009- The Environment Agency warned residents of a flooding along River Brent from Hendon to Brentford
, after a day of notably heavy rain. Several premises were temporally flooded in Brentford
and Perivale
.
has found a number of interesting Roman artifacts at Church End but nothing conclusive, and the Saxon
settlement near to the church may not be a continuation of its Roman predecessor. The Domesday Survey mentions a priest, and a church building was documented in 1157. The oldest fabric of the present church is 13th century. The 50 ft tower (c1450) was much restored in the 18th century when the weathercock in the form of a "Lamb and Flag", the badge of St. John, was added. However, the church is dedicated to St. Mary, an enigma that defies local historians to this day. It may be a sign of the (heretical) cult of Mary Magdalene said to have been promoted by the Templars and their successors. Eastern extensions carried out between 1913-15 to designs by architect Temple Moore have greatly expanded the church. Sir Stamford Raffles
, founder of Singapore
in 1819, is buried in the church. Another grave of distinction in the churchyard is that of football manager Herbert Chapman
who had great success in charge of Northampton Town
, Leeds City, Huddersfield Town
and finally Arsenal
before his sudden death from pneumonia in 1934. Bram Stoker
may well have had St. Mary's graveyard in mind when he created the fictional "Kingstead", the uneasy resting place of Lucy Westenra
, in his book Dracula
. However, St. Mary's graveyard is also the resting place of a more benign spirit, Coventry Patmore
's wife Emily, the model for the poem The Angel in the House
(1854), and upon whom the Victorian ideal of domesticity "the Angel of the Hearth" is based.
West of the church is the Greyhound pub which was rebuilt in 1898. Originally called the Church House, it was used for vestry meetings from the 1600s to 1878. In 1676 the inn, by then known as the Greyhound, burned down in a fire. In 1855 a fire brigade was established, renamed the Hendon volunteer fire brigade in 1866, and a manual fire engine
was kept in a building near the church. Further west is the former Church Farmhouse Museum
, (1955-2011).
The Claddagh Ring pub in Church Road, Hendon somewhat more than 9 miles from Athenry
. Although the sign is Irish, it does point to a large Irish
community in this area. The pub was originally called the Midland Arms, and was opened during the 1860s by a Mr Tasker to provide liquid refreshment for navvies working on the building of the Midland Railway
, and many were Irish. The Irish connection with Hendon goes back at least to the early 19th century when many of that country came here to make the hay, for which Hendon was then famous.
in the 1950s, rabbits were smoked out of the area using steam engines.
), built in 1756 at the corner of Ashley Lane, is the last remaining and perhaps the best known. The suggestion that David Garrick
the actor lived here while he was Lord of the Manor
(1765–79) is without foundation. A small obelisk in the hotel garden dedicated to William Shakespeare
and David Garrick
originally stood in Manor Hall Road until 1957. A ceiling painting by Tiepolo
, Olympia and the Four Continents, was uncovered in 1954 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,860669,00.html, now in the Met http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/european_paintings/allegory_of_the_planets_and_continents_giovanni_battista_tiepolo/objectview.aspx?collID=11&OID=110002243; but two other large ceiling paintings are still in the house. A Mr. Somerville laid out Waverley Grove and Tenterden Grove in the 1860s, and by the end of the 19th century the estate saw further development by C.F. Hancock, including houses. On Parson Street, St. Swithans was for many years a convent and training house of the Sisters of Nazareth. It is now a Jewish School. Further north is Holders Hill House, now Hasmonean High School
.
was brought up here and lived at 20 Alexandra Road, attending Bell Lane Primary School. New Brent Street was the address of the local police office in 1855 (a later station, next to the Post Office at the corner of Brampton Grove and dating from 1884, was demolished in 2002). Christ Church was opened in October 1881 as a chapel of ease for St. Mary's, becoming a parish church in 1923.
During the 20th century, a number of small factories were established in the area. The largest was Tilley Lamps Ltd (1915 to 1961), which employed around 300 people and manufactured pressure paraffin lamps (rather charmingly called Aladdin lamps in the 1930s). In December 1969, planning permission was granted for the development of a new shopping precinct on Brent Street to be called Sentinel Square, at a cost of £1.5 million, and within a year the old Rose and Crown pub, the Classic Cinema (once called the Gala), and a number of shops had been replaced with a collection of modernist shops and a Tesco supermarket. The Odeon
at the Quadrant was opened in 1939 at what had been Cook's Corner in Parson Street. It was pulled down in 1979 and the site redeveloped.
Salisbury Plain is a piece of wasteland in front of The Load of Hay (a pub demolished in 2004), where animals destined for Smithfield were penned overnight. The pub had been a favourite of Peter Mandelson
in his youth. There is a small collection of 18th century houses along Shirehall Lane, two with fire plaques. Penfold House in Brent Street (not far from The Load of Hay) is said to have been built in 1713. It is believed it had been a lodge for drovers bringing cattle up to London, and it was known as Albert Cottage until 1923. Near to Brent Green was Goodyers House (demolished in 1934), named after an important Hendon family. Where Goodyers House was is now a cul-de-sac called Goodyers Gardens with about 10 or 11 houses. Number 11 was the main house when Goodyers House was still standing. Hendon Park
was laid out on Step Fields, part of the Goodyers House estate, and was opened as Queen's Park in 1903. In July 1940, there was a particularly large propaganda rally held in Hendon Park - "Rout the Rumour", the first of its kind in England. Hendon House was home to John Norden
, the renowned 16th century cartographer, but was demolished and replaced with Hendon School. Famous alumni include Peter Mandelson
, Rabbi Lionel Blue
, and author Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
.
A little further down the road is a small gothic complex called the Alma White Centre. In 1893 the Rev W.H.Seddon, Hon Secretary of the Church Army
, purchased Fosters, in Brent Street, with the intention of building "a Rescue Home (for fallen women), with a Chapel attached". The site became St. Saviour's Homes in 1897, caring for "feeble minded" women. In 1926 it was taken over by the Pillar of Fire Society as a bible college, school and chapel. This site has now been redeveloped as 'The Pillar' hotel and function suites.
on the Edgware Branch of the Northern Line
[Zone 3 on the London Underground network] and by Hendon railway station
on National Rail First Capital Connect line [still referred to many as the Thameslink
line and also the Bedpan Line (BEDford to St. PANcras)], as well as by numerous bus routes. Buses come and go from Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London's West End
and the new Wembley National Stadium. Buses run as far south as Central London, and as far north as Watford Junction
Numerous minicab companies that operate within Hendon. Main routes which pass through Hendon are the A1 (Great North Road) A41 (North Western Avenue) also at various stretches called Hendon Way and Watford Way, and this intersects with the A406 (North Circular Road) at a junction called [the Brent Cross Flyover], also a known traffic blackspot.
Further north is the site of Hendon Aerodrome
in a area of Hendon now know as Colindale
, famous for the first airmail delivery; the first parachute descent from a powered aircraft; the first night flights; and, from RAF Hendon during World War II the RAF provided the first aerial defence of a city. It is believed that the first casualty in the Battle of Britain was an RAF Hurricane pilot from Hendon. It closed to flying in 1968 and is now the site of the RAF Museum
as well as the housing developments at Grahame Park
and Beaufort Park.
and until recently a local athletics club. Hendon also has a golf club and a leisure.
The local ladies hockey club is Hendon & Mill Hill Hockey Club
The Hendon times||
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
suburb situated 7 miles (11.3 km) northwest of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
.
History
| 1881 | 10,484 |
|---|---|
| 1891 | 15,843 |
| 1901 | 22,450 |
| 1911 | 38,806 |
| 1921 | 56,013 |
| ◄ Edgware Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.... Edgware parish absorbed |
|
| 1931 | 115,682 |
| 1941 | war # |
| 1951 | 155,857 |
| 1961 | 151,843 |
| # no census was held due to war | |
| source: UK census | |
Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. The manor is described in Domesday (1087), but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier. There is even evidence of Roman settlement discovered by the Hendon and District Archaeological Society and others; an urn burial of a headless child was found in nearby Sunny Hill Park. The Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railways were built through Hendon in the 1860s. There is evidence of problems of wild horses feeding between the tracks. The underground, at Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
arrived in 1907. Much of the area developed into a suburb of London and now the area is mostly built up with some countryside in the Mill Hill
Mill Hill
Mill Hill is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburb situated 9 miles north west of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until it was absorbed by London...
area, such as the Copthall Playing fields. Hendon big industry was mostly centred on manufacturing, and included motor and aviation works, and developed from the 1880s. In 1931 the civil parish of Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
was abolished and its area was added to the great civil parish of Hendon.
Hendon became an urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
in 1894. In 1932 the urban district became the Municipal Borough of Hendon
Municipal Borough of Hendon
Hendon was an ancient civil parish of around which included Mill Hill, as well as Golders Green and Childs Hill. In 1894 it was created an urban district of Middlesex and in 1932 it became a municipal borough...
. The municipal borough was abolished in 1965 and the area became part of the London Borough of Barnet.
Hendon’s claim to fame is in flying and Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
is now the RAF Museum
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...
. The area is closely associated with the aviator Claude Grahame-White. Another part of the Aerodrome site is the Hendon Police College
Hendon Police College
Hendon Police College is the principal training centre for London's Metropolitan Police Service. Founded with the official name of the Metropolitan Police College, the college is today officially called the Peel Centre, although its original name is still used frequently...
, the training centre for the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
. The Metropolitan Police Book of Remembrance is displayed in the entrance of Simpson Hall at the centre. There is also a memorial garden.
It is a former borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
and ancient parish. The name means the high place or down, and Hendon's motto is Endeavour. The Burroughs
The Burroughs
The Burroughs is a place in Hendon, and a civic district of London Borough of Barnet. It is centred on the road of the same name where Hendon Town Hall is located.-History:It was a distinct hamlet until the 1890s, as can be seen on this of 1873...
is a
civic centre for the London Borough of Barnet, and also the site of Middlesex University Business School
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
.
The River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
runs trough Hendon. On 30 Nov 2009- The Environment Agency warned residents of a flooding along River Brent from Hendon to Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, after a day of notably heavy rain. Several premises were temporally flooded in Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
and Perivale
Perivale
Perivale is a small suburb in the London Borough of Ealing, west of Charing Cross, central London. Landmarks in the suburb include the A40, a large road that connects Central London with the M40 motorway, and the large Art Deco Hoover Building, as well as St Mary's Church , the River Brent and...
.
Church End
Hendon and District Archaeological SocietyHendon and District Archaeological Society
Hendon and District Archaeological Society is an amateur archaeological society based in the London Borough of Barnet, U.K., and is registered as a charity with the UK Charity Commission .-History:...
has found a number of interesting Roman artifacts at Church End but nothing conclusive, and the Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
settlement near to the church may not be a continuation of its Roman predecessor. The Domesday Survey mentions a priest, and a church building was documented in 1157. The oldest fabric of the present church is 13th century. The 50 ft tower (c1450) was much restored in the 18th century when the weathercock in the form of a "Lamb and Flag", the badge of St. John, was added. However, the church is dedicated to St. Mary, an enigma that defies local historians to this day. It may be a sign of the (heretical) cult of Mary Magdalene said to have been promoted by the Templars and their successors. Eastern extensions carried out between 1913-15 to designs by architect Temple Moore have greatly expanded the church. Sir Stamford Raffles
Stamford Raffles
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is often described as the "Father of Singapore"...
, founder of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1819, is buried in the church. Another grave of distinction in the churchyard is that of football manager Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
who had great success in charge of Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, Leeds City, Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
and finally Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
before his sudden death from pneumonia in 1934. Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
may well have had St. Mary's graveyard in mind when he created the fictional "Kingstead", the uneasy resting place of Lucy Westenra
Lucy Westenra
Lucy Westenra is a fictional character in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. She is the 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family. Her father is not mentioned in the novel and her elderly mother is simply stated as being Mrs. Westenra. Lucy is introduced as Mina Murray's best friend. In the 1931...
, in his book Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
. However, St. Mary's graveyard is also the resting place of a more benign spirit, Coventry Patmore
Coventry Patmore
Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore was an English poet and critic best known for The Angel in the House, his narrative poem about an ideal happy marriage.-Youth:...
's wife Emily, the model for the poem The Angel in the House
The Angel in the House
The Angel in the House is a narrative poem by Coventry Patmore, first published in 1854 and expanded up until 1862. Although largely ignored upon publication, it became enormously popular during the later nineteenth century and its influence continued well into the twentieth...
(1854), and upon whom the Victorian ideal of domesticity "the Angel of the Hearth" is based.
West of the church is the Greyhound pub which was rebuilt in 1898. Originally called the Church House, it was used for vestry meetings from the 1600s to 1878. In 1676 the inn, by then known as the Greyhound, burned down in a fire. In 1855 a fire brigade was established, renamed the Hendon volunteer fire brigade in 1866, and a manual fire engine
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
was kept in a building near the church. Further west is the former Church Farmhouse Museum
Church Farmhouse Museum
Church Farmhouse Museum is a Grade II* listed 17th century farmhouse in Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet. The building is the oldest surviving dwelling in Hendon....
, (1955-2011).
The Claddagh Ring pub in Church Road, Hendon somewhat more than 9 miles from Athenry
Athenry
Athenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...
. Although the sign is Irish, it does point to a large Irish
Irish diaspora
thumb|Night Train with Reaper by London Irish artist [[Brian Whelan]] from the book Myth of Return, 2007The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa,...
community in this area. The pub was originally called the Midland Arms, and was opened during the 1860s by a Mr Tasker to provide liquid refreshment for navvies working on the building of the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, and many were Irish. The Irish connection with Hendon goes back at least to the early 19th century when many of that country came here to make the hay, for which Hendon was then famous.
The Burroughs
The Burroughs was a distinct hamlet until the 1890s, known from 1316 until the 19th Century as 'the burrows', which no doubt referred originally to the keeping of rabbit warrens. After the UK outbreak of myxomatosisMyxomatosis
Myxomatosis is a disease that affects rabbits and is caused by the Myxoma virus. It was first observed in Uruguay in laboratory rabbits in the late 19th century. It was introduced into Australia in 1950 in an attempt to control the rabbit population...
in the 1950s, rabbits were smoked out of the area using steam engines.
Parson Street and Holders Hill
During the 18th century, some of the immediate estate surrounding Hendon Place was auctioned off for large houses, with much of the land being used for building other mansions. Of these, Hendon Hall (now a hotel owned by Hand Picked HotelsHand Picked Hotels
Hand Picked Hotels, set up by financier Guy Hands and his wife Julia, owns and operates a collection of individual and historic country house hotels. Julia, a former lawyer, now runs Hand Picked Hotels.TIMELINE...
), built in 1756 at the corner of Ashley Lane, is the last remaining and perhaps the best known. The suggestion that David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
the actor lived here while he was Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
(1765–79) is without foundation. A small obelisk in the hotel garden dedicated to William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
originally stood in Manor Hall Road until 1957. A ceiling painting by Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , also known as Gianbattista or Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice...
, Olympia and the Four Continents, was uncovered in 1954 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,860669,00.html, now in the Met http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/european_paintings/allegory_of_the_planets_and_continents_giovanni_battista_tiepolo/objectview.aspx?collID=11&OID=110002243; but two other large ceiling paintings are still in the house. A Mr. Somerville laid out Waverley Grove and Tenterden Grove in the 1860s, and by the end of the 19th century the estate saw further development by C.F. Hancock, including houses. On Parson Street, St. Swithans was for many years a convent and training house of the Sisters of Nazareth. It is now a Jewish School. Further north is Holders Hill House, now Hasmonean High School
Hasmonean High School
HasmoHigh School is a voluntary aided, comprehensive school, for pupils aged 11 to 18 from Orthodox Jewish families, situated in the London Borough of Barnet.-Admissions:...
.
Brent Street Area
Brent Street was part of a northern route out of London, and at the Quadrant a seven-mile stone - the last piece of physical evidence for the road - is set into a wall. Much of the original small hamlet in Brent Street, which had been there since at least 1613, burned down in a fire in 1861. Brent Street had a parish pump, which was in disrepair in 1818 owing to the numerous thirsty travellers using the road, and from 1796 there was a cage for criminals (removed in 1883), which stood at the junction of Brent Street and Bell Lane and is now commemorated by a blue plaque outside the public lavatory. By the 1850s there were at least 13 shops in Brent Street. Congregationalists built a chapel (1855) and a school in New Brent Street (1856), which later moved and became Bell Lane Board School (1901). Tenby House is the last of three large properties that were built between Finchley Lane and Victoria Road. The Victoria Estate was developed around Victoria and Stratford Roads in the 1870s and 1880s. The cricketer and footballer Denis ComptonDenis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
was brought up here and lived at 20 Alexandra Road, attending Bell Lane Primary School. New Brent Street was the address of the local police office in 1855 (a later station, next to the Post Office at the corner of Brampton Grove and dating from 1884, was demolished in 2002). Christ Church was opened in October 1881 as a chapel of ease for St. Mary's, becoming a parish church in 1923.
During the 20th century, a number of small factories were established in the area. The largest was Tilley Lamps Ltd (1915 to 1961), which employed around 300 people and manufactured pressure paraffin lamps (rather charmingly called Aladdin lamps in the 1930s). In December 1969, planning permission was granted for the development of a new shopping precinct on Brent Street to be called Sentinel Square, at a cost of £1.5 million, and within a year the old Rose and Crown pub, the Classic Cinema (once called the Gala), and a number of shops had been replaced with a collection of modernist shops and a Tesco supermarket. The Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
at the Quadrant was opened in 1939 at what had been Cook's Corner in Parson Street. It was pulled down in 1979 and the site redeveloped.
Salisbury Plain is a piece of wasteland in front of The Load of Hay (a pub demolished in 2004), where animals destined for Smithfield were penned overnight. The pub had been a favourite of Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
in his youth. There is a small collection of 18th century houses along Shirehall Lane, two with fire plaques. Penfold House in Brent Street (not far from The Load of Hay) is said to have been built in 1713. It is believed it had been a lodge for drovers bringing cattle up to London, and it was known as Albert Cottage until 1923. Near to Brent Green was Goodyers House (demolished in 1934), named after an important Hendon family. Where Goodyers House was is now a cul-de-sac called Goodyers Gardens with about 10 or 11 houses. Number 11 was the main house when Goodyers House was still standing. Hendon Park
Hendon Park
Hendon Park is a 12 hectare London suburban park situated north west of Charing Cross. It borders the Northern Line and Hendon Park and Northern Line Railway Cutting are a Local Nature Reserve.-History:...
was laid out on Step Fields, part of the Goodyers House estate, and was opened as Queen's Park in 1903. In July 1940, there was a particularly large propaganda rally held in Hendon Park - "Rout the Rumour", the first of its kind in England. Hendon House was home to John Norden
John Norden
John Norden was an English cartographer, chorographer and antiquary. He planned a series of county maps and accompanying county histories of England, the Speculum Britanniae...
, the renowned 16th century cartographer, but was demolished and replaced with Hendon School. Famous alumni include Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
, Rabbi Lionel Blue
Lionel Blue
Lionel Blue is a British Reform rabbi, journalist and broadcaster. He was the first British rabbi publicly to declare his homosexuality. Born in the East End of London, he was the son of a master tailor....
, and author Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
.
A little further down the road is a small gothic complex called the Alma White Centre. In 1893 the Rev W.H.Seddon, Hon Secretary of the Church Army
Church Army
Church Army is an evangelistic Church of England organisation operating in many parts of the Anglican Communion.-History:Church Army was founded in England in 1882 by the Revd Wilson Carlile , who banded together in an orderly army of soldiers, officers, and a few working men and women, whom he and...
, purchased Fosters, in Brent Street, with the intention of building "a Rescue Home (for fallen women), with a Chapel attached". The site became St. Saviour's Homes in 1897, caring for "feeble minded" women. In 1926 it was taken over by the Pillar of Fire Society as a bible college, school and chapel. This site has now been redeveloped as 'The Pillar' hotel and function suites.
Geography
Transport
Hendon is served by Hendon Central tube stationHendon Central tube station
Hendon Central tube station is a London Underground station in North West London on the A41.The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line, between Colindale and Brent Cross stations, and is on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 3 and Zone 4. Its postcode is NW4 2TE...
on the Edgware Branch of the Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
[Zone 3 on the London Underground network] and by Hendon railway station
Hendon railway station
Hendon railway station is a National Rail station situated to the west of Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet in North London, at .The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line and is served by First Capital Connect trains as part of the Thameslink Line service...
on National Rail First Capital Connect line [still referred to many as the Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
line and also the Bedpan Line (BEDford to St. PANcras)], as well as by numerous bus routes. Buses come and go from Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London's West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
and the new Wembley National Stadium. Buses run as far south as Central London, and as far north as Watford Junction
Numerous minicab companies that operate within Hendon. Main routes which pass through Hendon are the A1 (Great North Road) A41 (North Western Avenue) also at various stretches called Hendon Way and Watford Way, and this intersects with the A406 (North Circular Road) at a junction called [the Brent Cross Flyover], also a known traffic blackspot.
Further north is the site of Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
in a area of Hendon now know as Colindale
Colindale
-Transport:*Colindale tube station, on the Northern Line Edgware branch, is situated on the north side of the east-west Colindale Lane.-Development:...
, famous for the first airmail delivery; the first parachute descent from a powered aircraft; the first night flights; and, from RAF Hendon during World War II the RAF provided the first aerial defence of a city. It is believed that the first casualty in the Battle of Britain was an RAF Hurricane pilot from Hendon. It closed to flying in 1968 and is now the site of the RAF Museum
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...
as well as the housing developments at Grahame Park
Grahame Park
Grahame Park, located on the site of the old Hendon Aerodrome in North West London, is a north London housing estate in the London Borough of Barnet, including 1,777 homes built in the 1970s.-History:...
and Beaufort Park.
Football, athletics and hockey
The local football club is Hendon F.C.Hendon F.C.
Hendon Football Club are an English football club based in Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.In the 2003-04 season they finished fourth in the Isthmian League Premier Division...
and until recently a local athletics club. Hendon also has a golf club and a leisure.
The local ladies hockey club is Hendon & Mill Hill Hockey Club
The Hendon times||
Notable people
- David BohmDavid BohmDavid Joseph Bohm FRS was an American-born British quantum physicist who contributed to theoretical physics, philosophy, neuropsychology, and the Manhattan Project.-Youth and college:...
- physicist - Joe BeeversJoe BeeversJoseph "Joe" Charles Beevers is an English professional poker player and a member of The Hendon Mob....
- professional poker player - Gary BreenGary BreenGary Patrick Breen is an Irish footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League. He played for numerous clubs over a 20-year career, including more than 100 appearances each for Coventry City and Sunderland...
- footballer - Sir John ClementsJohn ClementsSir John Selby Clements, CBE was an English actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film.Clements attended St Paul's School and St John's College, Cambridge University then worked with Nigel Playfair and afterwards spent a few years in Ben Greet's Shakespearean Company. He made...
- actor and producer - Denis ComptonDenis ComptonDenis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
- cricketer and footballer - Henry CooperHenry Cooper (boxer)Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG was an English heavyweight boxer known for the effectiveness of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali...
- heavyweight boxer - Harry DemetriouHarry DemetriouCharidimos Demetriou is a British poker player.-World Series of Poker:Demetriou first became known in poker circles for his 3rd place finish at the $2,000 no limit Texas hold 'em tournament at the 2002 World Series of Poker won by Layne Flack...
- professional poker player - Henry HicksHenry Hicks (geologist)Henry Hicks, MRCS, FRS was a Welsh physician, surgeon, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons , geologist, President of the Geological Society and Fellow of the Royal Society...
- Royal College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Surgeons of EnglandThe Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
, President of the Geological Society, Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(FRS). - Ruth Prawer JhabvalaRuth Prawer JhabvalaRuth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
- novelist - Richard LlewellynRichard LlewellynRichard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd , better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (8 December 1906 – 30 November 1983), better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd...
- writer - Peter MandelsonPeter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
- Labour politician - Michael PodroMichael PodroMichael Podro CBE, FBA was a British art historian. Podro, the son of Jewish refugees from central Europe, was born in and grew up in Hendon, Middlesex. He attended Berkhamsted school in Hertfordshire, served in the RAF, and read English at Jesus College, Cambridge and philosophy at University...
- art historian - Oliver PostgateOliver PostgateOliver Postgate was an English animator, puppeteer and writer.He was the creator and writer of some of Britain's most popular children's television programmes...
- animator, puppeteer and writer. - Thomas TillingThomas TillingThomas Tilling Ltd, later known with its subsidiary companies as the Tilling Group, was one of the two huge groups which controlled almost all the major bus operators in the United Kingdom between the wars and until nationalisation in 1948....
- omnibus operator was born here in 1825 - Lacey TurnerLacey TurnerLacey Amelia Turner is an award-winning English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role for which she has won 33 awards...
- actress who plays Stacey SlaterStacey SlaterStacey Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004. The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan...
in EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End... - Britney Spears' grandmother was from Hendon before she immigrated to America.
External links
- Barnet Archives and Local Studies
- Hendon & District Archaeological Society (HADAS)
- Victoria County History Hendon Chapter for a more detailed history of Hendon
- Pictures 1700 - 1900
- Pictures 1900 - 1930