| Official Name: | East Finchley |
| Country: | England |
| Region: | London |
| Static Image Caption: | Clockwise from top: East Finchley Underground Station, Phoenix Cinema, Cherry Tree Woods, and Holy Trinity Church |
| Population: | 15,989 |
| Population Ref: | (2011 Census.Ward)[1] |
| Os Grid Reference: | TQ265895 |
| Map Type: | Greater London |
| Post Town: | LONDON |
| Postcode Area: | N |
| Postcode District: | N2 |
| Dial Code: | 020 |
| Constituency Westminster: | Finchley & Golders Green |
| London Direction: | North |
| Charingx Distance Mi: | 5.75 |
| London Borough: | Barnet |
| Coordinates: | 51.5902°N -0.1753°W |
East Finchley is an area in northwest London, immediately north of Hampstead Heath. Like neighbouring Muswell Hill, it straddles the London Boroughs of Barnet and Haringey, with most of East Finchley falling into the London Borough of Barnet. It has the greenest high road in London.
East Finchley is situated 5.4miles northwest of Charing Cross. Geographically, it is separated from the rest of Finchley by the North Circular, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central (Church End) to the northwest.
East Finchley (East End) was first mentioned in 1365, when it formed a scattered hamlet, but by 1860 it was the most populous part of Finchley. Badly bombed during World War 2, and with the subsequent rebuilding, the street pattern of the Old Village was destroyed. However, the area retains a strong community feeling.[2]
The area collectively named Finchley, which included East Finchley (East End), Finchley Central (Church End) and North Finchley, was a parish until its incorporation into the ancient county of Middlesex in 1878; Finchley was incorporated into Greater London in 1965. Although most of East Finchley falls into the parliamentary constituency of Finchley and Golders Green, East Finchley is a village in its own right, and not considered to be part of the town of Finchley.
The land on which most of East Finchley now stands was once part of the Bishop of London's hunting ground, to the south of Finchley Common, first recorded around 1400. The Bishop of London built a road through his land, named The Bishop's Avenue, which still exists today. Another road extended further north, weaving through what is now Market Place, The Walks, King Street, and Oak Lane. As a result, pubs such as The Old White Lion, The Bald Faced Stag, and The Five Bells (on East End Road), all of which survive today, sprang up to provide rest for the people using the road.
The area of "East Finchley Old Village" around Church Lane was west of the common and Bulls Lane (now Church Lane) dates back to at least the 17th century. With the coming of the Great Northern Railway in 1868, the area began to emerge, and the property was built gradually between the 1870s and the 1930s. However, it was not until 1914 that a more recognisable East Finchley High Road and surrounding area was visible.
From around 1547 Finchley had a parish vestry, which became a local board in 1878, an urban district council in 1895, and finally a municipal borough council between 1933 and 1965. The area is now part of the London Borough of Barnet.[3]
From 1959 to 1992 the Finchley constituency was represented in Parliament by Margaret Thatcher, UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990.[4] Finchley is now included in the new constituency of Finchley and Golders Green, currently represented by a Conservative Member of Parliament. East Finchley ward is represented on Barnet Council by three elected Labour Councillors.[5]
East Finchley Underground station is marked by a well-known statue of an archer by Eric Aumonier in the Art Deco style. The archer is pointing his arrow towards the entrance to the tunnel which starts south of the station and runs for 17.3miles to the end of the Northern line at Morden. For many years this was the longest tunnel in the world. There was originally an arrow at Morden Station to match the archer at East Finchley, but this was stolen a few months after the station was opened.
The station is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line which serves the city (via Bank) and the west end (via Charing Cross) with trains every 2–3 minutes. Buses also serve the high street with the 263 route going from Barnet Hospital to Highbury Barn; the 143 bus linking East Finchley to Archway, London and Brent Cross; the 102 from Edmonton Green, the 234 serving Barnet, The Spires from Highgate Wood and the 603 running between Swiss Cottage and Muswell Hill.
Housing in East Finchley is diverse in its nature, encompassing many housing styles, from 19th-century terraced housing, large 30s houses, and multimillion-pound mansions on The Bishop's Avenue. The three eleven-storey tower blocks of Prospect Ring & Norfolk Close are visible for miles around. A further even taller towerblock in Prospect Ring was completed in 2021.
Only one state primary school, Martin Primary School[6] (Ofsted outstanding) is situated in East Finchley itself, but the east and southern parts of N2 are covered by the catchment of Tetherdown, Coldfall and Highgate Primary Schools (all within the London Borough of Haringey). Pupils on the west side of the village attend Brookland Infant and Junior Schools which adjoin Christ's College. There are two faith primary schools - Holy Trinity (CofE), and Eden Primary School (Jewish).
East Finchley is home to two mixed non-selective non-denominational secondary schools - Archer Academy (opened 2013) and Christ's College (mixed, as of 2018) and a mixed Roman Catholic secondary school - Bishop Douglass Catholic School. Pupils on the east (Muswell Hill) side of the village also attend Fortismere School (mixed comprehensive, which falls under the London Borough of Haringey Local Education Authority).
| 2011 United Kingdom Census[7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country of birth | Population | |
| 10,492 | ||
| 420 | ||
| 350 | ||
| 341 | ||
| 206 | ||
The largest religion was Christianity, claimed by 41% of the population, followed by Judaism and Islam claimed by 9% and 7% of the population respectively.[8] Of the population, 36% either stated they had no religion (27%) or did not state their religion (9%).[8]
The Ismaili Muslim community, headed by the Aga Khan, worship at a Jamatkhana opened in 1996, which had been built in harmony with the neighbourhood as per the aims of this community.[9] It is located behind the site of the Congregational Church that had been demolished in 1965 to make way for the shops of Viceroy Parade.[9]
The independent Phoenix Cinema (once called the Rex and before that the Coliseum) 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. Film critic Mark Kermode has written that the Phoenix Cinema "remains the single most significant cinema in my development as a bona fide cinema obsessive."[10]
There is a listed Neo-Georgian[11] public library located on the High Road opposite Leslie Road. 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.
Opposite East Finchley tube station is Cherry Tree Wood, approx. 4.5 ha in size, and contains both woodland and grassland. Nearby parks include Coldfall Wood to the north, and Highgate Wood, Queens Wood, and Hampstead Heath to the south. Also close to the tube station is the head office of McDonald's UK; this is seen by the flags and logos on the building.
The Archer, founded in 1993, is East Finchley's free monthly community newspaper, run by volunteers.[12] It takes its name from the eponymous statue at East Finchley tube station.
In Evelyn Waugh's satirical novel Scoop, Lord Copper, owner of the newspaper Daily Beast, lived in East Finchley. "That evening, Mr Salter, foreign editor of The Beast, was summoned to dinner at his chief's country seat at East Finchley."[13]