Positioned on the very edge of northern London, this upmarket neighbourhood area is filled with spacious detached houses with ample garden space on all sides. Featuring only a scattering of modern Tudor-style builds as well as the odd farmhouse, this area is populated, for the most part, by farmlands and private green spaces. Among these are The Shire Golf Club and Dyrham Park Country Club. This neighbourhood is in an outstanding location for those who want to live in a spacious green suburb without losing the benefits of an easy commute into the centre of the city. However, housing prices in this neighbourhood area are very high, even for London, resulting in this area’s amenities being specifically geared towards wealthier individuals.

This neighbourhood area traces its roots back as far as the 10th century. Nestled along a major trade route between the ancient Roman city of Londinium and York, settlements began to spring up in this neighbourhood to benefit from the open land and frequent traders passing by. Subsisting mostly from farming and trade along the road for many centuries, these settlements did not begin to expand significantly until the 13th century, when a Royal Charter was granted by King John for a market to be held once per week. This began to draw in traders and merchants from all over the country, and the neighbourhood adapted to this change by creating accommodation for travellers and their horses. Perhaps the most famous moment in this area’s history was its role as a battle site during the War of the Roses 14th century, where Warwick the Kingmaker was killed, marking a significant turning point in the civil war.

The late comedian, playwright, writer, and poet, Spike Milligan lived in this neighbourhood area for several years. Most popularly known for his role as the co- creator, writer, and main cast member of the pioneering British radio programme, The Goon Show, Milligan went on to inspire a generation of comedians, most notable among which were the members of Monty Python. Milligan also wrote many popular books, including a seven-volume autobiographical account of the Second World War. Milligan passed away at the age of 83 in 2002, and once famously quipped that he wanted his headstone to read: “I told you I was ill”. A comedian to the very last.

The main downsides to this neighbourhood area are the extremely high housing prices and the lack of space within the nearby schools. Many residents noted that the classes are very full and require a great deal of effort to get their children into. Even so, all of the schools and nurseries in the area are rated very highly, which residents said “makes it worth it.”

Despite broad plans to regenerate the borough of Barnet, adding 27,000 new homes and 30,000 new jobs in the next decade and a half, this specific locale is unlikely to experience much development. The high proportion of greenbelt land in the area means that the area is largely protected from development, with the only recent nearby project located 30 minutes walk south of her in Barnet town centre. Even so, Lightfield is a small residential development by Shanly Homes which provided 50 new homes upon completion in 2022.