A suburban oasis in North London, Finchley is a popular neighbourhood amongst families looking for a convenient place to settle away from the inner city but with good transport links. Despite the quiet vibe and removed location, it doesn’t mean that Finchley brings with it a stressful commute. Young professionals and working parents enjoy an easy stroll to Finchley Central station, where they can pick up the Northern line into town. When they’re not commuting though, locals love their small but relatively affordable Tudor-style homes. Aside from the trees that line most of the residential streets, families are also spoiled by the local Victoria Park and Finchley Cricket Club. Additionally, when it’s time to gather for a meal, locals love the Persian food at Beheshte Barin and the Indian food at Rani. With all that it has to offer, it’s no wonder that Londoners are flocking to Finchley!

Local favourite, Victoria Park, has been a focal point of the neighbourhood since 1902. The park was originally supposed to open in 1887, in order to honour Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. The delay hasn’t made the park any less loved though, and the locals quickly took to the park. Until 1914, it was the only public recreational area in Finchley. By 1925, a bowling green had been created and with it the Finchley Victoria Bowling Club formed. While some of the park has been converted into more modern recreational courts and fields, locals still frequent the park just as much as they did at the start of the 20th century!

Harry Beck, the designer of one of the early tube maps, lived in the area and used Finchley Central station as his home base. In order to acknowledge his connection to the station, it has one of his original tube maps on display.

Despite the area’s quiet suburban feel, the neighbourhood is bisected by the busy North Circular Road. This multiple lane thoroughfare can make the surrounding locality seem a bit hectic and unsafe. Still, residents can’t hear the road from most of the neighbourhood, and for those times when they do want to drive, the easy access it gives them makes it worth it.

Barnet Council approved plans to build a new 43-unit housing development near East Finchley tube station a couple of years ago. However, these plans were seen off by residents looking to maintain their area’s leafy character meaning the development will not go ahead. Earlier in 2022, residents also banded together to put a stop to the nine-home development on Great North Road. The council received 48 objections in total, warning that overdevelopment posed ecological harm to nearby Cherry Tree Wood, a local conservation site. Finchley is therefore unusual in London because of the ability of the community to see off unwanted development. However, there are some smaller schemes that have managed to slip through in this postcode. Crossways, at 26 Bishops Avenue, contains Seven 3-bedroom apartments and two 3-bedroom penthouses, having been completed earlier in 2022. However, Park Place might be the most notable development, transforming the former Finchley Police Station into two buildings comprising 41 residential units and 1,700 sq ft of retail space.