This mainly residential sliver of the commercial North Finchley sits between the town centre and the 1930s garden suburb of Woodside Park. Made up predominantly of compact postwar blocks of flats, interspersed with a number of attractive Victorian properties, this area is popular with a diverse range of commuters who make the most of the Northern line services that run from Woodside Park and West Finchley stations. With plenty of schools and green space, such as Swan Lane Open Space and Woodside Park, as well as the huge Darlands Lake Nature Reserve, the Barnet neighbourhood has also historically proved popular with families. The area’s eastern border is the bustling Finchley High Road, which is lined with independent shops and cafes that reflect its multicultural population, a number of convenient chain shops, and a popular community pub on the interestingly named Tally Ho Corner.

The area was once a particularly isolated part of rural outer London, with no records of permanently inhabited homes until the 19th century. There are records of a beer house that existed since at least 1814, which was licensed to sell gunpowder and shot, indicating that the road was a popular thoroughfare into London, but urbanisation of the area didn’t begin until the historic Finchley Common was enclosed in 1816. Tally Ho Corner, so named because the Birmingham Stage Coach called the Tally Ho stopped here to change horses, was the first place to develop, with a cluster of homes and an omnibus service to Charing Cross by 1851. The station opened in 1872, and more residential streets followed, only spurred on by the introduction of local trams in 1905. Nearby Woodside Park garden suburb began to develop, slowly followed by the famous Odeon cinema and numerous retail spaces in the late 1930s. Many of these historic 20th century sites closed during the 1970s and replaced with more large
shops, many of which remain today.

The unassuming Sainsbury’s supermarket on the High Road is home to the borough of Barnet’s smallest listed building – a white milepost that indicates 8 miles to London and 3 miles to Barnet town centre. There is also a foot-high model of the local North Finchley Library just outside the Sainsbury’s.

A large development initiative for North Finchley Town Centre has been given the green light by the local government. It has set out plans to significantly improve multiple aspects of the town centre through pedestrianisation of certain roads and an enhancement of cycle lanes. There is also a drive to encourage local unity and pride through improvements to local safety and security.

The whole borough of Barnet is currently going through significant regeneration and is in the process of building 30,000 new homes within its boundaries, which will have a direct impact on the neighbourhood. A master plan for the further development of North Finchley town centre is included in this target. Included are ideas to promote the vibrancy of the historic town centre by improving public space, and ensuring the promotion of a safer and secure environment that “all sections of the community can have a sense of unity and pride” over. Slightly west of this postcode, development is underway on the Woodside Park project on Station Approach, which will comprise 86 new flats across two four-storey buildings.