The neighbourhood of Oakleigh Park is a family oriented suburban village in north London. Residents love the neighbourhood’s mix of housing options – between blocks of council flats, detached post-war homes, and Edwardian terraced houses, there’s something for everyone. Beyond residential opportunities, when it comes to the weekends, there are many reasons why locals stick around. Many families love going for a nice meal at one of the many wonderful high street restaurants, like Sofalino, or seeing live jazz at Haven Bistro and Bar. What really sets the area apart from central London though are its parks and recreation opportunities. Residents love spending time at Oakleigh Park or perfecting their freestyle strokes at Oakleigh Park School of Swimming. As for transportation, although the area is nestled in zone 4, it’s serviced by Thameslink at Oakleigh Park station, making commutes quick and easy.

Oakleigh Park got its name from the park that the Whetstone Freehold Estate Company built after acquiring land in the area in 1869. Before it was acquired, the Haughton Clarke family owned the land and had come into their fortune from the slave trade. By the late-19th century, the railway had arrived in the neighbourhood, making it an easy trip to London from Oakleigh Park station. This addition led to the development of the area, and continued until after the Second World War when the borough of Barnet began building council estates in the neighbourhood.

This neighbourhood served as an espionage base during the Second World War. Both the Soviets and Admiralty set up bases in the area during the 1940s to spy on one another. These buildings have since been torn down and replaced with flats.

The area can feel a bit quiet and isolated at times due to its location and the large concentration of elderly residents in the neighbourhood. However, residents who live there like the calmness of the area, and find that it’s an easy ride into central London on Thameslink.

Despite the area’s lack of major redevelopment projects at the moment, there are still some new homes being built in the area. For example, the Rubric development between 10 and 20 Oakleigh Road North, comprises 41 affordable apartments. Similarly the recently completed scheme at 117 Sweets Way contains 75 one and two bedroom apartments. Prices start at a relatively affordable £400,000, and the building will be named after Octavia Hill, the Victorian social reformer and co-founder of the National Trust.