The north London suburb of Osidge sits well-located between New Southgate, East Barnet, and Southgate. The attractive, leafy streets are lined by large 1930s houses that are the perfect size for the many affluent families who live here, and the small high street of Chase Side offers locals a vast array of independent cafes and restaurants, as well as pubs and convenient chain stores. At the eastern end of Chase Side is the wonderfully designed Southgate tube station, which takes commuters into central London via the Piccadilly line. The huge Osidge Arms pub provides a friendly local next door to Brunswick Park, an open green space, which gives the community somewhere to relax and play. Like much of north London, there are lots of schools in the area, and, combined with the large houses, decent transport links and vibrant, multicultural high street, makes the small neighbourhood of Osidge the perfect place for families looking to escape the stress of inner city life.

The name Osidge derives from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning ‘hedge belonging to Osa’ and was first recorded in a 1176 charter from Henry II, referring to the woodland owned by the Abbot of St Albans. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1541, the land was sold and a large house with abundant parkland laid out. The woodland belonging to the house were required by law to provide faggots of wood to be used for the burning of heretics. The house was rebuilt in 1808 by John Kingston, and promptly sold, and by 1893 it was home to Thomas Lipton, famous for the international tea brand. The area remained predominantly rural, with Lipton’s large estate covering much of the land that residential Osidge now occupies. It was not until the 1930s, when the extension of the Piccadilly line to Southgate, which happened to coincide with Lipton’s death, kickstarted the development of the area, it was quickly transformed into the pleasant commuter town that it remains to this day.

The Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Harold Pinter (1930-2008) lived for some time at 38 Burleigh Gardens. Notable for such plays as The Birthday Party (1957), The Go-Between (1971) and Betrayal (1978) amongst many others, it is alleged that Pinter engaged in an affair with journalist and television presenter Joan Bakewell while living at this property!
Amy Winehouse was also a resident of the area. During her youth, the renowned singer lived in a house on Osidge Lane and attended Osidge Primary School and the Ashmole Academy.

The Charles Holden designed Southgate tube station stands out as one of the most intriguing pieces of modern architecture in the capital. Opened on the 13th March 1933 alongside the Piccadilly line extension the concrete and glass station is one of the few to retain much of its original art deco interior including brass uplighters and bronze paneling. The Grade-II* listed building is topped with an illuminated projection that resembles a Tesla coil, inspired by the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition which would go on to inspire much of Britain’s architecture for the next 2 decades.

The tea magnate, Sir Thomas Lipton (1848-1931), owned the large house which sat in the grounds of rural Osidge, which now occupies the side of The Sir Thomas Lipton Memorial Home at 151 Chase Side. Opened in 1935, the house became a hostel and care home for women, the population of which mainly consisted of retired nurses, but the hostel sadly closed in 2014.

With its excellent transport links relative to its distance from central London, its large, family friendly homes, and numerous excellent local schools, the house prices in this part of town are quite unaffordable for somewhere so suburban. However, one resident mentioned that despite this, the community is surprisingly diverse, in part because it is the type of place that people stay for a long time. As the resident noted, he has known people who have grown up their whole lives in Osidge and have seen their house prices rise a huge amount yet have been able to retain the community feel and village charm throughout the years.

Conversion work has recently begun on the old Thomas Lipton Memorial Hospital at Osidge House which will be transformed into new homes. The first phase of the project, which is now completed, consisted of three 4 bedroom townhouses, six mews houses, and two penthouses. The second phase meanwhile involves the conversion of the Grade II listed former home of Thomas Lipton into eleven self-contained apartments. North of here, work is underway on the large New Avenue development in Cowper Gardens. Set to be completed in multiple phases until 2025 the scheme will include 451 new homes, 140 of which will be affordable.