This neighbourhood is to the northeast corner of Edgware, including The Hale, stretching from Edgware town centre in the west, to the edge of the M1 in the east; Edgware Community Hospital to the south up to Edgeware Way in the north. The entire postcode sector is bisected vertically by Dean’s Brook, which meanders through the centre. The area’s character, however, is unaffected by this, and is characterised by high- quality semi-detached housing, along winding roads. The roads are not as wide as other parts of suburban London, but this is made up by the extensive back gardens each house possesses. Overall, the centre of commercial life is centred outside the postcode sector, on Edgware High Street, with a few stores around the roundabout junction (pubs, pharmacies, etc.) on Hale and Deans Lane, which is also where John Keble Church and Deansbrook Junior and Infant School is located, giving a village feel to the area.

The Hale dates back to the time of the Domesday Book, when it was placed under the parish of Hendon, with its name likely deriving from the Saxon word ‘heal’, or corner. The area remained a small hamlet for most of its history, with a ford crossing Dean’s Brook, until a bridge was built there. A small poor house existed in the 1800s, and was sold off in 1837. Even the railways, which transformed so much of London, did not make an impact when they came in the 1860s, passing through the area without a station. The area was a popular place to come during bank holidays, being part of the countryside at the time. A train ran from here to Finsbury Park until the outbreak of the Second World War.

John Keble Church is the only church dedicated to John Keble, a leader of the Oxford Movement, a movement which sought to renew the church, which eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. Born in 1792, he was a priest, a theologian and a poet, who attempted to revive the High Church ideals of the later 17th century church. He was widely considered to have initiated the Oxford Movement with a sermon titled ‘National Apostasy’. Keble College, Oxford was founded in his honour, three years after his death.

As mentioned, there used to be a railway in the area which connected The Hale with Finsbury Park, via Mill Hill. Today this path has been converted into the Mill Hill Old Railway nature reserve, which creates a green path, full of wildlife across this corridor. Together with Dean’s Brook, this means that there are two green trails crossing the postcode sector either east-west or north-south.

The area’s main downside is the relative distance of some of its further flung areas from public transport – particularly those near the M1 and Edgware Way, which has to suffer from the twin woes of traffic noise. Towards the stations (Mill Hill Broadway and Edgware), this becomes less of an issue, with schools nearby as well as other facilities. However, the further out areas do benefit from being in the middle of a cohesive community, bound by its homogeneous architecture and urban design.

Being on the edge of built-up London,and as part of the Edgware Growth Area, The Hale has gotten more attention from developers in recent years, with a plan for a large mixed-use development recently being approval. The development will consist of 122 residential units (with a 19- storey tower), as well as refurbishment of existing offices and retail units. This will be centred on a landscaped podium, providing shared amenity spaces to the residential flats. All in all, 90,000 sq. ft. of residential space and 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space will be created. In more central Edgware Network Homes are working on a new scheme in the area, Edgware Parade, a brand new development of Shared Ownership apartments on Station Road. The homes will be a mix of one, two and three bedroom apartments and the project is enaring completion. The development will have four blocks ranging from four to 17 storeys in height. New green spaces will be created for children to play and a place for people to meet and interact. Fairview’s Edgwarebury Manor, a mix of one and two-bed apartments and two, three and four-bed terraced houses, and Shanly Homes’ Hillgrove House, a scheme of 20 one and two-bedroom apartments, are other examples of recent development in the area. Property developer Ballymore and Transport for London are also working to deliver a reimagined town centre on Station Road in Edgware, near Edgware Tube Station, that will introduce new housing and bus station improvements. The 7.5 acre Broadwalk Shopping Centre, owned now by Ballymore, has been stated to be the focal point of the regeneration scheme.