Barnet: Museum, History and Green Spaces

Barnet combines local history in North London with extensive green spaces and a documented walking tradition. For your stay, this offers a range of points of interest: you can explore the history of Barnet and its residents, view historic buildings or discover sections around Hadley Green and Monken Hadley.

History between the Museum, Market and Well

Barnet Museum is a free local history museum in North London and is run by volunteers. Its collection comprises hundreds of artefacts relating to the history of Barnet and its residents. The objects date from the Bronze Age to the present day, giving the local history an unusually broad chronological range.

A described route leads to Barnet Museum, going north up Barnet Hill, turning left at Barnet Church and then continuing into Wood Street. Barnet Physic Well is also located nearby. The site consists of an underground well chamber from the 17th century; above it, the Council erected a Tudor-style building in 1937. Barnet Physic Well is a mineral water spring that was once believed to have healing properties. Regular public openings were also held there, organised by volunteers from Barnet Museum.

Further historical points of reference can be found at the Church of St John the Baptist. It was built in the 13th century as a chapel of ease for the church of St Mary the Virgin in East Barnet and incorporates a mid-15th-century building as a double north aisle. Tudor Hall is the original building of Queen Elizabeth's School, which opened in 1573. Barnet Market is also part of the area's history: it received its royal charter in 1199.

Hadley Green, Parks and the London LOOP

Hadley Green lies between High Barnet and Monken Hadley and is used for informal outdoor recreation. The green space and adjoining areas are traditionally regarded as the site of the Battle of Barnet, fought on 14 April 1471 during the Wars of the Roses. This battle is considered one of the most significant battles of the Wars of the Roses. History and landscape therefore share the same local setting here, without this necessarily implying a single unified attraction.

Monken Hadley Common is an area of green spaces and woodland extending from High Barnet to Cockfosters. The Barnet section of the London Outer Orbital Path, known as the LOOP Metropolitan Walk, leads from Monken Hadley Common through Hadley Green and beyond the nature reserve. For longer-distance walking orientation, it is also relevant that High Barnet Tube station at the end of the Northern line is suggested as the starting point for the Barnet-and-Hadley Walk.

Ravenscroft Park was established in 1883 as High Barnet's first public park. On the northern edge of High Barnet, near the lower end of Byng Road, is the Barnet Environment Centre. It is located in a 7.5-acre protected area designated as a “Site of Interest for Nature Conservation”. Barnet's documented landscape therefore encompasses both public park history and designated nature conservation.

Further destinations for exploring London

If you would like to compare Barnet with other destinations in the London area, you can also find Biggin Hill, Bexleyheath, London, New Malden, West Wickham, Romford, Highbury and Golders Green here.