BarnetThe growth of London through transport

Barnet

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Key

1 Barking &Dagenham

2 Barnet

3 Bexley

4 Brent

5 Bromley

6 Camden

7 CityofLondon

8 Croydon

9 Ealing

10 Enfield

11 Greenwich

12 Hackney

13 Hammersmith &Fulham

14 Haringey

15 Harrow

16 Havering

17 Hillingdon

18 Hounslow

19 Islington

20 Kensington &Chelsea

21 Kingston

22 Lambeth

23 Lewisham

24 Merton

25 Newham

26 Redbridge

27 Richmond

28 Southwark

29 Sutton

30 TowerHamlets

31 WalthamForest

32 Wandsworth

33 Westminster

ThemapshowsthecurrentboundariesofLondon’sboroughs.Thecontentofthisalbumrelatestotheareahighlightedonthemap.

ThisalbumisoneofaserieslookingatLondonboroughsandtheirtransportstoriesfrom1800tothepresentday.

MapofLondon’sboroughs

MapofBarnet

Barnet Hill

OakleighPark

Manor House Hospital (site of )

Bald Faced Stag pub

Watling Estate

Hampstead Garden Suburb

Welsh Harpstation (site of )

CANONSPARK

* Asterisksindicatea storyinthetext.

LondonTransportMuseumwouldliketothankstaffatBarnetLocalStudies&Archives(LondonBoroughofBarnetLibraryService)andBarnetMuseum,andDavidRuddom,formerBoroughLibrarianofBarnet,fortheirhelpwiththisalbum.

TheMuseumhasworkedcloselywithlocalpartnerstoproducetheseries.Detailsofthepartnerscontributingtothisalbumcanbefoundatthebackofthebook.

Referencesfortheimagesareatthebottomofeachpage.ThoseinthecollectionatBarnetLocalStudies&ArchivesaremarkedLBB;atBarnetMuseumBM;andDavidRuddom’scollectionDR.

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1825Openingoftheworld’sfirststeam-poweredpassengerrailway, theStockton&Darlington,UK1838SlaveryabolishedthroughoutBritishEmpire

1861 StartofAmericanCivilWar(ends1865)1863 Openingofworld’sfirstundergroundpassengerrailway, London,UK

1912 OceanlinerRMSTitanicsinksafterhittinganiceberg1947 IndiagainsindependencefromBritain.Countryispartitioned intoIndiaandPakistan

1969 AmericanNeilArmstrongbecomesfirstpersontowalkon themoon1994 ChannelTunnelopenslinkingBritaintoEuropeanmainland forfirsttime

2001 WorldTradeCentreinNewYorkdestroyedinterroristattack2005 LondonisawardedtheOlympicandParalympicGames for2012

1823 SteepslopeonBarnetHillontheGreatNorthRoad easedbyroadimprovementscheme1831 NinetystagecoachespassthroughWhetstonedailyon theGreatNorthRoad

1850 GreatNorthernRailwayopensfromLondonto Peterborough,thefirstrailwaythroughtheborough1856 MailcoachesbetweenBarnetandtheCitytakenoverby LondonGeneralOmnibusCompany1867 FirstrailwaytoFinchleyandEdgware

1904 Firstelectrictramwaythroughtheboroughfrom CricklewoodtoEdgware1907 HampsteadTubeopenstoGoldersGreen1940 Colindalestationisdestroyedbywartimebomb

1956 PrototypeRoutemasterbusentersserviceonroute2 fromGoldersGreen1976 London’sfirstout-of-townshoppingcentreatBrent Crossgeneratesnewtraffic

2005 Busstationopensinthenew‘artsdepot’complexat NorthFinchley

2000onwards

1800–49

1850–99

1950–99

1900–49

Timelines

Worldevents Localstories

Image of Titanic courtesy of Ulster Folk & Transport Museum2

Barnet’stransportstory

BarnethasbeenastagingpostfortravellerstoLondonsinceRomantimes.Bythe19thcentury,BarnetFairwasthrivingandlocalinnswerebusy.StagecoachesdominatedtheGreatNorthRoad.

Thearrivaloftherailwaysfrom1850changedthepatternofmovementanddevelopmentintheborough.Suburbanstations,electrictrams,theUndergroundandnewarterialroadstransformedBarnetintoacommuterareaforLondon.

AftertheSecondWorldWar,a‘greenbelt’aroundLondonhaltedsuburbansprawlandensuredChippingBarnetinthenorthretainedthecharacterofacountrytown.

A full tram heading for Highgate stands in front of Barnet Church, c1907. 1998/19275

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LadenstagecoachestoandfromLondonwereonceafamiliarsightinBarnet.TurnpiketrustschargedtollstomaintaintheGreatNorthRoad.Around90stagecoachespassedthroughWhetstonetollgateeverydayin1831.

ThesteepslopeonBarnetHillwasreducedin1823tomakeiteasierforhorsespullinggoodsandpassengervehiclesupthehill.Bythe1850shorsebuseshadreplacedthestagecoachservicesfromBarnettotheCity.

Ageofthehorse

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A stagecoach arriving at the top of Barnet Hill, 1812. Watercolour by Thomas Rowlandson. BMHorse bus outside the Bald Faced Stag pub, East Finchley, c1860. LBB

‘It was originally started by my Great Grand-Father Mr T Parsloe... and on his death taken over by my Father... until the electric trams were started when the bus became rather obsolete... The single decker was mostly used for the journey between New Barnet and Hadley Highstone.’

L Parsloe describes in 1957 the old family horse bus service between New Barnet and Hadley Highstone. 2003/2821

Railwayshastenedtheendofstagecoaches.TheGreatNorthernRailway(GNR)originallyopenedthroughBarnetin1850withtwostations:ColneyHatch(nowNewSouthgate)andBarnet(nowNewBarnet).Parsloe’shorsebuswasoneofseverallocalserviceswhichcarriedpassengersontheironwardjourney.

In1867EdgwaregotitsfirstrailwayconnectionwithLondonviaabranchlinethroughFinchleytotheGNRmainline.FiveyearslaterHighBarnetstationopenedonanextensionfromFinchleyChurchEnd.

TherailwayarrivesinBarnet

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Parsloe horse bus, New Barnet station, c1903. 2003/2819Finchley Church End (now Finchley Central) station, 1906. An experimental steam railcar arrives from Edgware. LBB

Transporttoleisure

TheMidlandRailway(MR)originallyservedLondonusingtheGreatNorthernRailwayline.CongestionatKing’sCrossledtheMRtoopenitsownlinefromBedfordtoStPancrasin1868.

Hendon’sWelshHarpreservoirandinnwerefamousforhostingsportingevents.Theresorthaditsownrailwaystationfrom1870,andonbankholidaysduringthe1880sWelshHarpstationserved25,000people.Thelakebecamelesspopularinlateryearsandthestationclosedin1903.

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Horse bus at the Midland railway hotel, Hendon, on a shuttle service to the Welsh Harp, c1905. LBBSkaters on the Welsh Harp reservoir, c1910. 2005/7223Bus ticket from Cricklewood to the Welsh Harp, c1900. 2003/10532

First tramcar through North Finchley, 1905. DRTram terminus, Cricklewood, 1905. 2004/16310Workers lay tram tracks in the High Road, North Finchley, c1904. LBB

Thehorse-drawntramscommoninotherpartsofLondonneverraninBarnet.MetropolitanElectricTramwayslaunchedtheborough’sfirstelectrictramservicein1904betweenCricklewoodandEdgware,arelativelyundevelopedareaatthetime.

Tramswerethefirstaffordabletransportserviceforall.TheyranbetweenWhetstoneandHighgatefrom1905andfurtherextensionsbroughtservicestoCanonsParkinthewestandBarnetChurchinthenorthby1907.

Electrictramsarrive

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Rural Golders Green before construction of the Underground station, 1904. 1999/20099Poster for tram services to Finchley and Cricklewood, 1909. 1983/4/141Golders Green in 1927, transformed from the scene above into a busy suburban Tube and bus interchange. 1998/76915

WhentheHampsteadTubeopenedtoGoldersGreenin1907,itledtothecreationofthefirstTubesuburb.

SuburbsbuiltatGoldersGreen,HendonandEdgwarealongsidetheextendingUndergroundlinesofferedcheapandfastaccesstothecityandprovedverypopular.AmongthenewresidentsweremanyJewishfamilieswhomovedoutofLondon’sovercrowdedEastEnd.

Firsttubesuburb

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Poster by Tony Sarg, 1913. 2006/12304Poster by Charles Turner, 1925. 1999/38417Crowds at Colindale station after the RAF Pageant at Hendon Aerodrome (now the RAF Museum), 1930. 2005/1171

ClaudeGrahame-WhiteopenedtheLondonAerodromeatHendonin1911.Hendonbecamefamousforitsflyingschoolandasapioneeringcentreforaircraftdevelopmentandproduction.From1912airdisplaysattractedthousandsofspectators.

Thesitewaslatertakenoverbythegovernment,andfrom1920–37theRoyalAirForcecontinuedtoputonairdisplays.Theshowsattractedhugecrowds,particularlyafterColindaleTubestationopenednearbyin1924.

Flyinghigh

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HampsteadGardenSuburbwasoneofseveralpioneeringdevelopmentsaimedatretaininggreenspaceinLondon.ItwassetupbyDameHenriettaBarnettfrom1906toprovideahealthy,well-designedenvironmentforworkingpeople.Infactthesuburbsoonbecamelargelymiddleclass.ResidentsincludedFrankPick,ManagingDirectorofLondonUndergroundinthe1920sandlaterChiefExecutiveofLondonTransport.

HampsteadGardenSuburb

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London’s Latest Suburbs, 1910. 1996/1899Frank Pick’s former home in Wildwood Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb, 1981. 1998/41023Frank Pick, 1931. Pick’s design standards made London Transport famous. 1999/19368

TherapiddevelopmentofGoldersGreenpromptedtheextensionoftheHampsteadTubeaftertheFirstWorldWar.

TheextensionnorthfromGoldersGreentoHendonCentralopenedin1923.FredTaylor’sposterillustratesthenewsuburbanhousingwhichquicklyfollowed.TheTubereachedEdgwarein1924withstationsatColindaleandBurntOak,wheretheLondonCountyCouncil(LCC)establishedthelargeWatlinghousingestate.

Undergroundextensions

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Poster by Fred Taylor, 1925. 1983/4/1576LCC Watling Estate behind the trees at Burnt Oak station, 1928. 2004/20184Edgware station forecourt on a busy Saturday afternoon, 1927. 1999/20702

Barnetgetsbusier

Inthelate1920sand1930s,suburbandevelopmentinBarnetwasencouragedbyboththeEdgwareTubeextensionandnewarterialroads,particularlytheNorthCircularRoad.

Whenthenewroadsfirstopened,fewLondonershadacar.Mostlocaltrafficwasonbusservices,whichlinkedresidentialareaswithnearbyshoppingcentres.

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The busy new shopping centre at Edgware by Christine Jackson, 1930. 1999/38462Heathfield Gardens entrance to Brent (now Brent Cross) Underground station, 1933. 1998/81674Bus stop on the newly built Falloden Way, Finchley, now part of the A1, 1934. 1998/84265

Fromtramstotrolleybuses

Tramswerereplacedbymoreflexibletrolleybusesfrom1936,beginningwithroutesalongtheEdgwareRoad,andthroughCricklewooduptoNorthFinchley.Barnet’slasttramranin1938.

EighttrolleybusroutesmetatNorthFinchley.TheyusedaturningcircleandterminuscreatedaspartofthegiantGaumontcinemadevelopmentinthe1930s.TheweboftrolleybuswiresaroundthehugecinemacomplexdominatedTallyHoCornerforover20years.

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Inspecting a new trolleybus in front of Barnet Church, 1938. Barnet PressLast tram night at Finchley Depot, March 1938. New trolleybuses wait to take over. Tramway Museum SocietyGaumont cinema complex, 1958. 1998/85153

Outofsteam

ThesteambranchlinethroughFinchleybecamepartoftheUnderground’sNorthernlinein1940.ThelinewaselectrifiedatthesametimetoenableTubetrainsfromcentralLondontorunthroughtoHighBarnet.

In1939EastFinchleystation(formerlyEastEndFinchley)wasrebuiltinLondonTransport’smodernstyle.ElectrificationofthebranchlinefromFinchleyCentraltoEdgwarewascompletedasfarasMillHillEastby1941,butabandonedduetotheSecondWorldWar.

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New Tube train at High Barnet, replaces the steam service (left), 1940. BMEric Aumonier’s archer at East Finchley station. 1999/41639Last regular steam passenger train at High Barnet, 13 April 1940. BM

GreenLinecoacheswereconvertedintoambulancesduringtheSecondWorldWar.In1940,aftertheGermaninvasionofFrance,theycollectedFrenchandBritishtroopsevacuatedfromDunkirk.

ThememoriallaboratoryatManorHouseHospital,GoldersGreen,wasbuiltin1954.LondonTransportbustradeunionistsraised£10,000bysubscriptiontowardsit.Thehospitalwasdemolishedin2000.

SecondWorldWar

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At New Barnet, Green Line ‘ambulances’ pick up wounded soldiers, 1940. BMColindale station, destroyed by a bomb in September 1940. Thirteen people died. 1998/35605Manor House laboratory facade, now at London Transport Museum’s Depot. 2000/15806

Routemaster RM1 at Golders Green before its first journey, 1956. 1998/86785Sheila Fee, Hendon bus conductor takes fares using a revolutionary Gibson roll ticket machine, 1959. 1998/55523Driver Bert Chivers and Inspector Jock Dow with Barnet’s last trolleybus at Barnet Church, 1962. DR

In1956,theprototype(RM1)ofLondon’sfamousRoutemasterbusenteredpublicserviceonroute2fromGoldersGreentoCrystalPalace.

Dieselbusessoonreplacedalltrolleybuses.Theborough’slasttrolleybusranthroughBarnetintheearlyhoursofacoldJanuarynightin1962,bringingelectricstreettractionintheboroughtoanendafter58years.

Exitthetrolleybus

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Intomoderntimes

In1974HampsteadGardenSuburbfeaturedanexperimental‘Dial-a-bus’service.Residentscouldasktobepickedupfromanywherewithinthesuburb.

Nationalrailservicesintheboroughwereelectrifiedinthe1970s.Inthe1990snewUndergroundtrainswereintroducedontheNorthernline,improvingits‘miseryline’image.

Today,fullyaccessiblebuseslinkallpartsofBarnetwithtransportandshoppinghubsatBrentCross,GoldersGreenandNorthFinchley.

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‘Dial-a-bus’, Hampstead Garden Suburb, 1975. 1998/66071After 50 years, the last red Northern line train heads south from Edgware, 1988. DR‘artsdepot’ including new bus station, replaces the Gaumont (see page13) 2006. 2007/11220

Barnetnow

BarnettodayhasgoodpublictransportlinkswithcentralLondon,butintheboroughitselfmostjourneysarestillmadebycar.Localinitiativesareaimingtoreducecaruseinfavourofpublictransport,toeaseroadcongestionandreducepollution.

AmajorregenerationschemeisplannedforHendon,BrentCrossandCricklewood.Thisincludesanewtowncentreandbetterintegrationoflocalroadandrailservices.

Improvedroutesforwalkingandcyclingcombinedwithlimitedparkingfornewdevelopmentsarealldesignedtodiscourageuseofthecarfornon-essentialjourneys.

Accessible modern bus at Barnet Church, 2007. 2007/11221

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Barnet Local Studies & Archives Centre, 2007. 2007/11222Barnet Museum, 2007. 2007/11223

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