Friern Barnet: A green and leafy suburb steeped in history

Friern Barnet is a suburb located in the London borough of Barnet and is steeped in history. The locality is closely linked with the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem who took care of the sick and pilgrims during the Crusades.

Over the years, it has grown from being a relatively small estate to a thriving town within greater London. It is very attractive to young couples and the elderly due to its strong community feel and abundant resources and facilities.

The town has a high number of middle-class families and benefits from many good schools within the area.

It also has excellent transport links and a number of green spaces. Compared to other parts of London, crime is relatively low here despite being known as a hotspot for trouble in the 18th century. In addition to families, the area also remains popular among professionals.

Another great thing about Friern Barnet is there is always plenty to do and see here and it is home to many different community groups.

Dining out is never a problem either because it is home to many different types of restaurants and cafés. It also has a number of independent shops and retail parks.

There is a generous mix of detached and semi-detached properties in the town, most of which were built during the 1800s.

There are also some areas that contain luxury, high-end properties. 

History

Friern Barnet was an ancient parish, originally located in the county of Middlesex. The rest of the area was based in Hertfordshire, before it became part of London.

The name Barnet means 'a place cleared by burning'. This goes back to the fact the locality was previously woodland.

Friern Barnet was known for a time as Little Barnet, and was at one time connected with East Barnet further to the north.

In the 12th century, it became known as Frerenbarnet, which is thought to be a reference to the knights in the area who were called 'freren', a reference to the brotherhood.

Later it coined its current name 'Friern Barnet'. One of the most important roads was built through the town in the 13th century, which was later redirected to pass through Finchley and Whetstone.

The area stayed rural up until the 19th century when it gradually became more urbanised. Two major occurrences transformed Friern Barnet from being a small, relatively unknown, village hub, to the busy metropolis that it is today.

One was the building of the Great Northern Railway from King’s Cross to the north (known as the East Coast Mainline) and the other was the creation of Colney Hatch Pauper Lunatic Asylum in 1851, which provided jobs and commerce.

The arrival of the trams in the early 20th century was also another major contributing factor to the growing population.

These trams provided a quick and easy route into London and allowed workers to move away from the city centre.

The population of the area reached its peak by the 1960s, while industrial development and the growth of businesses provided many local people with jobs.

South Friern

This is the southern part of Barnet and has been subject to a lot of redevelopment over the years.

It still remains a somewhat industrial area and is home to many community clubs and resources.

Parks and open spaces

One of the better known parks in Friern Barnet is Friary Park. This formal Edwardian park contains many private gardens and trees and also houses North Middlesex Golf Club and Friary House.

It has large open spaces used for the major events and festivals in the area. Other places of greenery include Coppetts Wood - a nature reserve containing many rare plants and wildlife.

Properties

The vast majority of housing in the locality consists of Victorian and Edwardian properties. Typically, these tend to be larger houses, popular among professionals, wealthy people and landlords who convert them into flats and bedsits.

At the same time, you also have a generous sprinkling of terraced and semi-detached houses that tend to be owner-occupied.

The average property price in Friern Barnet is £515,029, with the vast majority being flats.

When property categories are broken down by type, the average works out to £490,302 for a flat and £560,362 for a house.

Education

Friern Barnet is served by a number of good schools in the area, including comprehensives, colleges and academies.

The main schools are Coppetts Wood Primary School, Friern Barnet Secondary School, Woodhouse College, the Compton School and St John's Church of England Primary School, Holly Park Primary School and the Wren Academy.

Transport

Like most places in London, the suburb also has excellent transport links, with Arnos Grove and Finchley Central being the nearest London Underground stations.

A number of buses operate within the locality and can take you to almost anywhere in the capital.

Published 6th June, 2014

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