Finchley, Middlesex

Historical Description

Finchley, a parish 5 miles In length, including part of Whetstone, in Middlesex. It lies on the Great North Road, between the Barnet Road and Hendon, about 7 miles from St Paul's, London, and is within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan police. The parish, which is divided into Church End, East and North Finchley, and Whetstone, is governed by a local board of 12 members, and is supplied with water by the Bamet Gas and Water Company. It has three stations, on the High Barnet branch of the G.N.R., known as Finchley, East Finchley, and Woodside Park, and has post, money order and telegraph offices in the N suburban district at Finchley Church End, East Finchley, and North 'Finchley, with post and money order office at East Finchley and Fortis Green. Acreage, 3384; population, 16,647. At the commencement of the present century Finchley common, which extended to about 2000 acres, was noted as a resort of highwaymen, and travellers endeavoured to avoid crossing itat night. It was here that Monk drew up his forces in 1660, when approaching the Metropolis prior to the restoration of Charles II. It was also the place of the mustering of the Guards in 1745 on the invasion of England by the Young Pretender, and in that connection is associated with Hogarth's humorous picture of the "March to Finchley." Very little of the common is left now, and the ground is covered for the most part with streets, terraces, and detached villa residences, chiefly occupied by gentlemen from the city. Under the direction of the local board a complete system of drainage was carried through, and the growth of the village is now steadily increasing. The cemeteries for the parishes of St Pancras andl St Mary, Islington, which occupy over 100 acres of well-timbered land, with two mortuary chapels, lodges and offices, and that of St Mary, Marylebone, occupying 27 acres, with two mortuary chapels, lodges and offices, are in this parish. The living of the mother-church of the parish is a rectory in the diocese of London; gross value, £950 with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of London. The church is a building of stone in the Perpendicular style. It was thoroughly restored in 1872-73, and it contains some interesting brasses and monuments. St Paul's is an ecclesiastical district formed in 1886 from the parish of St Mary and district of Christ Church. The living is a vicarage; net value, £350. The church is a building of stone in the Early English style, and was erected in 1885-86. East Finchley is an ecclesiastical district formed in 1846. The living is a vicarage; gross yearly value, £300 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of London. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, erected in 1846, is an edifice of stone in the Early English style. North Finchley is an ecclesiastical district formed in 1872 out of St Mary's, St John's, Whetstone, and East Finchley. The living is a vicarage; gross yearly value, £400 with residence. The church is a building of stone in the Decorated style. There is a chapel of ease attached which was erected in 1885. There are also two Baptist chapels, Congregational, Primitive Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels, a Wesleyan mission hall, Presbyterian hall, and a Friends' meeting-house. At Woodside Park there is a fine hall and assembly rooms erected in 1885. The manor house is a large old-fashioned mansion of brick, and is surrounded by a moat. The manor of Finchley has from time immemorial belonged to the see of London. The ecclesiastical parish of Whetstone is noticed separately.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Finchley from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Finchley (St. Mary))

Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Middlesex is online.

Maps

Online maps of Finchley are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Villages, Hamlets, &c