Hendon is one of the three Parliamentary constituencies in Barnet.
Hendon’s Boundaries
To the east is Totteridge Valley; to the north is rural Hertfordshire; to the west , following the line of the Old Roman road, Watling Street – now the A5 Edgware Road; and to the south, (more or less) the A406 North Circular Road.
Wards
Hendon comprises seven local government wards – Hendon itself, which includes Temple Fortune and Holder’s Hill as well; West Hendon, which includes the Welsh Harp reservoir; Burnt Oak including the historic Watling estate; Colindale, including Grahame Park; Edgware; Hale, which stretches from Edgware to Mill Hill; and Mill Hill itself.
Sports
Although neither Barnet FC nor Hendon FC are in the constituency they are near by. Shaftesbury Harriers, the famous athletic club, have their home at Copthall Stadium, where the Copthall Pool and Sports Centre are situated too, home of Barnet Copthall Swimming Club.
Barnet Burnt Oak Sports Centre, a modern facility, is to be found in the heart of the Watling Estate.
Architecture
Some of the newest public buildings in Hendon attract much attention: Edgware Community Hospital, a flagship NHS facility, was opened by the Prime Minister in 2005. Middlesex University’s new atrium and learning resource centre, situated in the Burroughs, Hendon and Edgware’s London Academy are new education facilities of great architectural merit.
The new Magistrates Court complex in West Hendon is also about to open.
More classic buildings include Hendon Town Hall, shortly to be adapted in large part for use by Middlesex University, whilst retaining the civic functions of the Council chamber and committee rooms.
The next door London Fire Brigade station and newly modernised Hendon library add to the scene – as does my own constituency office at 79 The Burroughs. Although of less merit as a building, watch out for it on an ITV episode of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple – made up as a fish and chip shop!
Classic church buildings include St Mary’s, Hendon, whose graveyard Bram Stoker may have used as the model for his fictional "Kingstead", the uneasy resting place of Lucy Westenra in his gothic masterpiece, Dracula. St Mary's graveyard is also the resting place of Coventry Patmore's wife Emily, the subject of the poem “The Angel in the House” (1854), and the upon whom the Victorian model of domesticity "The Angel of the Hearth" is based.
St Paul’s, Mill Hill, was founded by William Wilberforce, who owned Highwood Hill estate, there.
We should not overlook the old pubs either – the Greyhound in Hendon, originally called the Church House and used for vestry meetings from the 16th century to 1878. The Rising Sun in Mill Hill is another example – both of which give a village feel to their neighbourhoods.
Culture and History
Major institutions are based in Hendon, including the RAF Museum, in Colindale. Built on land formerly the old Hendon airfield and RAF station, it has benefited from a multi-million pound Lottery grant, to help build its new wing. You can also see the Battle of Britain hall and the newly restored Grahame White aircraft factory hangar, the first in the country – with World War I vintage aircraft. Entrance to the museum is free, thanks to the government’s policy of free museum admissions.
The British Library National Newspaper collection is also based in Colindale, with a small reading room for private research: you can obtain a reader’s ticket relatively easily, if researching family history, for example in the local newspapers, or major events from the national press.
Of more local interest, are the Church Farm Museum, Barnet’s local history museum in Hendon, and Barnet’s archives held in Daws Lane, Mill Hill.
Education
Hendon is well served by high performing secondary and primary schools. Secondaries include the London Academy, formerly Edgware School, and as a new city academy, one of the fastest improving schools anywhere.
Hendon School is a specialist language college; and Copthall, an all-girls school, is a specialist business and enterprise and languages college.
St James’ Catholic High School is a specialist sports college; Hasmonean High School, with separate sites for boys and girls, is an orthodox Jewish secondary school with business and enterprise status; St Mary’s, Hendon a Church of England secondary, and Mill Hill County High school complete the list of secondaries.
Primary schools particularly praised by OFSTED include Deansbrook Junior, the Annunciation RC Infant, St Joseph’s RC Junior, and Orion Primary, all judged to be “outstanding”, last year; and Bell Lane Primary, Colindale Primary, Rosh Pinah, Woodcroft primary and Broadfields Primary are all judged to be “good”.
Science
The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), part of the Medical Research Council (MRC) is on the Ridgeway, Mill Hill – is a world class research institute like the discovery human influenza virus and interferon. Nobel Prize winners from NIMR include Sir Henry Dale and A J P Martin. And you may have seen the building doubling up as “Arkham Asylum” in the film “Batman Begins”.
The National Blood Service in Colindale is consolidating its regional centre on itssite, there.
Next door is the Health Protection Agency, conducting research into major illness and outbreaks.
The University of London Observatory, opened in 1929 by Astronomer Royal, Sir Frank Dyson, is situated just south of Mill Hill Circus. Keep an eye out for their open days, when the public are invited to look through its big telescopes, like the Radcliffe, Fry and Joynson refractors. I’ve seen the rings of Saturn, the transit of Venus and the Moon – ‘close up and personal’ when I’ve been!
The outdoors are served by the Welsh Harp. Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), one of the capital’s major nature reserves and a great place for observing birdlife.
Open Spaces
These include not just the Welsh Harp, but also the woodland areas of Scratchwood and Moat Mount, as well as interesting walks through Totteridge Valley – the Mill Hill Preservation Society lead two walks a year, for the uninitiated!
Shopping
Brent Cross Shopping Centre – the first in the country – is in West Hendon, and is set to expand substantially.
Don’t forget the traditional shopping streets in Station Road, Edgware and Mill Hill Broadway, and those in Watling Avenue, Burnt Oak and West Hendon Broadway, which cater increasingly for the communities in their areas.
The enormous far eastern restaurant and shopping complex of Oriental City is in Colindale, but just over the ‘border’ with Brent. All the major supermarkets are represented with Sainsbury’s West Hendon; Asda in Colindale and Tesco’s in Hendon. Tesco’s in Burnt Oak was the first store that Jack Cohen opened up under the name of Tesco, in 1929, giving birth to the major chain we know today!
What else?
Perhaps Hendon is most famous for the Peel Centre, the Metropolitan Police Training College at Colindale. Recruit Constables have passed out of the Peel Centre for decades, joined more recently by the Police Community Support Officers. The detective school is world famous, and the driving school trains not just pursuit drivers but also the motorcycle outriders who guard royalty and visiting dignitaries. The site is also home to the Police National Computer and the new state of the art Police Communications Centre for London.
Who are we?
Hendon is home to one of the most diverse communities in London, diverse, dynamic, multi- ethnic and multi-faith. Hendon is the constituency with the largest Jewish community in the country, the second biggest Chinese, and amongst the largest British Indian and African communities, too.
Hendon has been home to many famous faces over the years.
From the world of entertainment stars such as Paul Young, Max Bygraves, George Michael, Anthony Costa (from boy band Blue), Vanessa Feltz and even classical composer George Frederic Handel have lived in the area. Hendon Mosque also held the funeral of iconic Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan.
Sportsmen like Henry Cooper and the legendary footballer and cricketer Denis Compton lived in Hendon. Along with his brother, Denis was the only individual to have been a member of both the champion county side - Middlesex - and the Cup-winning club - Arsenal FC in a single calendar year - 1950.
Oliver Postgate was born in the area, well known through his creations, the famous children’s TV shows: Pingwings, Pogles' Wood, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, The Clangers and Bagpuss.
Another famous resident of Mill Hill was Sir Stamford Raffles, of Singapore fame.
How to find us
Hendon is on the London Underground Northern Line, with stations at Brent Cross, Hendon Central, Colindale, Burnt Oak, Edgware and Mill Hill East. The area is well served by bus routes and roads, including the M1, A1, A41, A406 and A5.
Have I missed anything?
If you think my sketch of Hendon has omitted anything important, please let me know, by submitting your comments below!
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