Hendon is a
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
suburb situated north west of
Charing CrossCharing Cross denotes the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in Westminster within Central London, England. It is named after the site of a long demolished Eleanor cross located at the former hamlet of Charing, at this point...
.
History
Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of
MiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. The manor is described in Domesday (1087), but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier. There is even evidence of Roman settlement discovered by the Hendon and District Archaeological Society and others; an urn burial of a headless child was found in nearby Sunny Gardens Park. The Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railways were built through Hendon in the 1860s. There is evidence of problems of wild horses feeding between the tracks. The underground, at
Golders GreenGolders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
arrived in 1907. Much of the area developed into a suburb of London and now the area is mostly built up with some countryside in the
Mill HillMill Hill is a place in the London Borough of Barnet It is a suburb situated 9 miles north west of Charing Cross, in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Middlesex...
area, such as the Copthall Playing fields. Hendon big industry was mostly centred on manufacturing, and included motor and aviation works, and developed from the 1880s. In 1931 the civil parish of
EdgwareEdgware is a suburb of North London situated north-west of Charing Cross. It should not be confused with Edgware Road, some miles to the south. Most of Edgware is in the London Borough of Barnet, but the western part is in the London Borough of Harrow and the Queensbury area is in the London...
was abolished and its area was added to the great civil parish of Hendon.
Hendon became an
urban districtIn the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council.-England and Wales:In England...
in 1894. In 1932 the urban district became the Municipal Borough of Hendon. The municipal borough was abolished in 1965 and the area became part of the London Borough of Barnet.
Hendon’s claim to fame is in flying and
Hendon AerodromeHendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
is now the
RAF MuseumThe Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation, and the British Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and a registered charity...
. The area is closely associated with the aviator Claude Grahame-White. Another part of the Aerodrome site is the
Hendon Police CollegeHendon Police College is the principal training centre for London's Metropolitan Police Service. Today, the college is commonly referred to as the Peel Centre, although its original name is still used frequently...
, the training centre for the
Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
.
It is a former
boroughA borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
and ancient
parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
. The name means the high place or down, and Hendon's motto is
Endeavour.
The BurroughsThe Burroughs is a place in Hendon, and a civic district of London Borough of Barnet. It is centred on the road of the same name where Hendon Town Hall is located.- History :It was a distinct hamlet until the 1890s, as can be seen on this of 1873...
is a
civic centre for the London Borough of Barnet, and also the site of
Middlesex University Business SchoolMiddlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the so-called post-1992 universities and is a member of million+ working group...
.
Church End
Hendon is a place in the
London Borough of BarnetThe London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the east.-Districts:The pattern of settlement is...
.
Hendon and District Archaeological Society has found a number of interesting Roman artifacts at Church End but nothing conclusive, and the
SaxonAnglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
settlement
near to the church may not be a continuation of its Roman predecessor. The Domesday Survey mentions a priest, and a church building was documented in 1157. The oldest fabric of the present church is 13th century. The 50ft tower (c1450) was much restored in the 18th century when the weathercock in the form of a "Lamb and Flag", the badge of St. John, was added. However, the church is dedicated to St. Mary, an enigma that defies local historians to this day. It may be a sign of the (heretical) cult of Mary Magdalene said to have been promoted by the Templars and their successors. Eastern extensions carried out between 1913-15 to designs by architect Temple Moore have greatly expanded the church. Sir
Stamford RafflesSir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is known as the "Father of Singapore"...
, founder of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
in 1819, is buried in the church. The most important grave in the churchyard is that of
Herbert ChapmanHerbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
, the manager of
Arsenal Football ClubArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
in the 1920s and 1930s.
Bram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.-Early life:He...
may well have had St. Mary's graveyard in mind when he created the fictional "Kingstead", the uneasy resting place of
Lucy WestenraLucy Westenra is a fictional character in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. She is the 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family. Her father is not mentioned in the novel and her elderly mother is simply stated as being Mrs. Westenra. Lucy is introduced as Mina Murray's best friend. In the 1931...
, in his book
DraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula.Dracula has been attributed to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. Structurally it is an epistolary novel,...
. However, St. Mary's graveyard is also the resting place of a more benign spirit,
Coventry PatmoreCoventry Kersey Dighton Patmore was an English poet and critic best known for The Angel in the House, his narrative poem about an ideal happy marriage.-Youth:...
's wife Emily, the model for the poem
The Angel in the HouseThe Angel in the House is a narrative poem by Coventry Patmore, first published in 1854 and expanded up until 1862. Although largely ignored upon publication, it became enormously popular during the later nineteenth century and its influence continued well into the twentieth...
(1854), and upon whom the Victorian ideal of domesticity "the Angel of the Hearth" is based.
West of the church is the Greyhound pub which was rebuilt in 1898. Originally called the Church House, it was used for vestry meetings from the 1600s to 1878. In 1676 the inn, by then known as the Greyhound, burned down in a fire. In 1855 a fire brigade was established, renamed the Hendon volunteer fire brigade in 1866, and a manual
fire engineA fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, water or other equipment...
was kept in a building near the church. Further west the Church Farmhouse Museum, opened in 1955, is run by the
London Borough of BarnetThe London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the east.-Districts:The pattern of settlement is...
.
The Burroughs
The Burroughs was a distinct hamlet until the 1890s, known from 1316 until the 19th Century as 'the burrows', which no doubt referred originally to the keeping of rabbit warrens. After the UK outbreak of
myxomatosisMyxomatosis is a disease which affects rabbits. It is caused by the Myxoma virus. First observed in Uruguay in the late 1800s, it was deliberately introduced into Australia in 1950 in an attempt to control rabbit infestation and population there; see rabbits in Australia...
in the 1950s, rabbits were smoked out of the area using steam engines.
Parson Street and Holders Hill
1920s.
During the 18th century, some of immediate estate surrounding Hendon Place was auctioned off for large houses, with much of the land being used for building other mansions. Of these, Hendon Hall, built in 1756 at the corner of Ashley Lane, is the last remaining and perhaps the best known. The suggestion that
David GarrickDavid Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
the actor lived here whilst he was
Lord of the ManorThe title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. The title Lord of the Manor is a titular feudal dignity which is still recognised today as semi-extinct form of landed property...
(1765-79) is without foundation. A small obelisk in the hotel garden dedicated to
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and
David GarrickDavid Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
originally stood in Manor Hall Road until 1957. A ceiling painting by Tiepolo,
Olympia and the Four Continents, was uncovered in 1954 (it is now in America); but two other large ceiling paintings are still in the house. A Mr. Somerville laid out Waverley Grove and Tenterden Grove in the 1860s, and by the end of the 19th century the estate saw further development by C.F.Hancock, including houses. On Parson Street, St. Swithans was for many years a convent and training house of the Sisters of Nazareth. It is now a Jewish School. Further north is Holders Hill House, now
Hasmonean High SchoolHasmonean High School is a voluntary aided, comprehensive school, for pupils aged 11 to 18 from Orthodox Jewish families, situated in the London Borough of Barnet. The school comprises two sites, one for boys in the area of Hendon and one for girls in Mill Hill...
.
Brent Street Area
Brent Street was part of a northern route out of London, and at the Quadrant a seven-mile stone - the last piece of physical evidence for the road - is set into a wall. Much of the original small hamlet in Brent Street, which had been there since at least 1613, burned down in a fire in 1861. Brent Street had a parish pump, which was in disrepair in 1818 due to the numerous thirsty travellers using the road, and from 1796 there was a cage for criminals (removed in 1883), which stood at the junction of Brent Street and Bell Lane. By the 1850s there were at least 13 shops in Brent Street. Congregationalists built a chapel (1855) and a school in New Brent Street (1856), which later moved and became Bell Lane Board School (1901). Tenby House is the last of three large properties that were built between Finchley Lane and Victoria Road. The Victoria Estate was developed around Victoria and Stratford Roads in the 1870s and 1880s. The cricketer and footballer
Denis ComptonDenis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
was brought up here and lived at 20 Alexandra Road, attending Bell Lane Primary school. New Brent Street was the address of the local police office in 1855 (a later station dating from 1884 was demolished in 2002). Christ Church was opened in October 1881 as a chapel of ease for St. Mary's, becoming a parish church in 1923.
During the 20th century, a number of small factories were established in the area. The largest was Tilley Lamps Ltd (1915 to 1961), which employed around 300 people and manufactured pressure paraffin lamps (rather charmingly called
Aladdin lamps in the 1930s). In December 1969, planning permission was granted for the development of a new shopping precinct on Brent Street to be called Sentinel Square, at a cost of £1.5 million, and within a year the old Rose and Crown pub, the Classic Cinema (once called the Gala), and a number of shops had been replaced with a collection of modernist shops and a Tesco supermarket. The
OdeonOdeon Cinemas is the largest chain of cinemas in Europe and is wholly based within the United Kingdom. It is owned by Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:...
at the Quadrant was opened in 1939 at what had been Cook's Corner in Parson Street. It was pulled down in 1979 and the site redeveloped.
Salisbury Plain is a piece of wasteland in front of
The Load of Hay (a pub demolished in 2004), where animals destined for Smithfield were penned overnight. The pub had been a favourite of
Peter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician who is the current First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of the Council...
in his youth. There is a small collection of 18th century houses along Shirehall Lane, two with fire plaques. Penfold House in Brent Street (not far from The Load of Hay) is said to have been built in 1713. It is believed it had been a lodge for drovers bringing cattle up to London, and it was known as Albert Cottage until 1923. Near to Brent Green was Goodyers House (demolished in 1934), named after an important Hendon family. Where Goodyers House was is now a cul-de-sac called Goodyers Gardens with about 10 or 11 houses. Number 11 was the main house when Goodyers House was still standing.
Hendon ParkHendon Park is a London suburban park situated 3 miles north west of Charing Cross. It is a pleasant, Edwardian park opened to the public in 1903.-History:...
was laid out on Step Fields, part of the Goodyers House estate, and was opened as Queen's Park in 1903. In July 1940, there was a particularly large propaganda rally held in Hendon Park - "Rout the Rumour", the first of its kind in England. Hendon House was home to
John NordenJohn Norden was an English topographer. He was the first Englishman who designed a complete series of county histories and geographies, or a gazetteer. His earliest known work of importance was the Speculum Britanniae, first part Middlesex ; the MS. of this in the British Museum has corrections...
, the renowned 16th century cartographer, but was demolished and replaced with Hendon School. Famous alumni include
Peter MandelsonPeter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician who is the current First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of the Council...
, Rabbi
Lionel BlueLionel Blue is a British Reform rabbi, journalist and broadcaster. He was the first openly gay British rabbi. Born in the East End of London, he was the only son of a master tailor....
, and author
Ruth Prawer JhabvalaRuth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
.
A little further down the road is a small gothic complex called the Alma White Centre. In 1893 the Rev W.H.Seddon, Hon Secretary of the
Church ArmyChurch Army is an evangelistic Church of England organisation operating in many parts of the Anglican Communion.-History:Church Army was founded in England in 1882 by the Revd Wilson Carlile , who banded together in an orderly army of soldiers, officers, and a few working men and women, whom he and...
, purchased Fosters, in Brent Street, with the intention of building "a Rescue Home (for fallen women), with a Chapel attached". The site became St. Saviour's Homes in 1897, caring for "feeble minded" women. In 1926 it was taken over by the Pillar of Fire Society as a bible college, school and chapel.
Geography
Transport
Hendon is served by
Hendon Central tube stationHendon Central tube station is a London Underground station in north London on the A41.The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line, between Colindale and Brent Cross stations, and is on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 3 and Zone 4...
on the Edgware Branch of the
Northern LineThe Northern line is an underground railway in London, United Kingdom that is coloured black on the London Underground Tube map. The line's two branches carry 206.734 million passengers per year—the highest on the London Underground system. For most of its length it is built as a deep-level...
and by
Hendon railway stationHendon railway station is a National Rail station situated to the west of Hendon, in the London Borough of Barnet in North London, at .The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line and is served by First Capital Connect trains as part of the Thameslink Line service...
on the National Rail
ThameslinkThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
network, as well as by numerous bus routes. (Buses come and go from Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London's
West EndThe West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres. Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
and the new Wembley Stadium.) There are various mini-cab companies that operate within Hendon.
Hendon AerodromeHendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
was a former airport, famous as the site of the first airmail delivery; the first parachute descent from a powered aircraft; the first night flights; and, from RAF Hendon during World War II the RAF provided the first aerial defence of a city. It is believed that the first casualty in the Battle of Britain was an RAF
Hurricane pilot from Hendon. It closed to flying in 1968.
Population of Hendon
This includes
West HendonWest Hendon is a place in the London Borough of Barnet.-History:West Hendon was a settlement within that part of the ancient parish of Hendon known as the Hyde, and is now a part of the London Borough of Barnet. It was formally known, from 1878-1890, as New Hendon, a small railway development on...
,
ColindaleColindale is an area in the London Borough of Barnet, although its main shopping street is in the London Borough of Brent on its western side. It is a suburban development, situated 8 miles north west of Charing Cross.-History:...
, and parts of the Hyde
- 1881 5,615
- 1891 8,255
- 1901 11,524
- 1911 17,776
- 1921 20,246
- 1931 57,603
- 1951 69,483
- 1961 62,698
Notable people from Hendon
- Joe Beevers
Joseph "Joe" Charles Beevers is an English professional poker player and a member of The Hendon Mob....
- professional poker player
- Gary Breen
Gary Patrick Breen is an Irish footballer. He is currently with League Two club Barnet as a player/assistant manager.-Career:...
- footballer
- Sir John Clements
Sir John Selby Clements, CBE was an English actor and producer who worked in theatre, television and film....
- actor and producer
- Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
- cricketer and footballer
- Henry Cooper
Sir Henry Cooper OBE, KSG in South East London, is a retired English heavyweight boxer and was the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion in 1970...
- heavyweight boxer
- Harry Demetriou
Charidimos Demetriou is a British professional poker player.-Early years:Before turning to poker, Demetriou was a sports betting consultant...
- professional poker player
- Henry Hicks
Henry Hicks, MRCS, FRS was a Welsh physician, surgeon, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons , geologist, President of the Geological Society and Fellow of the Royal Society...
- Royal College of SurgeonsThe Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
, President of the Geological Society, Fellow of the Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence...
(FRS).
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
- novelist
- Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician who is the current First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of the Council...
- Labour politician
- Michael Podro
Michael Podro CBE, FBA was a British art historian. Podro, the son of Jewish refugees from central Europe, was born in London and grew up in Hendon. He attended Berkhamsted school in Hertfordshire, served in the RAF, and read English at Jesus College, Cambridge and philosophy at University College...
- art historian
- Oliver Postgate
Oliver Postgate was an English animator, puppeteer and writer.He was the creator and writer of some of Britain's most popular children's television programmes...
- animator, puppeteer and writer.
- Thomas Tilling
Thomas Tilling Ltd, later known with its subsidiary companies as the Tilling Group, was one of the two huge groups which controlled almost all the major bus operators in the United Kingdom between the wars and until nationalisation in 1948....
- omnibus operator was born here in 1825
- Lacey Turner
Lacey Amelia Turner is an English actress, best known for playing Stacey Slater in the popular BBC television soap opera, EastEnders.-Early life:Turner was born in Hendon, NW London in 1988, to parents Bev and Les...
- actress who plays Stacey SlaterStacey Branning is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004. The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan...
in EastEndersEastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985...
External links