Townapedia
Friern Barnet town hall2
Friern Barnet town hall2 · User:Grim23, CC BY-SA 3.0
Orange Tree, Friern Barnet, N11 (6043153828)
Orange Tree, Friern Barnet, N11 (6043153828) · Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0
36 Queens Parade Trentasei, Friern Barnet, N11
36 Queens Parade Trentasei, Friern Barnet, N11 · Ewan Munro, CC BY-SA 2.0
St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet 28
St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet 28 · Philafrenzy, CC BY-SA 4.0
St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet 29
St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet 29 · Philafrenzy, CC BY-SA 4.0
St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet 33
St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet 33 · Philafrenzy, CC BY-SA 4.0

Friern Barnet, United Kingdom

Friern Barnet is a town of 17,250 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population17,250 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation220 ft 67 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportLondon City Airport (LCY) 12 mi
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Why visit Friern Barnet

Townapedia lists 57 museums and landmarks, 81 parks and trails, 194 places to eat, 11 places to stay and 6 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Alexandra Palace, Golders Green Hippodrome, St Pancras and Islington Cemetery and Arts Depot.

About Friern Barnet

Friern Barnet () is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, 7.4 miles (11.9 km) north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane (running north and south), Woodhouse Road (taking westbound traffic towards North Finchley) and Friern Barnet Road (leading east towards New Southgate).

From the Wikipedia article Friern Barnet (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photos of Friern Barnet

Things to do6

Alexandra Palace

Cinema and theater · 1.8 mi

Entertainment venue in Alexandra Park, London

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Golders Green Hippodrome

Cinema and theater · 3.2 mi

Theatre in London, England, UK

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Hornsey Town Hall

Cinema and theater · 2.8 mi

A public building and former town hall in Crouch End area of Hornsey, London

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Crouch End Hippodrome

Cinema and theater · 2.7 mi

Former theatre in Tottenham Lane, Crouch End, Haringey, London

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Intimate Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.5 mi

Theatre in Palmers Green, London

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Vue Cinema

Cinema and theater · 0.9 mi

Chaplin Square, London

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Museums and landmarks57

Arts Depot

Museum · 0.8 mi

5 Nether Street, London

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Church Farmhouse Museum

Museum · 3.4 mi

Former museum in Barnet, London

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Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum

Museum · 1.1 mi

Library

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Golders Green War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 3.3 mi

War memorial in London

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Kenwood House

Museum · 2.9 mi

Art museum and historic house in Hampstead, London

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The Noble Sage Art Gallery

Museum · 1.6 mi

Art gallery in the UK

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The Whetstone

Monument and historic site · 1.4 mi

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Finchley War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 0.8 mi

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Bringer of Peace

Monument and historic site · 0.4 mi

Dedicated to the memory of King Edward VII, and erected on 7 May 1910, the day after his death

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Shoghi Effendi’s Resting Place

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

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Hiroshima & Nagasaki Memorial Cherry Tree

Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi

Cherry Tree planted in 1984 to commemorate the estimated 214,000 people killed by the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of...

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45 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds81

Bethune Park

Park · 0.5 mi

Park in Friern Barnet, London, England

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Friary Park

Park · 0.4 mi

Park in Friern Barnet, London

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Long Lane Pasture

Park · 1.5 mi

Nature preserve in Finchley, Barnet, Greater London, United Kingdom

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Swan Lane Open Space

Park · 1.2 mi

Public park in Whetstone, London

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Arrandene Open Space and Featherstone Hill

Park · 3.1 mi

Local nature reserve in Barnet, London, England

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Ashley Lane

Park · 2.6 mi

Nature reserve in London

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Barfield Allotments Nature Park

Park · 0.9 mi

Parkland in London, England

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Belmont Open Space

Park · 2.3 mi

Public park in Cockfosters in the London Borough of Barnet

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Bittacy Hill Park

Park · 2.4 mi

Park in London Borough of Barnet, United Kingdom

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Brent Park

Park · 3.0 mi

Park in London Borough of Barnet, United Kingdom

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Burtonhole Lane and Pasture

Park · 2.1 mi

UK nature reserve

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Cherry Tree Wood

Park · 1.9 mi

Public park in London, England

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69 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes194

BIMS

Restaurant · Burger · 0.8 mi

784 High Road, London

Mo-Th,Sa-Su 07:00-00:00; Th 14:30-00:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8282 8805

Durum

Restaurant · Turkish · 1.4 mi

119 Ballards Lane, London

Mo-Su 12:00-24:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 83468977

Ems Coffee

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi

1336 High Road, London

Mo-Su 07:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8445 8353

Goda London

Restaurant · Barbecue · 1.4 mi

144 Ballards Lane, London

Mo-Su 12:00-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8244 2244

Izgara

Restaurant · Turkish · 1.4 mi

1274 High Road, London

Mo-Su 12:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8445 2196

Ocean City

Restaurant · Chinese

220 Woodhouse Road, London

Mo-Su 11:30-22:30; Fr,Sa 11:30-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8445 3260

Sushimania

Restaurant · Sushi, Japanese · 0.7 mi

650 High Road, London

Mo-Fr 12:00-15:00,18:00-23:00; Sa,Su 12:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +442084458282

The Griffin

Bar and pub · Local · 1.4 mi

1262 High Road, London

Mo-Th 12:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 12:00-00:00; Su 12:00-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8445 1110

Uri's Kitchen

Restaurant · British, Mediterranean

Friern Barnet Road, London

Mo-We 09:00-22:00; Th-Sa 09:00-23:00; Su 09:00-21:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 4568 7203

Caffè Nero

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.8 mi

776 High Road, London

Mo-Sa 06:30-19:00; Su 07:00-18:00

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Elephant Inn

Bar and pub · 0.9 mi

283 Ballards Lane, London

Mo-Th 11:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-00:00; Su 12:00-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8343 6110

Wagamama

Restaurant · Asian · 0.9 mi

Chaplin Square, London

Mo-Su 11:00-22:00; Fr,Sa 11:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8446 9084

182 more on the map.

History

Friern Barnet was an ancient parish in the Finsbury division of Ossulstone hundred, in the county of Middlesex.

The area was originally considered to be part of Barnet, most of which was in Hertfordshire. By the 13th century the Middlesex section of Barnet was known as Little Barnet, before becoming Frerenbarnet and then Friern Barnet (sometimes spelt in other ways, such as "Fryern Barnett"). The "Friern" part of the parish's name derives from the French for "brother" and refers to the medieval lordship of the Brotherhood or Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Friern Barnet was mainly rural until the 19th century. The opening of Colney Hatch paupers' lunatic asylum in 1851, and of railway stations on the Great Northern and Metropolitan Railways, also in the mid-19th century, prompted its development as an outer London suburb. This process was accelerated by the arrival of electric trams in the 1900s.

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Local affairs were administered by the parish vestry until 1875, when it was grouped with neighbouring parishes as part of Barnet Rural Sanitary District. In response to a petition by local ratepayers who wished the area to be removed from the Barnet RSD, the parish adopted the Local Government Act 1858 and formed a local board of health of nine members in 1883. Under the Local Government Act 1894 the local board's area became the Friern Barnet Urban District. This occupied an area of 1,304 acres (5.28 km2) in 1911 and had a population of 14,924. In 1961 it occupied an area of 1,342 acres (5.43 km2) and the population was 28,813. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Barnet.

Lawrence Campe (died 1613), draper and citizen of the City of London, funded the building of almshouses in "Fryan Barnett".

Charlotte Maria Tucker (1821–1893), pseudonym A.L.O.E. (A Lady of England), was born at Friern Hatch. She was a prolific writer and poet for children and adults, who tempered her didactic Evangelicalism with realistic depictions of the poor.

Wilfred Kitching (1893–1977), 7th General of the Salvation Army, was educated at Friern Barnet Grammar School.

Dorothy Lawrence (1896–1964), a reporter who posed as a man to join the army in World War I, was later confined in Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum (latterly Friern Hospital), where she died.

Jack Cohen, founder of the Tesco retail chain, funded with his wife the Jewish care facility Lady Sarah Cohen House in Friern Barnet.

Hazel Alden Reason (1901–1976), chemist and popular science writer, was born in Friern Barnet.

H. G. H. Kearns (1902–1986), an entomologist with a strong knowledge of engineering, was born in Friern Barnet.

Cyril Fletcher (1913–2005), comedian and actor, was educated at Woodhouse Grammar School.

Colin Pearson (1923–2007), a studio potter and art teacher, was born in Friern Barnet.

Edgar Mann (1926–2013), a politician who chaired the Executive Council of the Isle of Man and then headed its government, was educated at Woodhouse Barnet Grammar School.

John Williams (born 1941), classical guitarist, was educated at Friern Barnet Grammar School

Václav Jelínek (born 1944), Czech spy who was arrested in his flat in Friern Barnet on 22 April 1988, while in the process of receiving coded messages by radio.

Neil 'Roberto' Williams (born 1978), a radio and TV presenter, was educated at Friern Barnet Grammar School.

From the History section of Friern Barnet on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Friern Barnet

Education

Local schools and colleges include Coppetts Wood Primary School, Friern Barnet School, Dwight School London (being the former Friern Barnet Grammar School), The Compton School, Woodhouse College, St John's CE Primary School, Holly Park Primary School and the Wren Academy.

From the Wikipedia article Friern Barnet, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Friern Barnet

Born in Friern Barnet, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay11

Churches and places of worship66

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Shopping30

Gas and EV charging8

Schools, colleges and libraries54

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Healthcare18

Map of Friern Barnet

250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

London City Airport (LCY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.