Perhaps, you’ve heard of a place conceived by the iron horse itself. I’m talking about New Barnet. It’s more than just a residential suburb. It’s a testament to the transformative power of the Great Northern Railway.
Picture this. The year is 1850. The Great Northern Railway carves its way through the landscape. A station emerges, not quite in High Barnet. It is a mile away. This sparks a flurry of activity. A new area is born and it’s called New Barnet.
Before the railway, New Barnet didn’t exist. The Great Northern Company bought land from different farms. One estate owner, Lyonsdown, made the railway buy the whole estate. The railway then sold the surplus land to The British Land Company in 1850.
Development was slow. The New Barnet you see today wasn’t complete until 1914, during World War I. Lyonsdown Road and Station Road were the first to appear. By 1857, houses were already being sold on New Barnet Road.
Many roads bear names linked to the Battle of Barnet. Leicester, Richmond, and Plantaganet Roads evoke history. In 1864, Anglican Christians built Holy Trinity church. By 1869, it had its own parish, Lyonsdown.
Originally, the railway station was simply called Barnet Station. It served the whole area. In 1872, the East Barnet Gas and Water Company built a gasworks. It provided power for the new gas lamps. The same company supplied drinking water from a 500-foot artesian well.
By the 1890s, New Barnet was the political center of East Barnet parish. Yet, many roads remained empty of houses. New Barnet grew fast after its start in 1850.
Family historians highlight a social divide in Victorian New Barnet. Middle-class families settled west of the station. They lived in villas along Station Road and Lyonsdown Road. Working-class housing developed east of the railway line.
The station was renamed New Barnet in 1884. It was completely rebuilt in 1896. Station Road became the main street. The East Barnet Valley local board built an Italianate town hall there in 1891-2.
In 1921, a war memorial was unveiled opposite the town hall. It honored 278 men of East Barnet killed in World War I. The figure at the top symbolizes victory.
Today, New Barnet stands as a vibrant community. It blends residential charm with convenient access to London. Its story is etched in its streets and buildings. It is a place forever shaped by the arrival of the railway. A place where history and modern life converge.