Facts about Finchley
Finchley History
Finchley probably means “Finch’s clearing” or “finches’ clearing” in late Anglo-Saxon; the name was first recorded in the early 13th century. Finchley is not recorded in Domesday Book, but by the 11th century, its lands were held by the Bishop of London. In the early medieval period, the area was sparsely populated woodland, whose inhabitants supplied pigs and fuel to London.
Extensive cultivation began about the time of the Norman conquest. By the 15th and 16th centuries, the woods on the eastern side of the parish had been cleared to form Finchley Common. The medieval Great North Road, which ran through the common, was notorious for highwaymen until the early 19th century.
Finchley facts
Finchley is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. It’s is on high ground, 11 km north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include; Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill, and Hendon. It is predominantly a residential suburb, with three town centers: North Finchley, East Finchley, and Finchley Church End.
From around 1547 Finchley had a parish vestry, which became a local board in 1878. An urban district council in 1895, and finally a municipal borough council between 1933 and 1965. The area is now part of the London Borough of Barnet.
