2025: Guided Walks in Barnet and London

• ‘The Battle of Barnet’
  Explore the famous battlefield of the Wars of the Roses, 1471.
  Step back in time to the Wars of the Roses. See how the course of English history was changed on a misty Easter Sunday morning. Hear about the day when THREE kings of England came to spend the day in Barnet.
  
  Sunday January 14th 11am.
  
  Meet at junction of Great North Road and Hadley Green Road, EN5 5PP.
• ‘Roman City Wall and Museum at Vine St’ *NEW WALK*
  Opened in 2023, this offers a new opportunity for a close-up view of a part of the Roman Wall.
  Plus the remains of one its bastions, and a fascinating new display of finds from all periods
  
  Tuesday January 14th and Wednesday January 15th 1.45pm.
  
  Meet outside Aldgate tube station.
• ‘Muswell Hill’
  A late-Victorian suburb of great beauty.
  The historical 'Mossy Well' grew into a suburb, and subsequently a highly desirable place to live. And no surprise: it's gorgeous!
  
  Saturday February 24th 11am.
  
  Meet outside East Finchley tube station, from where we’ll take a bus to Muswell Hill.
• ‘Swiss Cottage’ *NEW WALK*
  Does the famous pub take its name from the area, or the other way round?
  Find the answer, and lots more about this upmarket and beautiful area just south of Hampstead, with which it bears close comparison
  
  Sunday January 26th 11am. Tuesday January 28th and Wednesday January 29th 1.45pm.
  
  Meet at Swiss Cottage tube station, outside the ticket barriers. Walk finishes at Chalk Farm tube station.
• ‘Dickens in North London Birthday Walk’
  Looking at the huge number of links with North London in Dickens’s life and work – and his remarkable birthday celebrations.
  Hear the many Dickens connections with Barnet, Elstree, Finchley, Highgate, Hampstead and Hendon in both his life and his work. And to celebrate his birthday, hear about the huge celebrations for his own birthday, and those of his family and friends.
  
  Saturday February 8th 11am.
  
  Meet outside High Barnet tube station booking office.
• ‘Wood Green’ *NEW WALK*
  Don’t think of that shopping centre (which we don’t go past during the walk).There’s much more, and much more of fascination, in old Wood Green.
  Think of Wood Green Common, Nightingale Gardens, Finsbury Gardens, Woodside Park, Crescent Gardens – no fewer than five green spaces which we do explore. Wood Green is so called for a good reason – it’s still green, and it’s got lots of history. Oh, and there’s the New River too.
  
  Tuesday February 11th and Wednesday February 12th 1.45pm.
  
  Meet outside Wood Green tube station.
• ‘Stamford Brook and Ravenscourt Park’ *NEW WALK*
  A charming green suburb nestled between Chiswick and Hammersmith.
  We’ll also explore Ravenscourt Park, with a remnant of the ancient Stamford Brook itself, and the remains of a 12th-century manor house where a king’s mistress lived.
  
  Sunday February 23rd 11am.
  
  Meet outside Stamford Brook tube station. Walk finishes at Ravenscourt Park tube station.
• ‘Kingsbury and Roe Green’ *NEW WALK*
  Kingsbury is a wealthy suburb surrounded by greenery, and Roe Green is a lovely small garden suburb built during World War One.
  Either of these would be a delightful walk in itself. Taken together, and adding Roe Green Park to the mixture, they’re an unutterable pleasure.
  
  Tuesday February 25th and Wednesday February 26th 1.45pm.
  
  Meet outside Kingsbury tube station.
• ‘Borehamwood and Elstree Studios’
  A tour of the world-famous Elstree studios.
  The Elstree studios are in fact almost all in Borehamwood! Why aren’t they called Borehamwood studios? We’ll find out why, and lots more about the history of the studios, and the former village of Borehamwood. N.B. We don’t enter any of the studios.
  
  Sunday January 21st 11am.
  
  Meet outside Elstree & Borehamwood railway station (easily reached from High Barnet on the 107 bus).
• ‘Nunhead Cemetery’ *NEW WALK*
  The fourth fabulous stop on our tour of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries.
  This one is gorgeous and too little known: a nature reserve, offering beautiful paths and views across London, including St Paul’s Cathedral, a hugely atmospheric Anglican chapel, and some eye-popping Victorian tombs.
  
  Sunday March 9th 10.20am. Tuesday March 25th and Wednesday March 26th 1.20pm.
  
  Meet at Victoria station by the ticket machines, opposite the Gatwick Express barrier. From there we’ll take the train together to Nunhead.
• ‘Eastbury Manor House’ *NEW WALK*
  A Grade-1 listed building dating to Elizabethan times.
  A beautiful suite of period rooms, set in delightful historical gardens.
  
  Tuesday March 11th and Wednesday March 12th 1.45pm.
  
  Meet outside Upney tube station. (£8 extra charge as we’ll be getting a private tour.)
• ‘Brent Cross Town’
  The brand-new Brent Cross Town has arrived – and it’s beautiful.
  About 6700 new homes, and over 50 acres of green space, including the newly landscaped Claremont Park.
  
  Sunday March 23rd 2.05pm.
  
  Meet at St Pancras station opposite Eurostar arrivals, from where we’ll take the train together to Brent Cross West railway station (opened December 2023).
• ‘Kentish Town’ *NEW WALK*
  Now that the tube station has finally reopened, let’s explore this ancient area, first recorded in the 13th century. This walk forms a pair with Cool Camden Town below. Save £5 if you attend both walks (£25).
  Today it is home to numerous independent shops, musical venues and cultural establishments, whilst retaining a wealth of historical sites and associations.
  
  Saturday March 29th 11am.
  
  Meet outside Camden Town tube station exit. Walk finishes at Kentish Town tube station.
• ‘Cool Camden Town’
  A fascinating past of canals and railways; a pulsating present of markets, music and street art. This walk forms a pair with Kentish Town above. Save £5 if you attend both walks (£25).
  One of the coolest and most cosmopolitan areas of London.
  
  Saturday April 5th 11am.
  
  Meet outside Camden Town tube station exit.
• ‘The Battle of Barnet – Anniversary Walk’
  Explore the famous battlefield from the Wars of the Roses, fought on Easter Sunday 1471.
  Step back in time to the Wars of the Roses. See how the course of English history was changed on a misty Easter Sunday morning. Hear about the day when THREE kings of England came to spend the day in Barnet.
  
  Sunday April 20th 2.30pm (Easter Sunday).
  
  Meet at junction of Great North Road and Hadley Green Road EN5 5PP.
• ‘Battersea Power Station’ *NEW WALK*
  Built between the 1920s and 40s, decommissioned in the 1970s and 80s, Battersea Power Station was redeveloped and reopened in 2022, and is a must-see for anyone with an interest in modern London.
  It now contains residences, over 150 shops, bars and restaurants, a multiplex cinema, leisure spaces, and the fabulous Lift 109. After the walk, you can have lunch in one of the restaurants and continue your exploration and enjoy Thameside views.
  
  Saturday April 26th 11am.
  
  Meet outside Battersea Power Station tube station.
• ‘Edgware’
  Ancient Eggeswere still retains its charm in and around the old village centre.
  Known to the Romans, and ancient and important enough to have a leading London artery named after it, Edgware still boasts its charming partly medieval church, two sets of almshouses, a 16th-century row of shops, and a variety of delightful parks, one of which we’ll walk through.
  
  Sunday May 4th 2.30pm.
  
  Meet at Edgware tube station, by the ticket barriers.
• ‘The Roman Wall and Roman Londinium’ *NEW WALK*
  Let’s explore the remains of the Roman Wall, and ancient Londinium.
  From Tower Hill to St Paul’s, we’ll trace the route of the wall, built around 200AD, and see several surviving sections. And we’ll discover nearly 400 years of the Roman Empire in London.
  
  Sunday May 18th 2.30pm.
  
  Meet outside Tower Hill tube station. Walk finishes at St Paul’s tube station.
• ‘The Heart of High Barnet’
  A walk through 1000 years of history. This walk forms a pair with Monken Hadley below. Save £5 if you attend both walks (£25)
  See the brewery that became a Town Hall, and a church that became a shopping centre. Marvel at some truly beautiful houses and almshouses. Hear about the Battle of Barnet; and a fair that was so famous that Cossacks flocked to it, and so infamous that the Victorians tried to close it down.
  
  Saturday May 24th 11am.
  
  Meet outside Barnet College, Wood St, High Barnet EN5 4AZ.
• ‘A Meander through Monken Hadley’
  A historical walk through beautiful unspoilt Monken Hadley. This walk forms a pair with High Barnet above. Save £5 if you attend both walks (£25).
  This lovely village has some of the finest 18th-century houses in London, lived in by some of the most famous names in English literature, art, politics and society. We will also see three gorgeous green spaces.
  
  Saturday May 31st 11am.
  
  Meet outside The Spires, Barnet High St EN5 5XY.
• ‘Terrific Totteridge’
  One of the loveliest of London suburbs.
  One of the wealthiest and most delightful spots in the capital, with stunning houses, famous inhabitants past and present, and a gorgeous Common.
  
  Saturday June 14th 2.30pm.
  
  Meet outside Totteridge and Whetstone tube station.
• ‘Barnet Churches and Pubs’
  The sacred and the profane.
  Explore 900 years of the history of where the people of Barnet have worshipped … and made merry.
  
  Sunday June 22nd 2.30pm.
  
  Meet outside High Barnet tube station by the car-park.
• ‘Hooray for Hendon’
  A thousand glorious years, from the Domesday Book to Hendon Aerodrome and beyond.
  Hendon remained largely rural until the 1920s. See the lovely unspoilt medieval church and churchyard, and some splendid early 20th-century buildings along The Burroughs. Hear about local connections with music hall, rock and roll, Arsenal football club – and Dracula! We finish in a delightful park.
  
  Sunday June 29th 11am.
  
  Meet outside Hendon Central tube station.
• ‘Kensal Green Cemetery’
  The first and largest of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries.
  We’ll see royals, architects, artists, novelists, a tightrope walker, engineers, explorers and eccentrics.
  
  Saturday July 12th 11am.
  
  Meet outside Kensal Green tube station (Bakerloo line, or London Overground from Euston).
• ‘Bruce Castle and Park’
  A 16th and 17th-century Grade-1 listed manor house, now an excellent and extensive local museum.
  We’ll explore the fabulous interiors and collections, as well as the mysterious adjoining 16th-century tower, and the beautiful grounds around the house.
  
  Sunday July 20th 2.20pm.
  
  Meet outside Bruce Grove Overground station, one stop on the Overground from Seven Sisters tube station (train from Seven Sisters to Bruce Grove at 2.18pm). Walk finishes at White Hart Lane station.
• ‘East Barnet’
  A historical walk through ancient and modern East Barnet.
  Of all the Barnets, East Barnet is perhaps the least well-known and most rewarding. It boasts an ancient wood, a village green, a 900-year-old church, and the award-winning Oakhill Park. We’ll see the Ghosts’ Promenade. And we’ll hear about Arbella Stuart, supposed claimant to the English throne, who escaped captivity in East Barnet and fled, dressed as a man. History, courtiers and cross-dressers. How many villages can boast as much?
  
  Sunday July 27th 2.30pm.
  
  Meet at war memorial at junction Cat Hill/Church Hill Rd EN4 8SY.
• ‘The Parks of Central London’ *NEW WALK*
  An exquisite all-day walk. Please bring a picnic.
  We will walk through Holland Park (including the Japanese Kyoto Garden), Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park.
  
  Sunday September 7th 11am. (£20).
  
  Meet outside Holland Park tube station. Walk finishes about 4pm at Westminster tube station.
• ‘West Norwood Cemetery’ *NEW WALK*
  The fifth fabulous stop on our tour of the Magnificent Seven Cemeteries.
  Otherwise known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery, this Grade 2* listed site has 69 listed buildings and structures, and is the final resting place of the man who ‘invented’ the London tube, acrobats, actors and jugglers, the founder of both Test cricket and the FA Cup, and the writer of one of the best-known cookery books of all time.
  
  Sunday September 28th 1.35pm.
  
  Meet at Victoria railway station by the ticket machines, opposite the Gatwick Express barrier. From there we’ll take the train together to West Norwood.
• ‘Halloween in High Barnet’
  A ghostly guided walk through High Barnet, and Monken Hadley, the second most haunted village in England. Watch out, there’s some audience participation!
  See the Pirate’s Grave. Hear stories of witchcraft and grisly deaths. Suitable for adults and children. Please bring a torch/phone, as we’ll be walking through a churchyard.
  
  Thursday October 30th, Friday October 31st, Saturday November 1st, all at 7.30pm.
  
  Meet outside High Barnet tube station by the car-park.
• ‘Jack the Ripper – a commemorative walk’
  In honour of his fifth and final victim, Mary Jane Kelly.
  Walk in the footsteps of the Whitechapel murderer, and hear about the lives and deaths of his five victims, particularly his last, murdered on November 9th 1888.
  
  Sunday November 9th 6.30pm.
  
  Meet at Whitechapel tube station, outside the ticket barriers. Walk finishes near Liverpool St station.
• ‘Dickens in North London Christmas Walk’
  Looking at the huge number of links with North London in Dickens’s life and work – and his remarkable Christmas books and celebrations.
  Hear the many Dickens connections with Barnet, Elstree, Finchley, Highgate, Hampstead and Hendon in both his life and his work. And as Christmas approaches, we’ll hear about his astonishing Christmas and New Year celebrations, and his celebrated Christmas stories.
  
  Saturday December 6th 11am.
  
  Meet outside High Barnet tube station by the car-park.

Other dates and new walks between April and December will be added in due course.
Please contact Paul for details.

All walks cost £15, under 12s £5.

Enquiries about private group bookings and talks on Barnet or London welcome.

For more information about Barnet and London Walks please phone/text 07506 761294
or e-mail