News from The Barnet Society

Preserving two massive jaw bones from a ninety-foot-long blue whale is just one of the challenges facing the new owners of Barnet’s historic Whalebones House, one of the town’s oldest residences surrounded by woods and fields that are now threatened with redevelopment.

Virgin Media is to offer homes and businesses in High Barnet a rival broadband service after long-standing complaints that British Telecom has failed to satisfy the demand of around 3,000 households for a superfast connection.

A two-hour session of play and activities once a month at the Sense Touch Base, just off Barnet High Street, is a lifeline for children who are often isolated at home caring for sick or disabled parents.

Graffiti daubed on walls and the sides of buildings in and around High Barnet has become an increasing eyesore in the opinion of residents who ask the Barnet Society why there has been no attempt in recent months to mount a clean-up.

Another of Barnet’s historic public houses, the White Lion in St Albans Road, has closed, and local residents fear that it might be converted into flats or even demolished to make way for a new housing development.

Contractors working on the installation of a mini-roundabout at one of High Barnet’s most hazardous road junctions have had to down tools because of an unexpected hitch with pipes for utility services. A road re-alignment at the heavily-used junction of Wellhouse Lane and Wood Street was first proposed by Barnet Council in the autumn of 2014.

Chipping Barnet library will operate on a partial self-service basis during April and May before closing again on Monday 5 June for extensive internal construction work over the summer months to convert some of the building into commercial office space.

Barnet's WEA* is launching its first-ever one-day Summer Saturday courses in May, 2017.;They are being held at the recently-opened Hope Corner Community Centre in Mays Lane (185 Mays Lane, EN5 2DY) On Saturday 6th May the topic is “The Power of the Petticoat: The history of women in politics 1700 – 1930”.

Building houses on the fields around Whalebones, between Wood Street and Barnet Hospital, has possibly moved a step closer following an agreement between the landowners and a leading housebuilder, Hill, of Waltham Abbey, Essex.

Plans to improve one of the busiest stretches of Barnet High Street by planting trees, and providing benches and cycle hoops, have been upstaged by the arrival of a super-size black kiosk for a new smart telephone. It has been installed at precisely the point where pavement was due to be widened.

Celebrations for the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee, marking her 65 years on the throne, brought back fond memories for former Buckingham Palace pastry chef, George O’Connor, who lives in sheltered housing in Barnet.

Yet again NHS Property Services appears to be in a state of indecision about the future of the derelict Marie Foster home that continues to blight High Barnet’s Wood Street conservation area.

Pupils of the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School from the Old Bull, High Barnet, were guests of the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor David Longstaff, when he presented them with medals for winning sixth place in the awards for London’s New Year’s Day parade.

Mitchells and Butlers say they have created ten new jobs following the conversion of the Red Lion public house into a Stonehouse pizza and carvery. The Mayor of Barnet, Councillor David Longstaff, officially re-opened High Barnet’s landmark public house, at the top of Barnet Hill, after a four-week closure.

East Barnet war memorial is one of tens of thousands across the country that is being considered by Historic England for possible listing for its special architectural or historic interest. People wishing to comment have until mid-February to offer their advice online via the consultation procedures at www.historicengland.org.uk or by post.

A ready supply of lively and forthright questions kept the politics and views of the Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers firmly under the spotlight at her annual question and answer session with members of the Barnet Society and other local associations.

Barnet Council’s planning committee has voted unanimously to reject plans to build a massive all-through academy school on the site of Barnet Football Club’s former stadium at Underhill.

A plan to widen the pavement on one side of Barnet High Street, from the Post Office to just beyond the entrance to the Spires shopping centre, is about to go out for public consultation.

Downsizing of the Chipping Barnet Library – with much of the floor area being converted into commercial office space – is proceeding apace after planning permission was granted by Barnet Council.

The job of promoting and explaining the Battle of Barnet of 1471 is to be undertaken by a project co-ordinator whose appointment has been made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.