1. Turnpike Lane bus stop

Before getting on the bus, it’s worth having a look around the station as well as finding some interesting street art. Turnpike Lane station was opened in 1932, having been designed by the architect Charles Holden. It’s a great example of the distinctive style London Transport used for its new Underground stations in the 1930s. The ticket hall resembles an enormous brick box, punctuated with segmented windows in its high walls that allow natural light to shine into the station. The whole station is Grade II listed and much of the original modernist design survives, including distinctive fluted uplighters and cream-and-yellow tiling.

On each of the platforms above the Turnpike Lane roundel are bronze ventilation grilles, designed by artist and designer Harold Stabler. They each depict a turnpike gate between two lodges, with figures, horses and traffic approaching the gate. A great play on words for the station’s name.

Around the corner from the station are a number of murals. Turnpike Lane is probably one of the lesser known areas of London for street art but it’s definitely worth while seeking out some of the best. There’s Envision Peace, a giant eye painted inside an old Victorian niche on a shop wall, featuring the words “Envision peace” and the artist Shepard Fairey’s trademark Obey giant star logo in the pupil.

Also near is a mural known as “The Ritz” as a celebration of the Golden Age of Movies. There’s a quirky piece of graffiti depicting the legendary duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their signature suits and bowler hats. In a humorous twist, the artist has got them looking up as they get “beamed up” by a flying saucer emitting a beam of light. Adjacent to this is an image of Charlie Chaplin, who along with his mother, was housed around this area when they hit hard times. Chaplin is portrayed here next to a dancing Fred Astaire.

2. Barratt Avenue bus stop

There’s plenty to see round this stop so start off by walking to Brabant Road where you’ll see a colourful display of buildings. It’s the the former Mirror Laundry, an industrial laundry that operated here from about 1910 until 1939. The brickwork, arched doorways and windows are all original and are remnants of the old laundry premises (the colourful painting is a much later- and much welcome – addition).

Now head over to Wood Green Common and find the attractive, curved brick pergola which in summer is covered in climbing wisteria, sadly missing in early September. The pergola forms part of a small formal area with the nearby granite memorial fountain to C. W. Barratt, of Barratt confectionery company fame. Paths radiate from the fountain, while the curved pergola encloses part of the garden, making it a very pleasant walk.

Just outside the common you can catch a glimpse of New River – that’s neither New or a River! It’s actually an aqueduct that was built in early 17th century to bring fresh water from Hertfordshire springs to the City. On the other side of the common is The Decorium, a rather lovely looking building that originally opened as a public swimming pool on August 10, 1911. Its grandeur quickly transformed it into a popular hub, drawing swimmers from far and wide, turning it into a community facility. The former swimming pool is still here and sits beneath the Emperor Suite, and so its legacy endures. These days the Decorium is a luxury banqueting and event venue but it’s retained certain neo-classically inspired features.

One other thing to see here is in Barratt Avenue where the houses were constructed as part of a uniform Victorian housing development between 1892 and 1897. Look out for an historic architectural date stone -1892 – built directly into the housing terrace in one of the houses.

3. Alexandra Palace station bus stop

Despite this being called Alexandra Palace station, it’s quite a walk to the building itself so I decided to explore the more immediate surroundings. Almost opposite the station is the grade II listed Starting Gate pub, built in 1875. Its name is true to the pub’s origins as the starting point of the former Alexandra Park Racecourse, which was colloquially known as ‘The Frying Pan’ on account of its shape. The racecourse functioned within the palace grounds from 1868 until 1970.

Alexandra Palace station is worth a brief mention, as the bus stops here. It opened as Wood Green station in 1859, when the arrival of the railway helped the development of what was then a largely rural area. The attractive Victorian station has kept a number of its original features including the yellow brick exterior and red-brick arches around the windows. After several changes of name, it became Alexandra Palace station in 1982.

From here, walk through The Avenue Gardens to arrive at Braemar Avenue Baptist Church. The Baptist congregation in Wood Green began by meeting in private houses before opening its first chapel in Finsbury Road in 1876. It later joined with another local Baptist congregation and moved to this much larger church in Braemar Avenue, which opened in 1907. The Grade II-listed church is distinctive with its combination of red brick and terracotta. Its most striking feature is the tall corner tower, complete with battlements, gargoyles and a small turret.

Walk round the corner and find the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God. With such a mouthful of a name, it’s not surprising that it’s often referred to as either St Mary’s or Panayia! It was actually built as Trinity Methodist Church in 1871 and only became Greek Orthodox in 1970. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1986 with the help of the Greek community and fundraising events. Next door to this rather striking church is the School of Byzantine Music. This was established in 1986 to teach the traditional music and chanting used in Greek Orthodox worship. The school is part of the cathedral complex and has close links with the church. If you’re lucky enough to time it well, you can hear chanting and singing as you walk around the outside of the buildings.

Next to see is the Catherine Smithies Memorial drinking fountain in the shape of an obelisk. The main inscription on one of the faces reads “Erected in affectionate remembrance of Mrs Catherine Smithies of Earlham Grove, Wood Green, Founder of the Band of Mercy Movement, and presented by her family and friends for the use of the public”. She was an English philanthropist and social reformer active in animal welfare, abolitionism, and temperance. The Band of Mercy taught children kindness to animals.

4. Bounds Green station bus stop

Bounds Green is another underground station worth taking a look at. The octagonal ticket hall is its most distinctive feature with large windows and a tall ventilation tower. It opened in September 1932, having been designed in the typical “Box-style” of the architect Charles Holden – who also designed Turnpike Lane station as mentioned above.  The station has a tragic wartime history. On 13 October 1940, while people were sheltering here during the Blitz, a bomb caused part of the westbound platform tunnel to collapse, killing and injuring a number of those inside. A plaque on the north end of the west bound platform commemorates the tragedy, stating that 19 died, 16 Belgian refugees and 3 British citizens. This isn’t accurate however, and in fact a total of 16 were killed, 3 of whom were British citizens. Whatever the truth, it was indeed a tragedy.

5. Hampden Square bus stop

The bus stops just about outside the Osidge Arms pub – handy on a day when the rain came pouring down! The pub is about 100 years old, having taken its name from the surrounding district of Osidge, an Anglo-Saxon name meaning “a hedge belonging to Osa”. The area remained largely rural until local suburban housing expansion began in the early 1930s, which led to the layout of Hampden Square where the pub was subsequently built to serve the new residential community.

The interior blends traditional British pub charm with eccentric decorative pieces. One rustic focal point features two vintage violins paired with an aged violin bow. The violins are mounted over torn, antiqued sheet music layered on top of a dark textured material, creating a textured 3D collage effect. Another is a large, circular wooden wagon wheel, suspended from heavy metal chains. It seems to act as an open room-divider. Both these features are eye-catching and certainly add to the charm of the pub.

6. St Mary’s Church bus stop

St Mary the Virgin church is one of the oldest buildings in the area. A church has stood here since Norman times and it originally belonged to St Albans Abbey. Although much of the building has been altered and enlarged over the centuries, part of the north wall and three small Norman windows survive from the early church. The bell tower was built in 1828, originally free-standing from the rest of the building. There are three bells, recast in 1961 from the two original bells cast at the Whitechapel Foundry in 1861.

Dominating the churchyard is the extraordinary Gothic monument to Sir Simon Haughton Clarke, who died at nearby Oak Hill House in 1832. The monument was deliberately positioned so that it could be seen from his home across the valley – and the large white house can still be seen in the distance beyond Oak Hill Park. Clarke was a wealthy West Indies merchant and plantation owner with extensive interests in Jamaica. Oak Hill House, built around the 1790s, is now part of a theological college.

7. East Barnet Village bus stop

Have a look at the East Barnet war memorial that has a Celtic cross on the top – this cross has now been adopted as the logo for East Barnet town centre. It was originally unveiled in 1920 and although it now commemorates the dead of both World Wars, it has only fairly recently held the names of all those local servicemen and women from WWII. As a child, Catherine Loveday was puzzled by the absence of her father’s name on the memorial, so she launched a campaign to have his name added to the memorial, which it was in 1995. At first it was the only Second World War name to be included but she later succeeded in having the names of a further 35 added. 

Sitting around the memorial are three memorial benches for those killed in action in both world wars and were donated by local girls to the village. They were designed to bring back pride and community spirit to East Barnet. They are perfect for anyone who wishes to sit and reflect.

Along the road is the Prince of Wales pub, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year (2026). It is the only pub in the village (East Barnet) and even so for a while, its doors were closed. It was only with the intervention of councillors and the Residents Association, that it opened its doors again in 2024, much to the delight of the local community.

Finally while walking back to the bus stop, look up at the parade of shops opposite and you’ll see something saying Clock House Parade. In the 16th century, there was a large house in the centre of the village, known as the Clockhouse due to its small clock turret. The Clockhouse was demolished in 1925 and was replaced by Clockhouse Parade. The clock tower from the original house was re-used to decorate the new parade and can be seen here. In the early 17th century the house was known as Dudmans, and was the home of Ralph Gill, the keeper of the lions that were kept at the Tower of London.

8. Barnet Church bus stop

Final stop of the day and perhaps the stop with the richest delights is at Barnet Church. The bus stops at a wonderful original Tudor Hall – the plaque on the wall says that it housed the Free Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth I who granted its charter in 1573. These days it’s part of the Barnet and Southgate college. The red-brick structure has hexagonal towers at each end and mullioned windows. Above the entrance are the initials ER and the date 1573, together with a crown, Tudor rose and portcullis. The date marks the year Elizabeth I granted the charter for the school rather than the building itself, which was completed a few years later.

Round the corner, you can visit the Barnet Museum but be aware that it only opens between 2:30 and 4:30 on four days of the week. For a small museum, there is so much to see here that it definitely merits several visits. The volunteer staff are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable and can answer just about every question posed. The one sticking point is the actual location of the battle of Barnet that was part of the War of the Roses and which the Yorkists won. These days, the site is narrowed down to somewhere near Hadley Green but the exact place is yet unknown. On the ground floor is the drum that Dr Livingstone brought back from Africa c 1864 – it’s here because the explorer lived for a short while in the area. Downstairs there are cabinets full of different displays – there’s one with an array of shoes and hats, another with dolls young and old and yet another one with a Pearly King and Queen. And these are just a small section of what you can explore here.

Next door to the museum is the former Barnet Urban District Council Offices, built in 1914–15 on part of the site of the old Barnet Brewery. The attractive Grade II-listed building later became a register office and is now the North London Coroner’s Court. The original council chamber and many of the internal fittings survive, though it’s not possible to venture inside to see.

Hop over the road and you’ll see Church House which opened in 1907 as a parish and community building. It’s another Grade II-listed building in the area, this one having a distinctive neo-Tudor appearance. During the Second World War it was used first by the Royal Army Pay Corps and later as a British Restaurant, while part of the building housed Barnet Library until 1992.

Just up the road from Church House is Barnet United Reformed Church. It has been home to a Nonconformist congregation since as far back as 1669, although the present church is Victorian. Next door, Ewen Hall opened in 1907 and was named in memory of John Alexander Ewen, a major benefactor who funded its construction. It has a more unexpected history: it became High Barnet VAD Hospital, opening in March 1915 with 25 beds for wounded and convalescent servicemen. It expanded repeatedly until it had 70 beds by 1918, and remained a military hospital until April 1919. Afterwards the Army Council presented the church with a certificate of thanks signed by Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War.

This part of Wood Street has an extraordinary concentration of buildings connected with education and charity. Jesus Hospital, also known as Ravenscroft Almshouses, was completed in 1679 to provide homes for six poor widows, known as the ‘sisters’. The stone plaques on the gateposts mark the original date and the 300th anniversary in 1979. Nearby, Elizabeth Allen’s School opened in 1824, almost a century after Allen left land to provide free education for the poor children of Barnet, both boys and girls. The school finally closed in 1973 and the building is now sheltered housing.

A little further along is Leathersellers’ Close, another group of almshouses, this time established by the ancient Leathersellers’ Company. The first six were built in 1837 at the expense of Richard Thornton, a former Master of the Company, with more added later in the century. Some residents from the Company’s much older almshouses in the City of London were eventually moved here, bringing with them the old gates and a boundary stone. The buildings were partly rebuilt in the 1960s but retained their Gothic appearance and are still used as homes for older people today.

Opposite Leathersellers’ is Ravenscroft Park, a surviving piece of what was once Barnet Common. The common was used for grazing livestock, including the large numbers of animals brought here for Barnet Fair and Market. The park opened in 1883 after most of the common had been enclosed. Beside it stands an old granite cattle trough, originally positioned in the road outside the Black Horse pub, a reminder of the days when horses and livestock were a familiar sight on Barnet’s streets. Just outside the park is a 19thC Grade II listed Portland stone marker that denotes the historic boundary of the Parish of Chipping Barnet and traces the line of the ancient Grimsdyke.

This was the end of the 184 and was one of those totally surprising routes, in particular all the old buildings at the end in Barnet but plenty early on, around the tube stations and old churches. There was in fact so much to see that I was spoilt for choice. Although I’ve been to a number of the stops before, I still managed to find a wealth of new places to discover, making it one of the better routes to date. I was not a little overwhelmed by the Barnet stop – I have been past this area on numerous occasions as it’s near my home, but nevertheless I loved discovering its history, going back to Tudor times as well as exploring the delights of the museum.

Toilets that are open to the public and free of charge:

• School of Byzantine Music
• Osidge Arms
• Barnet Museum