Arkley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Arkley | |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Barnet |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BARNET |
| Postcode district | EN5 |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | NW7 |
| Dial code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | Chipping Barnet |
| London Assembly | Barnet and Camden |
| European Parliament | London |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Arkley is a village in the London Borough of Barnet. It is located 10.6 miles (17 km) north north-west of Charing Cross, and about 440 feet (134 m) above sea level.
It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet and Stirling Corner roughly centred around the "Gate" pub and is home to one of the oldest windmills in southern England.
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[edit] History
[edit] Historical background
It is thought by some that Hendon Wood Lane was originally a minor Roman road. Certainly the name, 'Grendel's Gate' (now Barnet Gate, and formally known as 'Grims Gate'), is associated with the monster from the Saxon epic, Beowulf. This implies that the place was of modest importance as early as 1005. It may have been a centre of a small but significant community, founded on a woodland economy.
The area is latter referred to in medieval documents as 'Southhaw', and may have pre-dated the settlement at Chipping Barnet. Certainly, Barnet manorial court was held here in the 13th century. Nobody is sure what the 'Ark', part of Arkley means but the 'ley' means a "clearing of some sort". Its earliest appearance is about 1330. By the 16th century, these woods had been cleared, and the subsequent clearing formed common.
From at least the early 19th century until the 1890s, Arkley was commonly known as 'Barnet Common' or 'West Barnet'. The establishment of the civil parish [1] of 830 acres (3.4 km²) in 1894 confused matters further, as it was defined by the rural area around 'Barnet Town', and included places as far east as Duck Island and Underhill. It is from the civil parish, and the later ward of Barnet Urban District (from 1905) that we have our population statistics for Arkley. Between 1901 and 1971, Arkley's rose from 483 to 16,832.
[edit] Important buildings
Important buildings in the area include St Peter's Church [2], designed by George Beckett. Built in 1840 at a cost of £5,000, it contains the monument of its benefactor, Enoch Durant (died 1848), and a bell cast by Thomas Mears.
St Peter's can be found opposite the War Memorial on Barnet Road in Arkley.
Arkley, as an ecclesiastical district was established in the same year, and as a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1905. Arkley Windmill [3] was in use by 1806. It is marked as "corn" windmill on the Ordnance Survey of the 1860s . From photographs, it appears to have had only two of its original sails by the 1890s, by which time it may have been powered by steam. It ceased to be a functioning mill during World War I, and was restored in 1930, but not as a working mill. The Gate Inn retains some of its original features. The sign, in the form of a hanging five bar gate, has an inscription which reads:
- and hinders none;
- refresh and pay,
- and travel on
[edit] Local industry
Local clay has been exploited for brick-making and pottery over the centuries. During the 1950s, a 13th century kiln at Dyke Cottage was excavated, revealing a large cooking pot, and 19th century Ordnance Survey maps mark a "Tile Works". In the 1970s, John Britten produced a small racing car named the "Arkley" in the area. A War Memorial was erected in 1920. During World War II, a listening post for German messages was maintained in the area[4] .
[edit] Local groups
Arkley Golf Club was established in 1909, and is the place where Graham Hill died in an aircraft accident in November 1975. The Poor Clare Monastery was built in 1970. North London Society of Model Engineers had their model railway site here in the 1950s.
[edit] Maps
- 1786 J. Cary 15 Miles Round London (Arkley = Barnet Gate top left hand corner); from the collection, MOTCO [5]
- 1870s From the collection of the Ordnance Survey [6]
[edit] Trivia
Racing driver Graham Hill, who lived locally between Borehamwood and Shenley was killed when his private plane crashed on to Arkley Golf Course on a foggy night in November 1975.
Arkley Manor was for many years the home and show garden for the organic gardener Dr W.E. Shewell-Cooper. The actor Trevor Howard (1913-1988) lived for many years in Arkley and also died here.
[edit] Nearest stations
Arkley is linked to Barnet and to Edgware by the 107 bus.
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Pictures
- From the collection of Steve Oughton
- Arkley Mill
- From the collection of Clive Smith
- Arkley street scene
- Arkley Mill
- Emily Cook of the British Car Owners Club in Mississippi in her Arkley Car
[edit] Directories
Early directories use the Victorian name, Barnet Common or West Barnet, for 'Arkley'.
Source: http://www.historicaldirectories.org
[edit] Research articles
- Barnet Archives and Local Studies
- Barnet Museum
- Chipping Barnet Library
- Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies (HALS)
- HADAS Archived Newsletters (The Hendon & District Archaeological Society)
[edit] External links
| History of the London Borough of Barnet |
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History of Church End Finchley | History of East Finchley | History of Edgware | History of Golders Green | History of Mill Hill | History of North Finchley |
