| Potters Bar | |
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Potters Bar
Potters Bar shown within Hertfordshire |
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| Population | 21,618 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | TL255015 |
| District | Hertsmere |
| Shire county | Hertfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | POTTERS BAR |
| Postcode district | EN6 |
| Dialling code | 01707 |
| Police | Hertfordshire |
| Fire | Hertfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Hertsmere |
| List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire | |
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England,[2] located 18 miles (29 km) north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618.[1]
The town started life in the early 13th century and remained a small settlement until the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1850.[3] It is part of the London commuter belt.[4]
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The origin of the Potters component of the town's name is uncertain but is generally thought to have been derived from evidence of a Roman pottery that was thought to have been sited locally, or from the family Pottere who lived in the South Mimms parish.[5] The Bar component is thought to refer to the gates leading from the South Mimms parish and into the Enfield Chase parish, or possibly from some sort of toll on the Great North Road.[5] The original "Bar" is said to have been at what is now the Green Man pub, or at the current entrance to Morven House.
Potters Bar was located on the Great North Road, one of two road routes from the City of London to the north of England.[6] The road was originally numbered as the A1, and later the A1000.
Potters Bar was historically part of Middlesex[7] and formed the Potters Bar Urban District of that county from 1934.[8] From 1894 to 1934 its area had formed the South Mimms Rural District.[9] In 1965 the district was transferred to Hertfordshire while most of the rest of Middlesex became part of Greater London.[10][11]
The urban district covered an area of 6,129 acres (24.80 km2).[8] In 1939 it had a population of 13,681 and in 1971 this was 24,613.[12] In 1974 the urban district was abolished and the area became part of the borough of Hertsmere. Having been part of Middlesex, the area continued to form part of the Metropolitan Police District; with the creation of the Greater London Authority it was transferred to the Hertfordshire Constabulary in 2000.[13]
Potters Bar experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.
| Climate data for Potters Bar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
9 (48) |
12 (54) |
14 (57) |
18 (64) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
20 (68) |
16 (61) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
15 (59) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
5 (41) |
6 (43) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
13 (55) |
15 (59) |
16 (61) |
13 (55) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
5 (41) |
10 (50) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 50.7 (1.996) |
39.9 (1.571) |
31.7 (1.248) |
46.2 (1.819) |
38.9 (1.531) |
46.4 (1.827) |
33.1 (1.303) |
43.6 (1.717) |
49.7 (1.957) |
70.7 (2.783) |
58.1 (2.287) |
56.9 (2.24) |
565.9 (22.28) |
| Source: [14] | |||||||||||||
The A1 was built as a major 'arterial' road and a crossroads at Bignells Corner linked it to the Barnet - St Albans road. Potters Bar is now also served by junctions 23 and 24 of the M25 motorway.[2]
Potters Bar railway station is the highest on the line between London's King's Cross railway station and York. The First Capital Connect route serving Potters Bar links the town to various North London suburbs in the southbound direction before terminating at either King's Cross or Moorgate station. Northbound, the railway connects Potters Bar to Peterborough, Cambridge and Letchworth Garden City as well as towns en route to these destinations such as Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.[15]
The nearest London Underground station is at Cockfosters which is approximately 2.5 miles south on the A111 from junction 24 of the M25.
Potters Bar has a bus depot which services local bus routes as well as some London bus routes. The 84 bus route travels to New Barnet in the South and St. Albans in the northwesterly direction. Other routes include the 298 to Arnos Grove, the 313 towards Enfield and Chingford, the 242 to Waltham Cross, the 398 service to Borehamwood and the 610 towards Enfield (on weekdays) and Hatfield. There are also school bus services run from various places to Dame Alice Owen's School and to Chancellor's School and a service which runs from Hatfield to Potters Bar via Cuffley and Colney Heath once on a Wednesday, numbered 312.
| Route Number | Route | Operation | Operator |
| 84 TfL (Partly) | St. Albans St Peters Street to New Barnet Station via Barnet Route 84 is a TfL service between Potters Bar Cranbourne Road and High Barnet only |
Daily | Metroline |
| 242 | Waltham Cross Bus Station to Potters Bar Station via Cuffley, Cheshunt.
Extended to Welwyn Garden City via Hatfield on Sundays |
Daily | Metroline, Sullivan Buses, Centrebus |
| 298 TfL | Potters Bar Cranbourne Road to Arnos Grove Station via Cockfosters | Daily | Arriva London |
| 312 Circular | Hatfield Birchwood Tesco to Potters Bar Station via Cuffley | Wednesdays | Sullivan Buses |
| 313 TfL | Potters Bar Station to Chingford Station via Enfield | Daily | Arriva London |
| 398 | Potters Bar Station to Borehamwood via South Mimms | Mon-Sat | Sullivan Buses |
| 610 | Enfield Town to Hatfield Business Park via Welham Green | Mon-Sat | Uno |
| PB1 Circular | Circular via Shillitoe Avenue, Potters Bar Station , High Street and Oakmere | Mon-Sat | Uno |
Potters Bar has been the scene of two major and one minor train crashes. On 19 March 1898, a train crashed on the platform, but no one was killed or seriously injured. On the night of 10 February 1946, a local train hit buffers at the station, became derailed, and two express trains travelling in opposite directions struck the wreckage. On 10 May 2002, a northbound train derailed at high speed, killing 7 and seriously injuring another 11.
The next year, in memorial to those killed, a small piece of art that resembles 7 faces was erected on 10 May 2003 and can be seen at the station.[16]
There are several churches in Potters Bar. These include St Mary the Virgin and All Saints Church at the top of the Walk, the first Anglican parish in the town created from the parish of South Mimms in the 1800s.[17] Other churches are Our Lady and St Vincent, King Charles the Martyr, Christ Church, Potters Bar Baptist Church and St John's Methodist Church.[18]
There are 6 primary and infant state schools in Potters Bar and the surrounding area; they are Cranborne School, Ladbrooke JMI, Little Heath Primary, Oakmere Primary, Pope Paul R C Primary and Wroxham School.
There are 5 secondary schools in Potters Bar and the surrounding area; they are Chancellor's, Dame Alice Owen's, Goffs Oak, Mount Grace and Queenswood.
Mount Grace School is a mixed grant maintained School in Potters Bar opened in 1954.[19] The school used to be a Manor House which was turned into a school long ago.
Lochinver house school is an all boys preparatory school in Potters Bar, which opened in 1947.[20]
Dame Alice Owen's School is a mixed grant-maintained school in Potters Bar.[21] Originally founded in 1613 and based in Islington until the 1960s, Dame Alice Owen's School is unusual in its 'Visitation' and 'Beer Money' traditions.[22] The trustees of the Dame Alice Owen Foundation are the Worshipful Company of Brewers. It is a partly selective school (25% of its intake is on the basis of pupils doing well on its entry test). It also reserves some places for children from Islington. It specialises in languages, and offers GCSEs in a wide range of languages. It has recently become a music and science college on top of being a language college. Dame Alice Owen's is generally considered to be the best of the three secondary schools in Potters Bar, consistently performing better than Chancellors and Mount Grace in every way.
Potters Bar has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V which is situated behind the Furzefield Centre, a swimming pool and leisure centre run by Hertsmere council and home to St Albans and Hertsmere Canoe Club.[23] Also in the town is Potters Bar Town F.C., Potters Bar Swimming Club (PBSC),[24] A Scuba diving Club the Potters Bar Sub Aqua Club www.pbsac.org , a tennis club, a cricket club, a golf course and the Wyllyotts Centre; a theatre, cinema and events venue. It is also the location of the town's museum.[25] Potters Bar is also home to the Hertfordshire Showband (formally known as the Marching Blues).[26]
In 1983, the area around Potters Bar was used for the on-location filming of the comic-horror film, Bloodbath at the House of Death. Also, in 2005, David Walliams and Matt Lucas shot two scenes for the third season of the comedy, Little Britain, one scene at Mount Grace School gym, the other at a wedding shop on the High Street.[27] Potters bar is also home to top performing arts school: Top Hat Stage School, which has been running classes at Elm Court Community Centre since 1994.
The town used to be part of Middlesex as was Enfield until the 1965.
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