Station garden at Finchley Central Underground station

Image: © Marathon Taken: 4 May 2016

The early railways tended to avoid the high ground in the centre of the present Borough of Barnet. Finchley thus remained a largely agricultural community, providing hay for London's army of horses. To improve communications, the Edgware, Highgate & London Railway Company opened a line on 22nd August 1867 from Finsbury Park through East Finchley, and Finchley Central, and to the east of Mill Hill. In 1872 the company added another branch northwards up the eastern side of the Dollis Brook to High Barnet. The line failed to climb the steep slope up to Chipping (High) Barnet and terminated at the foot of Barnet Hill. The small village of Finchley had 7,416 people in 1871 and then went up to over 22,000 in 1901. The new London Passenger Transport Board came into existence in 1933, and in 1935 a major railway development plan was drawn up. Under the plan, the Tube was to be extended from its then terminus at Archway to the surface at East Finchley. The lines north of East Finchley running out to High Barnet and Edgware would then be connected to the Underground at Archway, replacing the old steam routes. The Northern line was so named in 1937. Tube trains reached East Finchley in 1939 and High Barnet in 1940. Finchley Central station reopened to Northern line Tube trains on 14th April 1940. The Underground extension to Edgware from Finchley Central never got further than Mill Hill East and the rest of the project was cancelled after the War when Green Belt legislation came in. When the station had opened in the 1860s it was known as Finchley & Hendon. It later became Church End station. On 1st April 1940 ‘Finchley Church End change here for Mill Hill, The Hale and Edgware’ was renamed simply as Finchley Central. This view of the up platform of Finchley Central station shows the station garden.

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