Welcome

Happy Divali to all our local celebrants, and Happy Halloween. Also seen some great local decorations. Have your trick-or-treat-sweets at the ready.

This week, 14 local rock stars, and the final Antiques Roadshow episode.

🎵14 Finchley Musicians Rock The Scene

very young George Michael looking sultry — The late, great, George Michael

For six decades and more, musicians have been living and working in all the Finchleys - North, East, West, and Church End.

Turns out Finchley is some kind of musical nexus.

Here are 14 connections we know about:

The 60s

1: The Clissold Arms in Fortis Green is the home of 60s R&B band The Kinks. Brothers Ray and Dave Davis (born on Huntingdon Road, East Finchley) held their debut performance. There’s tons of memorabilia on display.

The 70s

2: Toyah Wilcox is from Birmingham but played her first gig as Toyah at a disco at Christ's College and her first record - Sheep Farming in Barnet – is a reference to College Farm.

3: Feargal Sharkey lead singer of the Undertones in the 70s and 80s. He lived in East Finchley for many years. Our friend David (who helped us compile this list) nearly bumped into him - literally - on East End Road.

4: Bon Scott lived on Mountfield Road with his band Fraternity in 1973, the year before he became the lead singer of AC/DC.

The 80s

5: George Michael from pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgely was born in East Finchley.

6: Frankie Goes To Hollywood guitarist Brian Nash lived in Finchley for many years - check out what he does now.

7: Chas Smash. The Madness backing singer, wrote "Our House" about the house in North Finchley where he lived when he went to Finchley Catholic High School.

8: Lee Thomson, also from Madness was born in Finchley (also a Finchleyite).

The 90s

9: Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) is from Finchley and went to St Theresa's Primary School, on East End Road. Also a Finchleyite.

The 00s

12: Amy Winehouse lived in East Finchley around the time of her first album. Our local friend and keen cyclist David gave way to her when cycling up Deansway and she was crossing the road.

The 2010s

13: Zayn Malik lives in Barnet. Also a Finchleyite.

14: And Grammy award-winningJacob Collier comes from Finchley and has 1.90m monthly listeners on Spotify.

Hope your day rocks, Finchley. 🎵

Events

ARTS

Thursday 6th November

COMMUNITY

Tuesday 28th October

Jewish West End | Tue, Oct. 28 | 10:30 am | £20 | Discover the secrets behind Jewish West End. Featuring the bustling districts of Soho and Fitzrovia which are renowned today as two of the city's most fashionable areas and the centre for entertainment and shopping. But they are also steeped in an enthralling hidden history of a vast Jewish community that once lived there.

Wednesday 29th October

Community Crime-Fighting | Tue, Oct. 28 | 6:00 pm | StoneX Stadium, Greenlands Lane NW4 1RL | Do you have key concerns in your local area which you would like to see addressed? Want to know more about how the Met is cracking down on crime? Join this event to engage directly with your local policing team and senior Met officers

Thursday 6th November

Peri/Menopause Free Masterclass with Dr.Dhavale (GP) and Debbie (Nutritional Therapist) | Thu, Nov. 6 | 7:15 pm to 7:55 pm | In8Space, 2 Lambert Way, N12 9EP | Free | Join us for practical medical and nutrition tips to relieve symptoms at any stage, followed by a Q&A.

Saturday 8th November

Ealing and Harrow Fireworks Display Saturday 8th November 2025 | Sat, Nov. 08 | 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Byron Park Byron Road, HA3 7PJ | £14.95 | Ealing & Harrow Fireworks Display – Saturday 8th November 2025 | The Ultimate Explosive Showdown: Diwali Meets Guy Fawkes. Best Fireworks display in Northwest London.

MUSIC

Wednesday 5th November

Ryan Young | Wed, Nov. 05 | 8:00 pm to 10:30 pm | Heath Street Baptist Church, 84 Heath Street, NW3 1DN | £18 | Ryan Young brings new and exciting ideas to traditional Scottish music, receiving international praise for his spell-binding interpretations on the fiddle.

Saturday 8th November

OnYourDoorstep concert: Voices of Longing | Sat, Nov. 8 | 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm | Unitarian Chapel, 31 Hoop Lane, Golders Green, NW11 8BS | Between £10 - £25 | 'Voices of Longing: Love Songs from 17th century Venice' - a concert celebrating the music of Italian composer Barbara Strozzi, to be performed by Baroque music specialist group Ceruleo, comprising two sopranos, theorbo, viola da gamba and harpsichord. Email.

SPORT

Tuesday 28th October

OLDER PEOPLE

Tuesday 4th November

Cooking On A Budget | Tue, Nov. 04 | 10:30 am to 12:30 pm | North Road Community Centre 230 Burnt Oak Broadway HA8 0AP | £15 | Learn how to make cheap, nutritious meals in our 3-week course in association with Bread n Butter. Open to Barnet residents who are over 55 and particularly struggling with the cost of living. Contact Stacey on email or 0208 129 7621.

Thursday 6th November

Talking Sport: AgeUK Barnet | Thu, Nov. 06 | 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm | The Prince Of Wales 2 Church Hill Road EN4 8TB | Free | Join fellow sports enthusiasts to share your sporting memories and experiences. Takes place over four Thursdays from 4-5pm, starting 23 October 2025. Free to join but donations welcome. | To register, phone 07384 466840 or email.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 15th November

Concert: Damon Ying FRCO, Organ Recital | Sat, Nov. 15 | 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm | St-Mary-at-Finchley Parish Church | Free | Damon Ying FRCO (prize-winner) will give a recital of organ transcriptions of orchestral works both well-known and lesser-known. Composers include Wagner, Dukas, Saint-Saens, Walpurgis. Come and hear the 2-manual Willis organ with all 1300 pipes in full flow.

Thursday 27th November

The Moonstone (Play) | Thu, Nov. 27 | 7:30 pm to 9:45 am | Upstairs at the Gatehouse, N6 | £15 | On her eighteenth birthday Rachel Verinder inherits a beautiful diamond called the Moonstone. Rachel wears the diamond at her eighteenth birthday party but, during the night, the diamond disappears. Has it been lost or has it been stolen and, if so, who is the thief?

Sunday 7th December

Local Lowdown

The controversial bus lane | Image from Barnet Conservatives

Developing

Bus lane blunder. Regents Park Road’s new bus lane caused such a jam that buses had to swerve into traffic. Residents fumed, a petition soared past 1,600 signatures, and now Barnet Council’s hit pause. The fix won’t cost extra, but for now - it’s back to the drawing board on this one.

Caffeinating

Café clash brewing. Hampstead & Highgate MP Tulip Siddiq is backing a campaign to save beloved independent cafes on Hampstead Heath, signing a 20,000-strong petition. The City of London is tendering leases for five spots, raising community fears about losing local charm to big chains. Updates expected soon.

Travelling

Bus brains upgrade. TfL’s Go app just got a clever refresh. Now you can explore every London bus stop, not just the ones nearby. Tap around the city map for live arrivals, find disrupted routes, and even view full bus lines (if you’re on iOS). Android update coming soon.

Exercising

No excuses now. The Gym Group opened its shiny new Hendon site last week, right by Hendon Central tube. It’s open 24/7, with free classes, weights, and no-contract memberships. Perfect for early risers, night owls, or anyone finally giving that “I’ll start next week” promise a go.

Orchestrating

The stage is set. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will return to Kilburn’s Gaumont State Theatre next month. This marks its first paid concert since the 1970s. Once the jewel of north-west London, this legendary venue has an Empire State-style tower and a lavish 4,000-seat hall. It's ready to hit the high notes again.

Farewell, Then, Antiques Roadshow

woman in green dress at Stephen's House and Gardens — Fiona Bruce strutting her Finchley stuff in Finchley Now green, no less

Remember that beautiful sunny June weekend when a huge BBC production team plus assorted antiques experts descended on Stephen’s House & Gardens? pics here.

Last night saw the last of the three episodes – here’s a quick reminder in case you want to binge-watch.

Stephens House & Gardens 1

The roadshow visits Stephens House & Gardens, “an idyllic park in the heart of Finchley, north London.” Gordon Foster is delighted to see a set of silver salt cellars discovered in an attic and almost thrown away, while Lee Young marvels at a damaged Chinese statuette bought for £5 in a junk shop.

Stephens House & Gardens 2

Joanna Hardy strikes gold with an unusual Italian bracelet, while Alexandra Gill finds a rare painting of Hamlet's Ophelia with a surprising value. Marc Allum meets a young visitor with an arts and crafts clock left to him by his granny.

Stephens House & Gardens 3

Fiona finds out about a famous north London resident – early 20th-century illustrator and creator of whimsical cartoon machines Heath Robinson – in conversation with his great-nephew, Peter Higginson.