Welcome

This week we've got the local art waiting to be discovered by you, and the new exhibition at Kenwood House.

🎨 Kenwood Gets the Heiress Treatment

Margaret ‘Daisy’ Leiter, painted by John Singer Sargent when she was 19

Great art comes to North London: marking the centenary of John Singer Sargent’s death, English Heritage presents an exhibition of 18 of his remarkable portraits at Kenwood - many on public view for the first time. Heiress, Sargent’s American Portraits, opened on Friday.

Who is John Singer Sargent?

John Singer Sargent was an American expat artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” with studios in Boston, New York and London.

His work epitomizes late 19th-century elegance; he blended academic technique with impressionistic flair. Renowned for his vivid likenesses and psychological depth, Sargent painted aristocrats, artists, and cultural icons, capturing the spirit of an era.

What is Kenwood House?

Kenwood House, a stately home on the edge of Hampstead Heath, is an English Heritage property that houses world-class art collections, including the Iveagh Bequest and the Suffolk Collection.

What is a “Dollar Princess”

The exhibition depicts women who were part of the transatlantic marriage phenomenon of the late 19th and early 20th centuries when American heiresses – sometimes known as “dollar princesses” – married into British aristocracy.

Tell me more about the exhibition?

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Friends of Kenwood and English Heritage.

It connects Kenwood's two major philanthropic collections, the Iveagh Bequest and the Suffolk Collection.

Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits offers a new reading of the women in the portraits. They possess a candour and self-confidence peculiarly American to which Sargent is alert. The financial successes of their families represented the future, while the British aristocracy remained locked in the past, economically and politically in decline. The exhibition explores the contribution they made to society and tell some of their noteworthy stories, giving them more agency in the retelling than they have been credited with to date.

Interest piqued? Watch the Meet the heiress: Daisy Leiter video with historian and curator Lucy Worsley.

Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits, 16 May – 5 Oct, Kenwood, London NW3 🎨

Events

KIDS

Friday 23rd May

Tuesday 27th May

Wednesday 28th May

The Smeds And The Smoos | Wed, May. 28 | 11:00 pm to 12:00 am | artsdepot, N12 0GA | £14 | Soar into space with this Olivier Award-nominated adaptation of the much-loved book by superstar duo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Music, laughs and interplanetary adventures for everyone aged 3 and up, from Tall Stories – the company who brought you The Gruffalo , Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo’s Child live on stage.

ARTS

Saturday 31st May

Into The Seeds Of Time Exhibition | Sat, May. 31 | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm | OmVed Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard London, N6 5JF | £5 entry ( under 12's go free) | An exhibition presenting the work of artist Vivienne Schadinsky and her year-long residency at OmVed Gardens exploring the journey of beans from seed to harvest and their potential for human and planetary health. Running from May 31st - August 3rd.

COMMUNITY

Saturday 24th May

Saturday 31st May

SPORT

Sunday 25th May

Bishopswood Bowling Club | Sun, May. 25 | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm | Lyttelton Playing Fields Norrice Lea, N2 0RE | Free | Everyone's welcome, young and old. Give bowls a go with the help of the club coaches. Sample the tea, cookies, and cakes too while you're there.

SUSTAINABILITY

Saturday 24th May

Monday 26th May

GROW - Plant Sale | Mon, May. 26 | GROW Farm, The Totteridge Academy, Barnet Lane, N20 8AZ | Free to attend | No need to book - just turn up!. Pick from the very best of our agroecologically grown veg plants, flowers, and herbs. Get expert advice from our growers and take time to explore the farm.

Tuesday 27th May

Gardening Volunteering | Tue, May. 27 | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | The Hive, Hampstead Heath, Nassington Road, NW3 2TY | Free | There will be gardening and taking part in light conservation tasks around the Hive area. All welcome to join. Children under 18 should be accompanied by a responsible adult. All equipment is provided, as well as tea and biscuits.

Events - Book Ahead

Sunday 29th June

Race The Neighbours - Summer | Sun, Jun. 29 | Cherry Tree Wood, 88 Summerlee Avenue, N2 9QH | £20 | North London Hospice is excited to be back with our Summer Race the Neighbours event. Join this fantastic 10K run through East Finchley and Muswell Hill for the friendliest community crowd and incredible views over London.

Sunday 6th July

Summer Concert | Sun, Jul. 6 | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | NWRS, Alyth Gardens, NW11 7EN | £20 (students and under 18s free) | Alyth Choral Society is thrilled to be performing two new works, one of which is the world premiere: Psalm 118: Give thanks to the eternal by Julian Dawes, and A Season to Sing - a choral re-imagining of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange.

Thursday 10th July

Lila Dance: Fault Lines | Thu, Jul. 10 | 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm | artsdepot, N12 0GA | £18 | Fault Lines pulls at the tension in our relationship with nature. Our constant pursuit of progress increasing the speed of life has left us out of sync with the natural world.

Local Lowdown

Drinking

Last orders averted. The Prince of Wales in East Barnet has reopened after a nail-biting saga that began with its February 2024 closure. Following a 3,000-signature petition and the council declaring it an "asset of community value," the beloved village pub has been transformed. The Heartwood Collection's multi-million-pound investment has created 60 jobs and expanded dining areas.

Climbing

Spiral staircase spectacle! Hampstead station has a huge 320-step spiral staircase. It’s the largest staircase in all of London’s Tube network. This 1907 Leslie Green masterpiece features a striking red-brick exterior. It plunges an impressive 55 metres below ground, making it home to the deepest lift shaft in the network too.

Volunteering

Local heroes honoured. Barnet's best volunteers got deserved praise at the Civic Awards ceremony last month. It took place at Hendon Town Hall. The event honoured amazing community service in three areas: Lifetime Achievement, Outstanding Service, and Young Citizen of the Year. Congrats to all the recipients.

Building

Bulldozers ready. Haringey's Grade II-listed Civic Centre in Wood Green is getting a £65 million makeover. Construction began on May 1st. The plans include a new annex, offices, and restored civic spaces, featuring a new council chamber. The revamped hub will house over 900 staff and welcome hundreds of visitors, all while championing eco-friendly design principles.

Flying

Sky-high celebration incoming. Barnet Council has scooped a £200,000 Cultural Impact Award from the Mayor of London for their planned Light & Flight festival. The event, in partnership with the RAF Museum in Colindale, will honour aviation pioneers like Amy Johnson. It will also celebrate Hendon's historic role as the launchpad for the first airmail delivery in 1911.

The Finchleyite: Henri Matress

Henri Matress spray cans to be found around Finchley

Doubtless you’ve followed the work of Fanksy (Finchley’s very own Banksy) and the street installations that have appeared all over Finchley and the surrounding area.

One of our first stories back in 2023 was the Sleepy Street Art piece, deconstructing the ephemeral nature of the work, and we’ve observed the work grow and develop.

Now there’s a new Henri Mattress spraycan installation in the window of Tintico café by the station. And there are 12 of these cans hidden around Finchley to find.

Let us know if you find one.

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Editors' Note - From Tessa

Headed off to the O2 this week to hear Bryan Adams on tour.

He's still got it.

Throwback to my 16-year-old self listening to Bryan Adams singing Everything I Do on the radio for months on end.

Also, let us know about local events or local news. We curate our content to keep it a 5-minute read, so can't include everything we're sent.

You can now get a guaranteed (paid) listing for local events or local lowdown/news items.

And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.

Tessa Davis

Sasha Frieze

Finchley Now

🗞️ Can you find the hidden Finchley Fanksy art?