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🗞️ The £6m refurb of an old bank
Published about 8 hours ago • 6 min read
Welcome
Looks like a sunny day - why not check out the new royal park opening in Regent's Park today.
Plus great video (read to the end) of local legend Spike Milligan accepting his award.
🌳 From Finchley to Floral Royalty
The Queen's straight path
A new two-acre garden commemorating Queen Elizabeth II opens in Regent’s Park today, Monday 27 April. Worth leaving Finchley for – just 15 minutes walk from Warren Street tube station. Designed to give Londoners a fresh green space for spring walks, quiet reflection and wildlife-friendly planting.
The Queen Elizabeth II Garden has been created on the site of a former plant nursery, once used to grow shrubs and plants for London’s Royal Parks. After the nursery was decommissioned, the area has been transformed into a public garden of colour, biodiversity and calm.
Tucked behind the Espresso Bar on the Broad Walk, close to Avenue Gardens, the garden has four entrances, including from Chester Road and the Broad Walk. It will open daily from 9am to 8pm, with entry managed to keep the space comfortable for visitors.
At its heart is a straight path representing the late Queen’s loyalty and service, with seating areas and places for quiet contemplation. A large pond, pergola and meandering paths lead visitors through seasonal planting, while more than 40 new trees have been added to support wildlife and provide long-term shade.
Many of the plants have royal links, including lily of the valley, used in the Queen’s coronation bouquet, plus Narcissus ‘Diamond Jubilee’ and Tulipa ‘Royal Celebration’. The garden has also been designed with accessibility in mind, including level paths, seating and nearby fully accessible toilets.
Mosaic Coasters at North Finchley Library | Tue, Apr. 28 | 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm | North Finchley Library, Ravensdale Avenue, N12 9HP | Free | Using a variety of different shaped coloured tiles, you will create an insect or floral design as part of a mosaic coaster. The finished coaster can be used as a keepsake to rest your drinks on or as a gift for someone else.
Saturday 2nd May
Free Chair Exercise Sessions for Older Adults | Sat, May. 02 | 10:00 am to 11:00 am | Visitor Pavilion, 145 Claremont Road, NW2 1FE | Free | In partnership with the Silver Jubilee Charitable Foundation, Brent Cross Town is offering free Chair Exercise Sessions designed to be dementia-friendly and accessible for older adults.
MUSIC
Thursday 30th April
Jazz In The House | Thu, Apr. 30 | 8:00 pm | Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG | £15.50 | Award-winning guitarist Rob Luft brings his acclaimed quartet to Lauderdale House for an evening of bold, contemporary jazz.
KIDS
Sunday 3rd May
MakeBeth | Sun, May. 03 | 11:00 am to 12:10 pm | artsdepot, N12 0GA | £13.75 | A playful, interactive, craft-along cardboard retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth for families and children aged 7–11.
ARTS
Wednesday 6th May
Candle Painting at Chipping Barnet Library | Wed, May. 06 | 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm | Chipping Barnet Library, 3 Stapylton Road, EN5 4QT | Free | Add a personal touch to a timeless classic in this relaxing and creative session. Decorate your own candles with vibrant paints and simple techniques to create unique designs, perfect for gifts or cosy home décor.
NATURE
Monday 4th May
GROW 2026 Plant Sale | Mon, May. 04 | 10:00 am to 2:00 pm | The GROW Farm, N20 8AZ | Free | The GROW 2026 event season kicks off with seasonal plant sales on Monday 4th and Monday 25th May. Herbs, veg, pollinator plants and flowers.
COMMUNITY
Wednesday 29th April
Board Games Bonanza At Chipping Barnet Library | Wed, Apr. 29 | 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Chipping Barnet Library, 3 Stapylton Road, Barnet EN5 4QT | Free | Come and have a go at competing in board games, Lego or simply relax with a puzzle.
Thursday 30th April
Finchley Society April Meeting: Barnet From Above — The Story Of Aerofilms Ltd And Its Aerial Photographs Of Barnet | Thu, Apr. 30 | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | Avenue House, Stephens House and Gardens, 117 East End Road, Finchley N3 3QE | Free to members; £2 cash donation for non-members | Aerofilms Ltd was the UK’s first commercial aerial photography company, founded in Colindale in 1919. This talk by Hugh Petrie explores the hundreds of aerial photographs of Finchley held in Barnet’s Local Studies.
Wednesday 6th May
Caring For Finchley Central Town Centre | Wed, May. 06 | 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm | Finchley Church End Library, 318 Regents Park Road, N3 2LN | Free | Finchley Central is a busy area that needs more care. A group of residents are looking for volunteers to help set up and run a ‘Town Team’ to identify improvements, liaise with the Council, organise events and raise funds. Register on Eventbrite.
SHOPPING
Wednesday 29th April
Suzy D Sample Sale | Wed, Apr. 29 | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm | Suzy D warehouse store NW4 4BW | From £5 | Join the sample sale at Suzy D with 50% off retail prices for in-season styles.
Events - Book Ahead
Friday 22nd May
Barnet Book Fayre | Fri, May. 22 | Ravenscroft Park, Wood Street, Barnet, EN5 4BX | Free | A first for Barnet — Barnet Book Fayre at Ravenscroft Park. To collect a PAM Picnic basket ahead of the event, email.
Tuesday 23rd June
Earth Fest | Tue, Jun. 23 | 106 Arlington Road, Camden, NW1 7HP | Free | A vibrant, free-to-attend celebration of sustainability for the wider public. Live music, hands-on workshops, family-friendly activities and inspiring brand showcases make sustainability accessible, engaging and fun.
Friday 26th June
Girlguiding Aviation Badge Day | Fri, Jun. 26 | RAF Museum London, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL | £5 | A hands-on day supporting Brownies to complete their Aviation Badge. Activities include sketching RAF aircraft in the galleries, completing aviation-themed trails and taking part in a parachuting experiment workshop.
Local Lowdown
The exterior of Barclays on The Broadway | Image by Wikipaedia
Reviving
A landmark Crouch End building is being brought back to life. PPR Estates bought the empty Barclays on The Broadway, a Grade II listed 1930s Art Deco gas showroom, for £2.75m and plans a £6m refurb. A retail tenant has signed a lease for late 2026.
Checking
Big plans for Golders Green. Developers want to demolish a car wash on Finchley Road and build a new 130-room hotel, retaining the Refectory pub and historic Valve House. The 20.75m building would sit 70 metres from the tube. Barnet Council’s decision is pending.
Sheltering
A win for survivors of domestic abuse. The borough’s social housing provider, Barnet Homes, has received the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance silver standard, one of only a few London providers to reach that level. The accreditation covers housing management and homelessness services, with gold next on the list.
Skilling
Help with employment is coming to Mays Lane. The Hope Corner Community Centre launches a new job club on Thursday 30 April, with three sessions a week: Boost on Tuesdays, Shaw Trust on Friday mornings, plus a free tailoring course. Timed for the Dollis Valley regeneration’s 221 affordable homes.
Felling
A leafy corner of north London is in the firing line. Up by the Parkland Walk’s Highgate end, 19 trees have been felled and a house approved by a single planning officer, no committee, no debate. Locals are now crowdfunding a legal challenge against the secret approval.
The Finchleyite: Spike Milligan
A Conversation with Spike - Avenue House + Gardens
Spike Milligan, the anarchic comic genius behind The Goon Show, was also one of Finchley’s most celebrated residents.
He lived in Finchley from 1955 to 1974, including at Holden Road, Woodside Park, and loved the area’s open spaces, quirky architecture and the brook at the bottom of his garden.
Milligan was among the first members of The Finchley Society when it was founded in 1971, later becoming its President and Patron.
Today, his local legacy lives on at Stephens House & Gardens, where A Conversation with Spike, a bronze bench statue by John Somerville, was installed by The Finchley Society in 2014. It is a fitting tribute to a surrealist legend who made Finchley part of his story.
And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.
Tessa Davis
Sasha Frieze
Finchley Now
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