Welcome

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This week we've got Finchley film history, the Naked Lady, and some building news,

🎥Finchley: Where Film First Flickered

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Who knew that Finchley and Barnet have a rich cinematic history - first motion picture, creation of the first movie camera? Finchley is truly the local area that keeps on giving.

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Britain’s first motion picture

​Incident at Clovelly Cottage is considered the first British commercial film – only a few frames have survived. Shot by Birt Acres in 1895 outside his home at 19 Park Road, Chipping Barnet. The house still exists and once had a commemorative plaque but that has since been removed.

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The film features his wife, son, and Henry Short. Surviving frames exist in UK and US historical film collections.

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Movie camera created in Finchley

Birt Acres invented the first British 35 mm​moving picture camera, Birtac with his partner Robert W Paul (they later partned company). Birtac was the first daylight loading home movie camera and projector. Acres was also the first travelling newsreel reporter in international film history .

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In January 1896, he gave a display of moving pictures to the Lyonsdown Photographic Society at the Lytton Road Assembly Rooms in New Barnet. This was the first public film show to an audience in the United Kingdom.

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Barnet Film Office

Barnet has its own dedicated Film Office - part of a cinematic legacy that includes Finchley’s rich screen history. From the Finchley Lido to local gems seen in Top Boy, EastEnders, and Stath Lets Flats, Barnet has quietly become a location scout’s dream. Managed by FilmFixer, and one of only a handful of London borough’s with a film office, the office ensures filming runs smoothly, safely, and with community benefit at its heart. It’s a hub where leafy streets, local stories, and London’s creative energy come together on screen.

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The Phoenix Cinema

The Phoenix Cinema is one of the UK’s oldest purpose-built cinemas, rooted in Finchley’s rich cultural history. Opened in 1912 as the East Finchley Picturedrome, it’s evolved through eras - from Art Deco gem to community-led icon. Rescued from demolition in the 1980s, it became the Phoenix under a charitable trust in 1985. Today, it remains proudly independent - a cinema run by the people, for the people - committed to creativity, heritage, and a thriving, self-sustaining future in Finchley.

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So there you go—four film facts proving Finchley’s reel magic lives on. Stay creative, Finchleyites! 🎥

Events

ARTS

Wednesday 6th August

​Tales from the British Library | Wed, Aug. 06 | 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm | Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, N14 4PE | £5 for anyone over 6 | Join for another installment of Tales from the British Library. Watch as the team sings, dances, and acts their way through one of the world’s most incredible archives.

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KIDS

​Kids' Fun Fair Day in Canons Park | Sun, Aug. 03 | 11:00 am to 6:00 pm | Canons Park, Donnefield Avenue Entrance to Canons Park, HA8 6RH | Free | Fun for all the family at our 21st Annual Kids' Fun Fair in Canons Park, with lots of free activities for the kids.

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Tuesday 5th August

​Zoom, Zoom, Zoom! at Chipping Barnet Library | Tue, Aug. 05 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm | 3 Library Car Park, Stapylton Rd, EN5 4QT | £3.50 | Welcome to the special space themed baby session, where the tiniest babies can enjoy a fun, interactive, sensory experience designed just for them.

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COMMUNITY

Tuesday 5th August

​RollerLand Brent Cross | Open Till Sun, Aug. 17 | 12:00 pm | Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Prince Charles Drive NW4 3FP | £8 - £10 | RollerLand at Brent Cross is a vibrant, inclusive roller disco for all ages and abilities. Open daily with a special Quiet Hour (Mon–Sat, 11am–12pm) for neurodivergent guests and those preferring a calmer space.

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MUSIC

Sunday 3rd August

​UK Small Band Panorama – Battle of the Steelbands | Sun, Aug. 3 | 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm | artsdepot, North Finchley, N12 0GA | Tickets: £15, Under 16s: £7.50 | Get ready for UK Small Band Panorama – The Battle of the Steelbands like you’ve never seen it before. For the first time ever, this epic clash of rhythm and talent takes over artsdepot. Feel the rhythm of the pans as top UK Steelbands go head-to-head in a high-energy showdown.

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Sunday 3rd August

​Opera + Jazz = Magic | Sun, Aug. 03 | 6:30 pm | 88 Northfield Road, EN4 9DW | £10 | The 4th concert in "Music by Jacks Lake". The incredible Tara Minton will join this programme merging and crossing styles. Go to YouTube to hear her sing jazz, accompanying herself on the harp - you will be amazed.

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SPORT

Tuesday 29th July

​Wingate & Finchley FC vs Boreham Wood FC | Tue, Jul. 29 | 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm | Maurice Rebak Stadium, Summers Lane, N12 0PD | On the gate: Adult £12, Concessions £6, 11-18 £5 (Discounts for buying in advance) | Wingate & Finchley's final home pre-season match before the 2025/26 league campaign sees them welcome Boreham Wood, who are preparing for their return to the National League, after their playoff success in May.

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Friday 8th August

​Chase Tag | Fri, Aug. 08 | Exploratory Park, Brent Cross Town, 17 Claremont Way, NW2 1AJ | Free | Tag like you’ve never seen it before — now a global sport played by elite Parkour athletes, stunt performers, and Ninja Warrior champions, and on its journey towards Olympic recognition. This summer, you can try it for yourself.

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​Basketball with the Barnet Bulldogs | Fri, Aug. 08 | 10:00 am to 1:00 pm | 105 Brent Terrace, Brent Cross, NW2 1BY | Free | Hone your basketball skills at a fun, inclusive basketball session with coaches from celebrated local team, Barnet Bulldogs Basketball Club. Suitable for anyone over 5, the sessions will take place in the basketball court in Claremont Park.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Sunday 3rd August

​Community Food Garden Celebration Event | Sun, Aug. 03 | 10:30 am | Church Road Open Space, Opposite The Claddagh Ring, 10 Church Road, NW4 4EA | Free | After planting the inital set of trees and plants in December 2024, everyone is now coming back together to celebrate this beautiful space, created by the community of Hendon.

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NATURE

Saturday 2nd August

​Gardening Volunteering | Sat, Aug. 02 | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | The Hive, Hampstead Heath Nassington Road, NW3 2TY | Free | Join this family-friendly drop-in volunteering sessions. There will be gardening and taking part in light conservation tasks around the Hive area.

Events - Book Ahead

Sunday 24th August

​The Lord Chamberlain's Men Present Twelfth Night | Sun, Aug. 24 | 7:00 pm | Kenwood House, NW3 7JR | £10.84 | Join The Lord Chamberlain’s Men this summer, in their 21st year, for Shakespeare’s greatest romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. With a history stretching back to William Shakespeare’s original company, they present this joyous play as he first saw it – in the open air, with an all male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance.

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Monday 1st September

​Garden Teddy Bear Hunt | Mon, Sep. 01 | 11:00 am to 2:00 pm | Stephens House & Gardens, N3 3QE | £5 | Looking for an inset day activity?The Gardens are being visited by some friendly bears and could you please help out? Spotters of all ages can assist, in finding them, please come and join and why not bring your own bear?

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Thursday 16th October

​Macbeth | Thu, Oct. 16 | The Bull Theatre, Barnet, EN5 5SJ | £15 | The Blue Door Theatre Company presents Shakespeare's "The Tragedie of Macbeth" directed by Siobhan Dunne with original music be Nick Godwin.

Local Lowdown

Petting

• Spotted: fluffy therapist on patrol. Julius, the therapy dog from Hampstead, delights shopkeepers and people he meets on his daily walks. He collects treats by offering cuddles in return. Owner Isaac Sadeh and Julius volunteer at Hampstead Hill School. They help boost kids’ confidence and communication skills.

Upgrading

• Cash splash for North Finchley. City Hall is dropping £50,000 into our high street as part of a £600,000 investment across London’s town centres. The High Street Place Labs programme offers upgrades, fresh ideas, and aims to bring more activity to North Finchley. Watch this space.

Playing

• Youth Fest hits crescendo. Budding musicians, aged 8 to 18, took over artsdepot with workshops and a public concert bursting with talent and energy. Mayor of Barnet, Danny Rich, cheered them on, praising family music-making. Local young stars played their hearts out.

Building

• Big build incoming. Barnet Council is turning a Mill Hill car park into 130 new Build to Rent homes - half affordable. Expect sustainable design, new public spaces, and still some parking for Broadway station. It’s a first: the council’s joining big-league investor Aviva to make this happen.

Burying

• Unboxing history. Highgate School gave a 200-year-old skeleton from its biology lab a dignified send-off, complete with a wooden coffin and funeral service. The remains finally rested in peace after centuries on display. Headteacher Adam Pettitt led the unusual procession through the North Road grounds.

The Finchleyite: The Naked Lady

You’ve seen her. Sword raised high, skyward stare, and – let’s be honest – not a stitch of clothing in sight. “La Délivrance,” as she’s officially called, is Finchley’s most brazen landmark, perched proudly at Henley’s Corner. But around here, no one calls her that. She’s “The Naked Lady” – or if you're feeling cheeky, “Dirty Gertie.”

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Created in 1914 by French sculptor Émile Guillaume to celebrate a French WWI victory, she landed in Finchley thanks to newspaper magnate Lord Rothermere. The Council wanted a war memorial in Victoria Park. Rothermere said no – she’d go by the road, so he could wave to her en route to visit his mum in Totteridge.

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Unveiled in 1927 by former prime minister Lloyd George to 8,000 curious onlookers, she’s since become a local icon, a photo op, and became Grade II listed in 1983, upgraded to Grade II* in 2016.

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Finchley’s finest? Absolutely. Modest? Not a chance.

Editors' Note - From Tessa

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Made it back to the UK this week after getting briefly stuck in Hong Kong on my way back from Sydney.

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There was a typhoon in HK which shut down the airport. I've learnt a lot about the typhoon grading system.

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This one was a T10.

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I'll leave you to Google it.

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Tessa Davis Sasha Frieze