Join 2500+ Finchley curious subscribers so you hear about local news and events before anyone else. Straight to your inbox, a 5 min newsletter 1x/week for free.
Share
🗞️ You’re A Winner - You Live In London’s No 1 Borough
Published 24 days ago • 7 min read
Welcome
The sun is (briefly) out and this week we've got some great local garden centres, the monthly opening of Barnet Physic Well and news that Barnet is the most family-friendly borough.
👩🌾 6 Must-visit Finchley(ish) Nurseries
Image: Annie Spratt
The sun has got its hat on today and that’s totally got us all thinking window boxes, spring flowers and a bit of gardening.
Check out our list of six local garden centres, many with cute cafés for you to enjoy the sun.
A family-run garden centre on Burton Hole Lane, offers a vast selection of top-quality plants year-round, from shrubs to herbs. Enjoy a charming on-site tea room – The Summer House café - and explore North West London’s only aquatic centre. Friendly service, expert advice, and local charm make every visit worthwhile.
Hyper-local in Temple Fortune – a good selection of long-lasting potted plants and flowers. Great secret café in its backyard, great for sunny weather.
Garden Centre in Muswell Hill boasts a 150-year horticultural heritage. Known for its extensive outdoor plant range, lush houseplant area, and curated gifts, it also stocks garden essentials. The Glasshouse Café offers coffee, meals, and a rooftop terrace—perfect for relaxing amid this beautifully landscaped setting.
One of the UK’s top independent garden centres, thriving for over 30 years and winning awards for outstanding customer service. Spanning nearly 3 acres near Muswell Hill, it offers top-quality home, garden, and gift products, with 65 parking spaces and easy transport links nearby.
Clockhouse Nursery offers top-quality plants, seeds, bulbs, and garden essentials at great prices. Focused on traditional garden retail, they skip unnecessary extras. With 150+ parking spaces, they welcome all gardeners—just remember, they’re cashless, accepting card payments, gift vouchers, and mobile pay only.
North London’s largest garden centre, feels like a countryside escape beside the Welsh Harp Nature Reserve. With expert staff, a vast plant selection, and 250 free parking spaces, it’s a peaceful retreat just minutes from Wembley and Brent Cross—perfect for garden lovers seeking inspiration and tranquillity.
Get those gardening gloves on, Finchley! 👩🌾
Events
OLDER PEOPLE
Tuesday 11th Marxh
Cook and Eat Together | Thu, Mar. 13 | 4:00 pm to 6:15 pm | Age UK Barnet, Ann Owens Centre, N2 8LT | £8 per class | Join Age UK Barnet for the next Thursday afternoon 3-week cookery course, where you'll learn to create delicious, healthy meals from scratch—then sit down to enjoy them with your fellow cooks! | To book contact Stacey on 020 8129 7621 or email.
ARTS
Tuesday 11th March
Walking & Lino Printing Workshop | Tue, Mar. 11 | 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Stephens House & Gardens, N3 3QE | £25 | A seasonal walking and lino printing workshop, with visual artist Rebekah DeanDuring this workshop you will be walking and gathering found objects from the landscape including the Bothy Gardens and will use these to create personalised lino-cut prints, to reflect the warmth and colours of the season.
NATURE
Thursday 13th March
New Barnet Amateur Gardeners Monthly Meeting | Thu, Mar. 13 | 8:00 pm to 9:45 pm | Lyonsdown Hall, 3 Lyonsdown Road, EN5 1JB | £3 members, £5 non members | Peter Wilkins will be giving a presentation on Daffodils and how to show them. Peter is the Show Secretary for the Daffodil Society and a member of the RHS bulb committee.
Saturday 15th March
LNHS Survey - Hampstead Heath Molluscs | Sat, Mar. 15 | 10:30 am to 4:00 pm | Whitestone Pond, NW3 | Free | Discover the Hampstead Heath Molluscs with Tom Walker. Meet at the Flagstaff by Whitestone Pond - 10 mins up the hill (A502, Heath St.) from Hampstead underground station.
MUSIC
Sunday 16th March
Solitude: solo violin concert by Jorge Ximenez | Sun, Mar. 16 | 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm | St Mary-At-Finchley Parish Church, 26 Hendon Lane, N3 1TL | Entry is free with retiring collection for St Mary-at-Finchley Church and Churchyard Appeal: Give me Shelter | Don't we all crave solitude, without the loneliness? Here's a perfect solution, with an hour of sublime music for solo violin by JS. Bach, Bieber, Ysaye and Kreisler to soothe our weary souls and raise our mood.
THEATRE
Thursday 20th March
In Other Words | Thu, Mar. 20 | 7:30 pm to 8:45 pm | artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA | £18 | Connected by the music of Frank Sinatra, this intimate, humorous and deeply moving love story explores the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and the transformative power of music to help us remember the past, connect with the present and hope for the future.
Saturday 22nd March
Fortitude Dance Company Presents Curtain Call | Sat, Mar. 22 | 6:00 pm | The Bull Theatre, EN5 5SJ | £25 | Curtain Call' brings the magic of musical theatre to life with breathtaking choreography and show-stopping performances. Experience the iconic songs of the West End and Broadway’s greatest shows in a spectacular celebration of dance, music, and timeless stage classics.
SPORT
Monday 10th March
Ladies Be Fit - Boxercise | Mon, Mar. 10 | 7:45 pm to 8:30 pm | OneStonegrove Community Centre, HA8 8BN | TBD | A friendly & supportive class suitable for all ages and levels to strengthen & tone, improve flexibility, increase your energy levels…& go home with a smile. Email.
Sunday 16th March
Women and Girls Free Footgolf Day | Sun, Mar. 16 | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm | London Footgolf Centre, EN5 5NY | Free | Barnet's own Tudor Park has the largest Footgolf Course in London. On the 16th Women and Girls of all ages go for free. To book call: 07931 252982.
SUSTAINABILITY
Tuesday 11th March
Zero Waste Community Leadership Training | Tue, Mar. 11 | 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm | Online | Free | Join Eco Show and Tell and Zero Waste Barnet for a free training session. Are you passionate about the environment and ready to inspire your community? Learn how to start waste-reduction initiatives, so money is saved, & less electricity, water, crude oil & other precious resources are wasted.
Events - Book Ahead
Saturday 26th April
The Silencerz | Sat, Apr. 26 | 8:00 pm | The Bull Theatre, EN5 5SJ | £17 | What would April be without some April madness? The brilliant ska band The Silencerz are back at the Bull Theatre for fun, drinks, music and singing and of course, dancing. Originals and classic tracks performed by this fantastic 7-strong band.
Friday 23rd Mary
Jazz Hadley Wood Association | Fri, May. 23 | 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Hadley Wood Association Centre, 1-7 Crescent East, EN4 0EL | £15 | If you like live Jazz, Hadley Wood Association is hosting an afternoon of Jazz and congenial company. Featuring Sylvie Noble as the Vocalist and Ben Boardman as the Double Bass.
Sunday 22nd June
A Midsummer Night's Dream | Sun, Jun. 22 | 3:00 pm | Stephens House and Gardens, N3 3QE | £18 | Out Door Theatre in The Bothy GardensShakespeare’s classic comedy of love and intrigue, magic and mayhem, is brought to life by family favourites Quantum Theatre in their wonderfully funny and exuberant production.
Local Lowdown
Ursula Stone at the Flower Bank | Image from the BBC
Blooming
Blooms on a budget. Ursula Stone’s The Flower Bank in New Barnet turns leftover lovelies from supermarkets and weddings into stunning arrangements. These flowers brighten local care homes and offer floristry skills to those in need. Swing by and see sustainability in action.
Swimming
Stream dream. Watling Park's Burnt Oak Brook is flowing free again. It now meanders through fresh landscapes instead of its old concrete cage. The revamp reduces flood risks, boosts biodiversity, and offers a thriving habitat for our finned friend. Just in time for spawning season.
Funding
Cash infusion. Barnet Council bagged a cool £55.7m in government support to tackle its budget gap. A timely boost, given the council's £23m efficiency efforts, as it braces for the financial storm ahead in 2025-26. Hopefully this leads to financial stability.
Tunneling
History below. Go to the other end of the Northern Line and delve deeper at Clapham South. A secret stairway leads to WWII's hidden shelters. This was once a haven for 8,000 Londoners. The vast tunnels housed bunk beds, canteens, and even a medical unit. There are 7 other hidden spaces underneath Northern Line stations.
Winning
Family first. Barnet clinches the title of London's most family-friendly borough in the MaingMovesLondon ranking. With the lowest crime rates, top-notch schools, and abundant play areas and libraries, it's objectively the perfect place for work-life balance. Go us.
Finchleyite: Barnet Physic Well
Dusk light on the physic well
Barnet Physic Well is a 17th-century underground well chamber, over which a Tudor-style building was erected by the Council in 1937. Restored in 2018 by Barnet Museum with support from Barnet Council, Historic England, and the Heritage of London Trust, it now opens monthly.
Originally popular for its mineral water’s supposed therapeutic qualities, it attracted visitors like Samuel Pepys, who tried the waters in 1664.
The restoration included timber replacement, a rainwater system, glass window panes, handmade clay roof tiles, and lighting.
Now managed by Barnet Museum volunteers, it opens free to the public on the third Saturday of each month, with group visits available by request. Located at Well Approach and Pepys Crescent, access is via steep stone steps to a small underground chamber. This historic site offers a unique glimpse into Barnet’s heritage.
Open 2 – 4pm Saturday 15th March 2025.
Share the good news. Get rewarded.
Want your friends to feel more connected and more in the know?
Fabulous rewards are coming your way when you share Finchley Now. Spotify playlist, fridge magnets and the coveted Finchley Now mugs.
Next reward progress:
You've referred 0 people
0 of 3
You're just 3 referrals away from unlocking the Birthday shoutout in Finchley Now!
Because we love community, + we love you. Celebrate with us!
Share your unique link with your friends to refer them:
[RH_REFLINK GOES HERE]
Editors' Note - From Sasha
You know that theatre has really touched you when you’re thinking about it a week later.
Image: Manuel Harlan
Kyoto – a gripping political thriller about saving the planet – at Soho Place Theatre is a play about conferences in the run up to what ultimately became the Kyoto Protocol. Immersive-light with the theatre in the round stage set as the conference table and the audience getting badges. If you get a (theatre) seat at the table you’re really part of the action. It’s brilliant. Truly a must see.
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.
And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.
Tessa Davis
Sasha Frieze
Finchley Now
Get connected to our local community
Join 2500+ Finchley curious subscribers so you hear about local news and events before anyone else. Straight to your inbox, a 5 min newsletter 1x/week for free.
Welcome This week we've got delicious local vegan options and another showcase from Finchley's most myterious artist. Plus two great community projects from the Tiny Forest and Archer Academy. 🌱 Our Local Vegan Vibe More Finchley residents are trying plant-based eating. So, we wanted to explore vegan options for our community. We couldn't find any in Finchley itself, but here are 3 that are close by (and a 4th that you won't want to miss) One of the 8 beautiful courses at Plates London 1:...
Welcome This week we've got some hyper-local sunset watching locations, insights into the history of Hampstead Garden Suburb - and where to get pizza for 33p. Let's party like it's 1965. 🌅Finchley-Friendly Sunsets Image source: Rob Riddle Flickr London is apparently the sixth most photogenic sunset spot, according to Titan Travel. And with spring finally sprung around these parts, it’s a great time of year for Finchleyites to look up at the sky in wonder and enjoy the beauty. Primrose Hill...
Welcome This week we've got three beautiful spots to stretch your legs, and the vintage buses you can catch a ride on this month. 🥾☕ 3 North London Walking Trails Regent Canal | Image source Canal & River Trust Explore North London on foot with these three self-guided walks, each packed with history, green spaces, and hidden gems - perfect for a weekend stroll or a scenic jog. 1: Hampstead Circular Walk NW3 This six-mile Hampstead Heath walk is a stunner, with unbeatable panoramic views from...
