![Finchley Road London map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Finchley_Road_London_map.png)
Finchley Road is a designated
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector ro ...
in north-west
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. The Finchley Road starts in
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...
near central London as part of the
A41; its southern half is a major
dual carriageway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
with high traffic levels often frequented by lorries and long-distance coaches as it connects central London, via the A41
Hendon Way, to the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
at
Brent Cross
Brent Cross is originally the name of a crossroads that today forms a major interchange for traffic in the London Borough of Barnet, England. Located a mile from the centres of Hendon and Golders Green, the area also contains the Brent Cros ...
and other roads at that interchange.
Its northern half, which dissects away from the A41 and is designated as the A598, runs through suburban areas via the centre of
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...
to
Henlys Corner
Henlys Corner is a brief combining junction of the A1 and the North Circular Road in North London, in the middle of which is the crossroads of the A598.
Connecting roads and public transport
The intersecting local road is Finchley Road/Regent's ...
, where the road north of it leads to
Finchley
Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross.
Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...
, from which Finchley Road gets its name from.
Its southern half, in which it gives its name to the centre-west part of
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
, has two current railway stations including the name ''Finchley Road''.
London Buses route 13
London Buses Route 13 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between North Finchley bus station and Victoria station, it is operated by RATP Dev Transit London.
History
In the 1930s route 13 ran from H ...
runs through the entire road, while the
route 113 runs only in its southern half.
History
![Londra, finchley road](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Londra%2C_finchley_road.JPG)
Originally named Finchley New Road,
it was built as a
turnpike
Turnpike often refers to:
* A type of gate, another word for a turnstile
* In the United States, a toll road
Turnpike may also refer to:
Roads United Kingdom
* A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...
to provide an alternative to the hillier route north from London, which ran further east through the village of
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
.
![Finchley Road looking south to O2 Centre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Finchley_Road_looking_south_to_O2_Centre.jpg)
The original route, now the A502, ran from Camden Town along what is now Chalk Farm Road,
Haverstock
Haverstock is an area of the London Borough of Camden: specifically the east of Belsize Park, north of Chalk Farm and west of Kentish Town. It is centred on Queens Crescent and Malden Road. Gospel Oak is to the north, Camden Town to the south.
...
Hill,
Rosslyn Hill
Rosslyn Hill is a road in London, connecting the south end of Hampstead High Street to the north end of Haverstock Hill. It is the site of the Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, St. Stephen's Church and the Royal Free Hospital. It is served by the ...
, Heath Street and North End Road to Golders Green where it joins Finchley Road. It had two steep hills either side of Hampstead Village, and was difficult for horses with carriages to negotiate when muddy. The Finchley Road Act was passed in 1826 and the new turnpike road was completed in 1835.
The new route (now the
A41) started from what was then called the 'New Road' (the first London bypass) and is now
Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road ( ) is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east–west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington. The road which runs in three lanes in both direction ...
, and ran north, first along what are now Park Road and Wellington Road, and becomes Finchley Road at
St John's Wood tube station
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
. It goes north through
Swiss Cottage
Swiss Cottage is an area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and includes Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage lies north-northwest of Charing Cross. The ...
, then turns slightly north west, forming an unofficial boundary between
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
and
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to ...
, and then turns north again at
Child's Hill. The A41 diverges westward and Finchley Road becomes the
A598. It continues past
Golders Green Underground station (where it meets the old route), through
Temple Fortune
Temple Fortune is a place in the London Borough of Barnet to the north of Golders Green. It is principally a shopping district used by residents of the Hampstead Garden Suburb. Between here and Golders Green, at Hoop Lane are two cemeteries – ...
to the
North Circular Road
The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London in England. It runs from Chiswick in the west to Woolwich in the east via suburban North London, connecting ...
, crossing it at
Henlys Corner
Henlys Corner is a brief combining junction of the A1 and the North Circular Road in North London, in the middle of which is the crossroads of the A598.
Connecting roads and public transport
The intersecting local road is Finchley Road/Regent's ...
, where it becomes Regents Park Road (perhaps after the southern end of the route). This continues as Ballards Lane through Finchley Central to North Finchley. There it joins the former
Great North Road (now the A1000).
Tolls were collected at a
tollgate
A tollbooth (or toll booth) is an enclosure placed along a toll road that is used for the purpose of collecting a toll from passing traffic. A structure consisting of several tollbooths placed next to each other is called a toll plaza, tollga ...
at Childs Hill.
After the road was built, many grand houses were built along its length, especially near
Fortune Green
Fortune Green is a small area in West Hampstead, London Borough of Camden.
Lying on the south-west side of the Finchley Road, Hampstead town council decided to build its overflow cemetery there in the 1840s. A guide to Hampstead Cemetery, with sh ...
,
Childs Hill
Childs Hill is one of two areas at the south end of the London Borough of Barnet along with Cricklewood which straddles three boroughs. It took its name from Richard le Child, who in 1312 held a customary house and "30 acres" of its area. It is a ...
and
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...
.
Finchley Road remains a heavily used route in and out of London. The most commercial part of the road is between
Swiss Cottage Underground station and the
O2 Centre
The O2 Centre is an indoor shopping and entertainment centre that is open for around 18 hours per day located on Finchley Road in North West London, near Hampstead.
It is now owned by Landsec, previously X Leisure, and opened in 1998. Despit ...
.
;Stagecoaches, first omnibuses and shelved tramway proposal
In 1856 as many as ten stagecoaches a day ran along Finchley Road, serving Swiss Cottage, where the Atlas Line, a business of these, had started about six years before.
[
Omnibuses reached the area north of Swiss Cottage by way of Finchley Road as far as Finchley Road station before 1880. Later omnibuses were extended along Finchley Road to meet others from Edgware Road along West End Lane, continuing north to Childs Hill and Hendon.][ Motorbuses had replaced horse omnibuses by 1911.][
Plans for an extensive network of tramways, along Adelaide and Finchley Roads, were dropped after opposition from the council, ground landlords, and residents.][
On 2 October 1993 five people were injured and damage caused when three bombs planted by the ]Provisional IRA
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
exploded.
Local railway stations
Today
Hampstead is served by Finchley Road Underground station and Finchley Road & Frognal railway station
Finchley Road & Frognal railway station is on Finchley Road in the London Borough of Camden in north London. It is on the North London line, and the station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2 ...
, 435 metres apart on the North London Line (London Overground
London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a ...
). The road has as such become the colloquial name for the part of Hampstead between West Hampstead and Hampstead-on-the-Hill which is centred on Hampstead Underground station.
Historically
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...
was served by Finchley Road railway station
Finchley Road railway station was built by the Midland Railway (MR) in 1868 on its extension to St. Pancras. Situated at the north end of the Belsize Tunnels, it served the newly developed area of St John's Wood.
For a short period from 18 ...
on the Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands ...
(1868–1927).
Memorials
In 1906 a stone plaque was affixed at 139, Finchley Road by Charles Wells, to comemorate the site of residence of 19th century German operatic signer Thérèse Tietjens
Thérèse Carolina Johanne Alexandra Tietjens (17 July 1831, Hamburg3 October 1877, London) was a leading opera and oratorio soprano. She made her career chiefly in London during the 1860s and 1870s, but her sequence of musical triumphs in th ...
.[Charles Samuel Cooper. ]
Outdoor Monuments of London: Statues, Memorial Buildings, Tablets and War Memorials
'. Homeland Association, 1928. p. 197
References
{{Coord, 51, 33, 55, N, 0, 11, 47, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Streets in the London Borough of Barnet
Streets in the London Borough of Camden
Streets in the City of Westminster
Swiss Cottage
District centres of London