Colney Hatch () is the historical name for a small district within the

London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in north London, England. Forming part of Outer London, the borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It is the ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. Colney Hatch refers to a loosely defined area centred on the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects

Friern Barnet Friern Barnet () is a suburban area within the London Borough of Barnet, north of Charing Cross. Its centre is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane (running north and south), Woodhouse Road (taking westbound traffic towards No ...

with

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...

, crossing 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. It runs from Chiswick in the west to North Woolwich in the east via suburban north London, connecting var ...

. The area is predominantly residential with a mixture of Victorian and Edwardian houses and much more recent development.

Etymology

The name Colney Hatch was originally that of a hamlet in the parish of Friern (once spelt Fryern) Barnet, first recorded in the early 15th century. The name hatch may derive from hitch-gate, often found on the borders of forests to prevent cattle straying. Colney Hatch at one time marked the southern boundary of the royal hunting ground Enfield Chase.

History

The area became well known from the mid-19th century following the building of Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum (renamed ''Friern Mental Hospital'' in 1937), which gained such notoriety that the name ''Colney Hatch'' appeared in various terms of abuse associated with the concept of madness. It forms the meeting point between the London Borough of Barnet and the

London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey ( , same as Harringay) is a London boroughs, London borough in north London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation ...

, and stretches over the border into Colney Hatch Park in the old borough of Southgate. When various places, such as the mental hospital itself, changed their name, the borough of Southgate decided that nothing in the borough should be called Colney Hatch and changed the name of Colney Hatch Park to New Southgate, an area which crosses the boroughs and corresponds approximately to the N11 postcode district. Colney Hatch includes the location of the former Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum on Friern Barnet Road, opened in 1851. The asylum eventually became known as

Friern Hospital Friern Hospital (formerly Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum) was a psychiatric hospital in the parish of Friern Barnet close to a crossroads which had a hamlet (place), hamlet known as Colney Hatch. In 1965, it became part of the London Borough of B ...

and was closed down in 1993. The extensive grounds on which Friern Hospital and Halliwick Hospital (its sister institution for day patients) stood have since been redeveloped as two housing estates, Princess Park Manor and Friern Village. Nearby is

New Southgate railway station New Southgate railway station is on the boundary of the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Enfield in north London, in Travelcard Zone 4. It is down the line from . The station, and all trains serving it, have been operated by ...

, originally called Colney Hatch but renamed several times from the mid-19th century onwards, taking its present name on the electrification of the line in 1976. William Le Queux in a novel from 1913 ,"The Wiles of the Wicked" mentions Colney Hatch. "She turned and twisted and toyed with her menu, tinkling and jingling the whole time like a coral consoler or an infant’s rattle. Little wonder, I thought, that she remained a spinster. With such an irritating person to head his household, the unfortunate husband would be a candidate for Colney Hatch within a month. Yet she was evidently a very welcome guest at Mrs Anson’s table, for my hostess addressed her as “dear,” and seemed to consider whatever positive opinion she expressed as entirely beyond dispute."

Geography

References

{{Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Barnet Areas of London Places formerly in Middlesex