North London

North London is the outer northern district of London.

Understand

Many outer areas of North London were once part of the county of Middlesex, which no longer exists for administrative purposes. However, residents of these areas still have the option of using Middlesex in their postal addresses.

Boroughs

North London consists of the following boroughs:

Barnet — the borough includes:

Barnet
Edgware
Finchley
Golders Green
Hendon

Brent — the borough includes:

Wembley
Kilburn
Neasden
Willesden

Enfield — the borough includes:

Enfield, Edmonton and Bush Hill Park
Palmers Green
Southgate

Haringey — the borough includes:

Harringay
Crouch End
Muswell Hill
Tottenham
Wood Green

Harrow — the borough includes:

Harrow, Harrow town centre is a bustling shopping and business area, while Harrow on the Hill, with the famous Harrow school, has remained almost unchanged for a hundred years.
Pinner
Stanmore

London Borough of Enfield

Enfield can be split into four distinct areas:

Enfield Town, Chase, Slades Hill and Hadley Wood. Shopping here in Palace Xchange can be relatively expensive but there are some well-known stores such as United Colours Of Benetton, Ralph Lauren, Armani Exchange, The Arsenal Store, H&M, Next, Rolex, Per Lui, TK Maxx, Pearsons Department Store, JD Sports, M&S, Jane Norman, plus coffee shops (Cafe Néro, Starbucks and Costa). Also in Enfield Town is the world's first working and commercial ATM at the Barclays Bank on The Town EN2.
Southgate and Palmers Green - Wealthy suburban areas with beautiful Victorian and Edwardian era houses; a short bus ride from Enfield Town on the 121/329.
Oakwood, Cockfosters, Grange Park and Cat Hill - Upper-middle-class suburbs bordering London's Metropolitan Green Belt; views of open countryside are not uncommon in both Chase and Oakwood.
Edmonton and Bush Hill Park - Two outer London middle-class suburbs; location of the Edmonton Green shopping centre, Edmonton Green Bus Station and many shopping villages.

Finchley

This is a large, thriving metropolitan area in central North London and can be divided into several areas including Finchley Central (known historically as Finchley Church End), East Finchley and West Finchley.

Finchley Central is one of the only areas within London to be fortunate enough to have a city farm. College Farm is an attraction for locals and tourists who can expect to see horses, cows, yaks, pigs and other farmyard animals (a rare sight in London). Finchley Central is also home to the famous 'naked lady' statue at the Henly's Corner. Hotels in the district range from smaller bed and breakfasts to the Holiday Inn Finchley.

Finchley Central contains an odd mix of upper-middle class suburbia infused with some working class aspects too, thus giving it a unique vibe. There is a strong Jewish community in Finchley, however, this does not have many Orthodox Jews who generally choose to make the neighbouring areas of Hendon and Golders Green their home. The Jewish community is represented by several synagogues in the area, the most prominent being the New North London Synagogue on East End Road. It also acts as a local hub for Jewish culture.

There are a number of restaurants in Finchley Central which are reasonably priced and these include specialist restaurants such as Kosher and Halal establishments. Finchley also has bohemian and lively bars, some of which have late licensing laws. Travel in and out of central London is simple via the Northern Line and a variety of bus routes. Although Finchley has a distinctly urban feel, you can venture close by to the neighbouring Mill Hill area to experience some of the great British countryside.

Kilburn

Kilburn is a busy, diverse area situated along a stretch of the Roman Watling Street that makes up the local Edgware Road. Northern Kilburn encompasses the smaller area of Brondesbury. Known as 'Little Dublin', Kilburn spans the boroughs of Brent and Camden.

Being surrounded by generally wealthier areas, Kilburn is a mixture of influences. Historically, it was a focus point for Irish immigration (at some point it was even referred to as "County Kilburn"), and although there are few remaining in Kilburn, their influence is felt in the naming and styling of some of Kilburn's cafes and pubs. The community is very diverse, both ethnically and socially, with a mix of wealthy and poor streets.

Tottenham

Tottenham is mentioned in the Domesday book as the homestead of a man named Tota. The village of Tottenham grew up around the area of High Cross, on the junction with the High Road (the Roman road Ermine Street) and what is now Monument Way.

As a rural village this was a popular destination for the wealthy, and Henry VIII is believed to have visited the Tudor Bruce Castle, then in the hands of the Bruce family (descended from Robert the Bruce). The area stayed semi-rural until the late 19th century when the railway (with its new, reduced, workmen's rates) brought new trade and the need for more housing to the area. The area rapidly became built up, and by the time of World War II was a major target for Luftwaffe bombing campaigns.

Since then, Tottenham has become most notorious for being one of the most deprived areas of North London and the scene of the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985. Since then, the area has done much to recover, and is now reputed to be the most ethnically diverse part of Western Europe. The 2011 England riots were sparked in Tottenham, which saw some of the worst looting.

Get in

By Tube

North London is well served by Tube connections from Central London:

Metropolitan Line (purple) runs through Wembley and Harrow terminating outside the London region in Watford and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Jubilee Line (silver) runs through Wembley terminating at Stanmore.
Bakerloo Line (brown) runs through Wembley terminating at Harrow and Wealdstone
Northern Line (black) has two branches one terminating at Edgware and the other at High Barnet with a sub-branch line to Mill Hill East.
Piccadilly Line (dark blue) terminates at Cockfosters.
Victoria Line (light blue) runs through Tottenham terminating at Walthamstow.

By train

From London Euston (part of the overground network, orange) through Wembley, along the same route as the Bakerloo line, to Harrow then continuing to Watford.
From London Kings Cross to Barnet and Enfield.
From London Liverpool Street to Tottenham and Enfield.
Tottenham Hale station is a stop on the Stansted Express from Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street.

By road

The North Circular Road (A406) is the main west to east road through North London. It has junctions with:

From the North: M1/A1, A10.

From the East: M11.

From the West: M4, A40.

Crouch End

Tricky as there is no tube to Crouch End
Crouch End can be accessed relatively easily by the London Overground railway line, by transferring at Gospel Oak.
You can take a number 91 bus from Trafalgar Square (calls at Aldwych, Holborn, Euston and King's Cross) but it takes almost an hour (off peak) from Trafalgar Square.
Alternatively you can go by tube to Archway and then take bus number 41 to Crouch End. Or take a Victoria Line/Piccadilly Line train to Finsbury Park, and then the W7 bus. Finsbury Park tube station has an exit closed for refurbishing until around 2020.
There is also a W5 local bus, which runs from Sainsbury's at Harringay Green Lanes and serves the YMCA just down from Crouch End Broadway.

Tottenham

By tube

Tottenham is served by two tube stations on the Victoria line, Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters.

By train

Seven Sisters, Bruce Grove and White Hart Lane stations are on the National Express line between Enfield Town and Liverpool Street.

South Tottenham station is on the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking.

By bus

Buses: 123 Wood Green to Ilford, 149 Liverpool Street to Edmonton, 243 Wood Green to Waterloo, and many more services come through Tottenham.

Wembley

By tube

Two London Underground stations are within a short walk of the venues:

Wembley Park is on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines.
Wembley Central on the Bakerloo and London Overground lines.

Access to the venues are via Olympic Way and the White Horse Bridge respectively. London Underground services typically run every 5 minutes in each direction until midnight, seven days a week.

By train

Two mainline stations are within a short walk of the venues:

51.552222-0.2966671 Wembley Central station, High Rd, Wembley, HA9 7FA. Is on the London Overground, providing services to Watford Junction northbound and London Euston southbound. Services typically run every 20 minutes in each direction M-Sa, and every half hour on Sundays. Southern trains also run M-F peak hour services on the West London Line, also to Watford Junction northbound but to Clapham Junction and Gatwick Airport railway station southbound. Whether matchday services will run at the weekends on this route remains unclear.
51.5543-0.28632 Wembley Stadium station. Next to the stadium of the same name. Services are provided by Chiltern Railways on the Chiltern Main Line to London Marylebone (one stop away) southbound. Services are every half-hour seven days a week. Northbound, trains only run up as far as High Wycombe and are every half-hour seven days a week. However, if travellers go first to Marylebone, there are northbound services that go all the way up to Birmingham Snow Hill. These run every half-hour, seven days a week.

Get around

It is relatively easy to get around, as there are lots of buses, as well as Tube and Overground stations.

51°36′7″N 0°11′13″W

Map of London/North

See

Enfield

51.6799-0.05851 Capel Manor Gardens, Capel Manor Gardens, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RQ, ☏ +44 8456 122 122. 30 acres of grounds featuring over 60 different gardens and landscapes (some award-winning). Also has a restaurant and gift shop. £5.50 adults, £4.50 concessions, £2.50 children.
51.670265-0.0685282 Forty Hall & Estate. 11AM-4PM. A renovated 17th-century estate featuring a mansion and grounds. Has a gift shop and café. Free but charges apply to tours and special events.

Harrow

51.573103-0.3337923 Harrow School. Harrow is famous for its school, Winston Churchill attended it as did 7 other British prime ministers. The school is at the top of the hill, the buildings and surrounding area are a step back in time. Try to go in term time on a Sunday as the pupils in long coats and straw boaters, and the masters in mortar boards are a sight rarely seen anywhere outside of Hollywood films of Olde England!
51.565496-0.3327164 Harrow on the Hill. Harrow on the Hill grew around the millennium-old St. Mary's Church, and was the centre of power for an area encompassed by what is the current borough. The hill is a place where you can see a chunk of English history in the urban landscape.
51.622-0.335 Bentley Priory Nature Reserve. The place is a beautifully preserved nature reserve but it also contains Bentley Priory, this place was the RAF Fighter Command HQ in the Second World War. When London was burning, this place was never bombed, some people say that German Air Command did not destroy it because they wanted to make it their own HQ, this place was inside the RAF Stanmore Air Base but now its been opened to the public. It also has a deer park and a beautiful pond; named Boot Pond.

Kilburn

51.533087-0.1916236 St Augustine's, Kilburn Park Road, NW6 5XB, ☏ +44 20 7624 1637. Tu 7AM-noon, Sa 10AM-12:45PM. An ornate Anglican church, sometimes incorrectly called the "Cathedral of North London". The church was built in the 1870s, and has altar screens designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1930. (updated Nov 2015)

Neasden

51.547589-0.2607757 BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandi (Neasden Temple), 105-119 Brentfield Road, Neasden, London NW10 8LD, ☏ +44 20 8965 2651, info@londonmandir.baps.org. M-Su 9AM-6PM. It's Europe’s first mandir, a traditional Hindu stone temple. It used to be also the biggest one outside India. Free. (updated Mar 2017)

Wood Green

51.593889-0.138 Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally). Wood Green's landmark, on a hill overlooking the City of London and the West End. The grand Victorian building was the first place from which the BBC broadcast regular television, but has been gutted by fire on two separate occasions. It now serves as an exhibition and event venue, and is popular for the surrounding Alexandra Park, its boating lake and ice-rink, and its panoramic views over London.

Wembley

51.555833-0.2797229 Wembley Stadium, Stadium Way, ☏ +44 20 8795-9000. The large arch, the answer to the old stadium's twin towers, is an impressive structure and is often lit up to celebrate special occasions (such as London winning the 2012 Olympic Games bid).

Tottenham

51.599025-0.07535410 Bruce Castle & Museum, Lordship Ln (Buses 123, 243 and 318 stop directly outside the museum. Overground trains stop at White Hart Ln and Bruce Grove), ☏ +44 20 8808-8772. W-Su 1PM-5PM. Bruce Castle is a manor house, one of the oldest brick houses in England, that is now a public park and museum. The museum mostly concerns the local history of Haringey, and there are regular talks and workshops. Bruce Castle Park has a tree trail and children's playground. Free. (updated May 2016)
51.595931-0.05383211 Tottenham Marsh. Part of the Lea Valley Park, a natural habitat for many resident plants and animals.
51.60475-0.06641712 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (New White Hart Lane), Park Lane, Tottenham N17 0BX (just east of White Hart Lane station). Spurs play in the Premier League, the top tier of football in England. Their new ground on the site of the former White Hart Lane stadium opened in April 2019, capacity 62,000. This has two pitches - a retractable grass pitch for Spurs games, and an artificial pitch for American football games - from October 2019 the National Football League will play at least two games each season here. Spurs also have a women's team playing in the Women's Super League, with home games at The Hive, Barnet FC. (updated Sep 2019)

Hendon

51.598889-0.23861113 RAF Museum (Tube: Colindale, which is a 25 minute ride from Central London). A must for any war buffs. It has extensive galleries detailing the history of the RAF and its aircraft. A sound and light show inside the museum focuses on the Blitz.

Do

Kilburn

51.5433-0.21 Kiln Theatre (Tricyle Theatre), 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 6JR, ☏ +44 20 7328 1000. Renowned theatre and cinema, noted for its 'reality' plays such as The Riots (2011) and Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry (2005).

Wood Green

Alexandra Palace ice rink.
51.59469-0.114372 Chocolate Factory, Clarendon Road, N22 6XJ, ☏ +44 20 8365-7500. Converted sweets factory now used by local artists; there are regular shows and events here. The annual Open Studios is on the second weekend in November.
Cinemas, Wood Green High Road. There are two cinemas on this road.

Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tour, Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Rd (use White Hart Ln overground station, or underground to Seven Sisters, then bus 149 or 259 to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), ☏ +44 344 499 5000. A tour of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Adults £30, seniors (65+) and students £27, children 5–15 £15, under 5 free.
Cycle and boat hire on the Lea, Stonebridge Lock, Tottenham Marshes (walk along the Lea from Tottenham Hale, or take bus 192 from the station), ☏ +44 7747 873831. W-Su and bank holidays 10AM-7PM. Hire a canoe, kayak or cycle by the hour.

Harringay

Finsbury Park. One of North London's green lungs - boating on the lake, start a walk of Parkland Walk to Highgate along the route one of London's former railway lines.

Wembley

Football matches.

NFL International Series (American football): the best players battle it out four times a year in jolly old England, with two here and two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Buy

Harrow

St. George's and St. Ann's. Two shopping centres housing a range of high street stores, including Topshop, Primark, TK Maxx, Monsoon.

Wood Green

High Road. Mile-long shopping street containing many high street chains and independent shops.
The Mall Wood Green, The Mall Wood Green, 159 High Road, Wood Green, N22 6YQ (The nearest Tube station is Wood Green on the Piccadilly Line). 9AM-7PM. It features many high street chains and independent shops, as well as a covered market with a large food section including butchers, fishmongers, fruit and vegetables and international food.

Wembley

There are several specialised shops in the area, as well as large shopping centres. Of course, there are hundreds of other shops and shopping centres nearby in London.

Tottenham

51.5833-0.07271 Seven Sisters Market (Pueblito Paisa), 231-243 High Rd, N15 5BT (Tube & train: Seven Sisters VIC OGD ; market is adjacent to Exit 1 of the Tube station), ☏ +44 20 8802 1970. M-Th 9AM-7PM, F Sa 9AM-8PM. As the slogan goes, "lo pequeño es hermoso" - small is beautiful - and the UK's only "Latin village" really is tiny, but an extraordinary diversity of hispanic businesses (cafés, street food stands, butchers, greengrocers) and services (community post office, legal advice) manage to squeeze in, while still leaving room for customers. Threatened with closure due to gentrification as of 2020, so visit prontísimo. (updated Dec 2019)
West Green Road shops, West Green Rd, Seven Sisters (Seven Sisters station, turn left or take bus 141). Specialist Caribbean and African food, open till late.

Golders Green

Large number of charity/thrift shops in the area. The haul is pretty good if you are looking for ladies' vintage and the Norwood shops often have shipments of castoffs from high street mainstays (Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, and Charles Tyrwhitt), but for actual designer stuff, go to St. John's Wood instead.

Eat

Crouch End

There are plenty of good quality restaurants in Crouch End to choose from.

Banners. Global food, good vegetarian options but hard to get into on a weekend.
La Bota, 31 Broadway Parade, ☏ +44 20 8340-3082. Spanish tapas, very popular.
The Kings Head. Redeveloped pub. Trendy crowd, with comedy on a Monday night.
O's Thai Cafe. Good quality reasonably priced Thai food. Buzzy atmosphere.