Things to do
Visit High Barnet, a medieval town packed full of history, shops, entertainment, festivals, and parks & open space.
With a timber-frame dating from 1360, 54a High Street, Barnet, is currently considered to be the oldest shop in Barnet and the second oldest timber framed building in London.
Barnet and Monken Hadley’s almshouse tradition spans several charities and sites, from Eleanor Palmer to Ravenscroft (Jesus Hospital). Follow the links for overviews and individual histories.
Opening in 2026.
From glittering 1930s social hub to WWII surveillance centre – an untold story of espionage and deception
Blue Door Theatre Company has, in their usual inimitable fashion, fused history and drama and taken inspiration by delving back into the history of Barnet Fair. Since 1588 a fair has taken place in High Barnet and the company celebrates this through devised theatre, live music and song. This is a story of lost dreams, passion and deceit.
Visit the bronze statue of Millie, the Waitrose Cat.
Private residence on Wood Street. Whalebones Cottage, first appears on Middlesex Sheet VI, Surveyed: 1863 to 1866, Published: 1868
Barnet’s chartered market dates to 23 August 1199, when King John granted rights to the Abbot of St Albans. Today it trades at the Rear of The Spires Shopping Centre on Stapylton Road – see the market site for details.
A series of historical and fun guided walks in Barnet. Barnet Ghosts; The Battle of Barnet; Charles Dickens in North London; Georgian Monken Hadley; Historical High Barnet; Mill Hill; Hampstead Garden Suburb; East Barnet Village; Barnet pubs, churches; Historical Finchley, Special ghost walks for Halloween. Walks are usually at the weekend. They meet at various points around the Borough of Barnet. Walks also in London.
From the The Bull Players and Blue Door Theatre Company, Fog of War is an original play commissioned by the Barnet Museum for the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet. Written by James P Godwin and directed by Siobhan Dunne both local residents, this play explores the tension of the civil war from the peasant’s perspective, heavily relying on the remnants and records of the War of the Roses for historical accuracy.
Erected by Sir Jeremy Sambrook in 1740, this sandstone obelisk marks the area associated with the Battle of Barnet of 14 April 1471. Its inscription records Edward IV’s victory over the Earl of Warwick, a decisive moment in the Wars of the Roses. The 1840 the monument was moved 180 meters to its present loaction (source).
London’s largest medieval weekend marks the 1471 Battle of Barnet with living-history encampments, market stalls, and family activities. Visitors can watch full-scale battle re-enactments alongside gunnery, archery, music and dance, bringing Wars of the Roses history vividly to life.
Barnet Museum volunteers have created over 90 replica banners representing nobles who fought at the Battle of Barnet. View the battle of Barnet Banners, along the High Street and in the Spires. Download the list of Banners from the Barnet Museum website and see which ones you can spot (2023). In 2024, a booklet “Battle of Barnet – Set forth on a Quest” was created and is available from the museum.
“The [banners] on the right [of the high street] are the Yorkists, and on the left are the Lancastrians. this is because the roads diverge at Hadley, York to the right, and Lancaster to the left.” (source)
The Historia Normannis, a group of 12th century reenactors, using the space behind the Museum to rehearse.
