This district of north London lies on the very outskirts of the city. Originally a forested area the name comes from the Saxon for “a clearing made by fire in a forest”.

The area was rural for much of its history, but because the Great North Road ran through the district it has always been a well travelled district. Throughout its history this fact was reflected in the large number of travellers’ inns and hostelries that were to be found in the district.

Friern Barnet remained rural for much longer than many parts of north London for it wasn’t really until the mid 19th century that industrialisation reached the area. But once the railway had arrived, like so many parts of London, the population of Friern Barnet increased rapidly.

Since then the area has been predominantly residential, and modern Friern Barnet has a very suburban feel to it. Since 1965 Friern Barnet has been part of the London Borough of Barnet.