Description
Christ Church was built in 1845, a flint and stone building with two large gables facing the road and a picturesque wooden bell-turret. The Pennefather Hall next to the church dates from 1907 and is named after the first vicar. The churchyard is no longer used for burials and the church is now surrounded by garden, with grass, shrubberies and a number of trees including a Cedar, with a War Memorial obelisk to one side commemorating 'Old Scholars of the Boys School Christ Church Barnet who died in the South African Campaign of 1899-1902'.
Practical Information
| Site location | St Albans Road, High Barnet |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EN5 4LA |
| What3Words | ///soup.drill.trout |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: High Barnet (Northern) then bus. Bus 34, 383, 399. |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2000 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Christ Church was built in 1845 as a daughter church of St Giles South Mimms as the population in the area was increasing. It became a parish church in 1853. The church was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott of Scott and Moffatt, a flint and stone building with two large gables facing the road and a picturesque wooden bell-turret. The first vicar was Revd William Pennefather, after whom the Pennefather Hall next to the church is named. The Hall dates from 1907, a 'fancy Tudor style' (Pevsner) edifice in brick, stone and with a flint and stone chequered pattern in part. The church is surrounded by garden, with grass, shrubberies and a number of trees including a Cedar, with a War Memorial obelisk to one side, commemorating 'Old Scholars of the Boys School Christ Church Barnet' who died in the South African Campaign of 1899-1902. It was erected in July 1903 by their 'Old School-fellows and Friends'. Hedging separates the church garden from the road.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ243970 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church: Diocese of London |
| Site Management | LB Barnet, Leisure and Youth Services, Green Spaces Division |
| Dates | 1845-52 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Christ Church |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Barnet |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Hadley Green is an ancient tract of commonland now bisected by roads. The land was secured as public open space for the people of Hadley parish in 1818. It is reputedly the site of the Battle of Barnet in the War of the Roses when the Earl of Warwick died with many of his men on Easter Sunday 1471. This historic occasion is marked by an obelisk erected in 1740 but moved further north of its original position in 1840. Houses were increasingly built around the Green from the C17th, and from 1770-1938 the Hadley Brewery was situated adjacent to Brewery Pond, one of five ponds on Hadley Green.
Leathersellers' Close contains the Leathersellers' Almshouses and related grounds. The two wings of almshouses and the central Chapel block were built between 1838 and 1866 in the Gothic style and then rebuilt and remodelled in 1964-1966. The small Victorian lodge dates from 1859.To the south of the central path are large ornamental iron gates and, just inside the gates, a pair of decorative Victorian lampposts. The extensive grounds are mostly laid to grass and contain many fine mature trees, including several beech and holly, a tulip tree and a Monterey cypress, together with mixed shrub borders and eight standard bay trees at the sides of the central path.
James Ravenscroft, an important benefactor of Barnet like his father Thomas, founded Jesus Hospital almshouses for 6 poor widowed women in 1679, so-called because Ravenscroft was a graduate of Jesus College Cambridge. The almshouses have a pleasant front garden with a central path from the gates, which are flanked by gate piers with inset stone plaques with initials surmounted by a lion and the foundation date, a replica commemorating the 300th anniversary with the date '1979'.
