Description
Church Farmhouse, situated next to Hendon parish church, is one of the oldest surviving houses in Barnet, built c1660 with C18th/early C19th additions. It was in use as a farm until 1944 when it was purchased by Hendon Borough Council. The house was restored and opened as a museum in 1955, and in its grounds are vestigial features of an earlier garden, including at the back a pond, mature yews, horse chestnut and fruit trees, and four beds adjacent to the central pathway. The garden abuts the graveyard of St Mary's Church on one side.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Church Farm |
|---|---|
| Site location | Greyhound Hill, Church End, Hendon |
| Postcode | NW4 4JR |
| What3Words | ///shadow.twins.define |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Grounds unrestricted; Museum: Mon-Th 10am-12.30/1.30-5pm; Sat: 10am-1/2-5.30pm; Sun 2-5.30pm |
| Facilities | Museum/Gallery with regular exhibition programme; shop |
| Public Transport | Tube: Hendon Central (Northern). Bus: 113, 143, 183, 186, 326. |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2000 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Church Farmhouse is one of the oldest surviving houses in Barnet, a brick-faced manorhouse built c1660 with a tiled roof and an C18th/early C19th wing projecting on the east side. Between 1688 and 1780 it was owned by farmers called Kempe, and it remained a busy dairy and hay making farm under various owners. Across the road from Church Farmhouse is the former Milking Parlour with its curious apse-shaped hayloft. Church Farm was the childhood home of Mark Lemon, first editor of 'Punch'.
In 1944 Hendon Borough Council purchased Church Farmhouse.The building was restored in 1954 and opened as a Museum in 1955, the ground floor laid out as it would have been in the C18th and early C19th, including a furnished 1820s kitchen with bake oven and a panelled 1850s dining room. The grounds behind the house consist of a small enclosed grass plot abutting the graveyard of St Mary's Church (q.v.) on one side. There are vestigial features of an earlier garden, including a pond, mature yews, horse chestnut and fruit trees, and four beds adjacent to the central pathway. To the rear of the garden the land slopes away steeply and steps give access to the rolling open space of Sunny Hill Park (q.v.), which was established over what was formerly farmland. In front of the house is a small garden with lavender and other planting, with a path leading to the porch.
The grounds behind the house are on undulating land, with 4 formal beds with roses and lavender, set in crazy paving with a path leading to seats. One bench was placed here in 1978 in memory of Bob Kennedy, Area Officer, by 'the Gardeners of the London Borough of Barnet'. The site is predominantly set to lawns with various trees, and has good views over Sunny Hill Park, which is reached by a series of stone steps. The grounds are separated from St Mary's churchyard by hedging; in the western corner is a pond, much overgrown but pleasantly so with bulrushes, next to which is a small well, probably installed on the site when the house and grounds were purchased by Hendon Borough Council and restored.
In 1944 Hendon Borough Council purchased Church Farmhouse.The building was restored in 1954 and opened as a Museum in 1955, the ground floor laid out as it would have been in the C18th and early C19th, including a furnished 1820s kitchen with bake oven and a panelled 1850s dining room. The grounds behind the house consist of a small enclosed grass plot abutting the graveyard of St Mary's Church (q.v.) on one side. There are vestigial features of an earlier garden, including a pond, mature yews, horse chestnut and fruit trees, and four beds adjacent to the central pathway. To the rear of the garden the land slopes away steeply and steps give access to the rolling open space of Sunny Hill Park (q.v.), which was established over what was formerly farmland. In front of the house is a small garden with lavender and other planting, with a path leading to the porch.
The grounds behind the house are on undulating land, with 4 formal beds with roses and lavender, set in crazy paving with a path leading to seats. One bench was placed here in 1978 in memory of Bob Kennedy, Area Officer, by 'the Gardeners of the London Borough of Barnet'. The site is predominantly set to lawns with various trees, and has good views over Sunny Hill Park, which is reached by a series of stone steps. The grounds are separated from St Mary's churchyard by hedging; in the western corner is a pond, much overgrown but pleasantly so with bulrushes, next to which is a small well, probably installed on the site when the house and grounds were purchased by Hendon Borough Council and restored.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ228895 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Barnet |
| Site Management | Leisure and Youth Services, Green Spaces Division. |
| Dates | 1660s; 1950s |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: Church Farmhouse |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Church End Hendon |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Article 4 Direction |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
There may have been a Saxon church here as early as the C9th, and a carved C11th Norman font is still in use. The current building retains some C13th, C15th and C16th elements but the church was extended substantially in 1914/15. The large churchyard has a number of fine monuments and trees including yew and cedar. In his history of Hendon in 1890 E Evans notes the earliest surviving grave as that of Thomas Marsh, 1624; he describes the churchyard's pretty location and trees shading the graves, a scene little changed today.
Hendon Grove was formerly the gardens of Grove House, one of the largest houses in Hendon, built in 1753. In the C20th Hendon Town Hall (1900), the Fire Station (1911) and the Public Library (1929) were built on its grounds. Part of the gardens remain as a small public park, consisting of two lawns set in a shallow sunken area, into which are the remnants of steps. It is surrounded by mixed planting of mature trees, including exotic fir, holly, beech and horse chestnut, survivals from the earlier garden.
Hendon Rectory of the late C18th/ early C19th was on the east side of Parson Street. In the 1830s Revd. Theodore Williams created a model garden here on the 1.5 acre site, which was much cited in contemporary literature such as John Claudius Loudon's 'The Suburban Garden and Villa Companion' of 1838. The OS map of 1896 shows extensive gardens to the south and east of the house and a pond to the south. The present gardens are reduced to the east side only, with a small area of lawn with beds, shrubs, a magnolia tree and other mature species.
