Description
Northway Gardens is a linear park comprising three areas of gardens through which the Mutton Brook runs in a channel, lined in parts by weeping willows. It was laid out as part of the 'New Suburb' developed from 1911 when 112 acres of land were purchased to the east of the original Hampstead Garden Suburb. The gardens have woodland and grass to the west, formal gardens and tennis courts in the middle area, and ornamental shrubs and trees in the most easterly section.
Practical Information
| Site location | Northway/Falloden Way/Kingsley Way |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW11 6RJ |
| What3Words | ///yoga.wanted.short |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Tennis courts; play area (Café / toilets abuts park on Northway) |
| Public Transport | Tube: Golders Green (Northern) then bus. Bus H2, 102. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2016 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Pleasant linear park within Hampstead Garden Suburb, with three areas of gardens running from Falloden Way to Kingsley Way, through which Mutton Brook runs in a stone-faced channel and is crossed by bridge. Northway Gardens was laid out as part of the 'New Suburb' developed from 1911 when 112 acres of land were purchased to the east of the original Hampstead Garden Suburb and laid out by Ray Unwin, houses built under the architectural control of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust. Weeping willows line the banks of the brook in parts. The gardens are generally separated by hedging from the housing on either side.The first area to the west is woodland with trees including ash and willow, and areas of grass; a path runs alongside the Mutton Brook to the the end of the gardens, where there is a playground. The middle area has formal gardens laid out as well as tennis courts and a pavilion, with an area of rose beds in shaped beds either side of a new pergola. The garden has numerous seats and some fine ornamental trees and shrubs. The third area to the east is landscaped with ornamental shrubs and trees in lawns, with a crescent-shaped raised bed with seating immediately adjacent to Northway.
In recent years a local community group, Northway Gardens Organisation, has taken over 21 abandoned beds and created a low maintenance non-municipal area in the gardens and since 2014 has planted up all the beds to create year-round interest.
In recent years a local community group, Northway Gardens Organisation, has taken over 21 abandoned beds and created a low maintenance non-municipal area in the gardens and since 2014 has planted up all the beds to create year-round interest.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ257889 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4 |
| Site Ownership | LB Barnet |
| Site Management | Leisure and Youth Services, Green Spaces Division/Friends of Northway Gardens/Northway Gardens Organisation |
| Dates | 1911 |
| Designers | Unwin and Parker |
| 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 | Hampstead Garden Suburb |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance (Mutton Brook) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Park. Article 4 Direction |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Big Wood has existed as woodland for over 1000 years, probably part of land given to the Bishop of London in c704AD. When Hampstead Garden Suburb was being planned in 1907, its instigator, Dame Henrietta Barnett, was committed to providing green spaces within the housing, planting trees and preserving those that existed. When additional land was acquired to extend the Suburb in 1911, Big Wood was leased from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and preserved as woodland. In 1933 Finchley UDC took on the freehold. Now designated a Nature Reserve, there are a great variety of trees here including Wild Service Trees, associated with ancient woodland.
Little Wood has existed as woodland for over 1000 years, probably part of land given to the Bishop of London in c704AD. When Hampstead Garden Suburb was being planned in 1907, its instigator, Dame Henrietta Barnett, was committed to providing green spaces within the housing, planting trees and preserving those that existed. When additional land was acquired to extend the Suburb in 1911, Little Wood was leased from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and preserved as woodland. In 1920 an open air amphitheatre was built in the woods by the Play and Pageant Union, one of two drama groups that later merged to form the Garden Suburb Theatre. The theatre was restored in 1997. In 1933 Finchley UDC took on the freehold of the woods. Now designated a Nature Reserve, there are a variety of trees including Wild Service Trees associated with ancient woodland, although the trees here are generally no more than 175 years old.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Until the mid-C19th the undulating site was farmland. The Burial Board of the Parish of St Marylebone purchased the land for the cemetery and held a competition for its design in 1854. Winning architects Barnett and Birch Ltd built its two chapels, lodge and entrance building and St Marylebone Cemetery was consecrated in March 1855. The cemetery, catering largely for the affluent middle-classes, has numerous important monuments. The C19th layout is largely intact, with three main avenues describing an oval arrangement. Two cedars were planted near the entrance in 1856, with trees and shrubs throughout the cemetery and flanking the avenues. In 1893 the cemetery was extended to the west, laid out on a square grid plan. In 1937 St Marylebone Crematorium was built, to the south of which are lawn graves and an informal memorial garden. Owned since 1965 by Westminster City Council, this was one of 3 cemeteries that WCC controversially sold in 1987 for 15p in order to pass on the maintenance costs, but which resulted in their neglect. In 1988, following public outcry, the Ombudsman ruled that WCC had to buy back the cemeteries, which it did in 1992.
Until the mid-C19th the undulating site was farmland. The Burial Board of the Parish of St Marylebone purchased the land for the cemetery and held a competition for its design in 1854. Winning architects Barnett and Birch Ltd built its two chapels, lodge and entrance building and St Marylebone Cemetery was consecrated in March 1855. The cemetery, catering largely for the affluent middle-classes, has numerous important monuments. The C19th layout is largely intact, with three main avenues describing an oval arrangement. Two cedars were planted near the entrance in 1856, with trees and shrubs throughout the cemetery and flanking the avenues. In 1893 the cemetery was extended to the west, laid out on a square grid plan. In 1937 St Marylebone Crematorium was built, to the south of which are lawn graves and an informal memorial garden. Owned since 1965 by Westminster City Council, this was one of 3 cemeteries that WCC controversially sold in 1987 for 15p in order to pass on the maintenance costs, but which resulted in their neglect. In 1988, following public outcry, the Ombudsman ruled that WCC had to buy back the cemeteries, which it did in 1992.
