Description
The house was formerly Littleberries, built on the site of an earlier house that was altered and improved from 1712 following its acquisition by George Littlebury in 1691. The estate underwent numerous changes over the years and had fine grounds, including descending grass terraces leading to a temple. An estate survey of 1754 shows a series of ponds, walled garden, and square 'pleasure ground' with three variously shaped ponds and a mount. In the C19th J W Pawson made further improvements, probably planting monkey puzzle trees, a number of which survive. In 1885 it was acquired by the Order of St Vincent and although the ponds are filled in the landscaping between house and temple is not much changed.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Littleberries |
|---|---|
| Site location | The Ridgeway |
| Postcode | NW7 1EH |
| What3Words | ///foal.dark.inner |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private, no access |
| Public Transport | Tube: Mill Hill East (Northern) then bus. Bus: 240. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
It is said that Nell Gwynne once lived here but there is no evidence for this. The name almost certainly derives from George Littlebury who acquired the property in 1691. In 1712 he paid the Lord of the Manor, Lord Powis, £18 5s for improvements made to the house and grounds. Various owners have added to the site over the years, the result being that the original plan has been lost under the bricks and mortar of later generations. Rocque's map of 1754 shows a broad tree-lined avenue-like strip of land running north-east from the house. C18th improvements consisted of a pedimented pavilion-like room of c.1712-21 projecting from the main body of the house. Formerly profusely gilded, it was known as the Gilt Room, the centre of each wall having a circular medallion containing portraits identified by Sir George Scharf, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, as Caroline of Ansbach, George I, George II and William III. The room was connected to the garden by a contemporary curved double flight of steps, commanding a vista down a broad avenue across three descending grass terraces to an Ionic temple, variously described as a banqueting or summer house.
An estate survey of 1754 shows a sequence of two ponds on the axis before the temple, a square pond on the middle terrace and a round or polygonal one directly before it. A walled garden behind, possibly planted as an orchard by 1796, led to a larger square 'pleasure ground' with three variously shaped ponds and a mount. In the C19th the estate was again improved by the owner J.F. Pawson, who was probably responsible for planting 4 monkey puzzle trees that are shown on the OS map of 1868 on the upper terrace close to the house. A low-relief plaster roundel of this period in the temple shows a view of the vista towards the house.
All the ponds have been filled during the last 40 years, although the round pond briefly reappeared after heavy rain, otherwise the landscape between house and temple is little altered today. The stuccoed temple with C19th glazing was later surmounted by a statue of Christ, and framed by clipped privet hedge and mature yew, holly and conifers. Scharf had described the temple interior as 'highly decorated with figures and ornaments in low relief, all in white plaster. They include portrait medallions of females, supported by sphinxes, mermaids and tritons. These faces are all in profile, full of individuality, and probably represented members of the family who then occupied the house'. Since 1962 the Order of St. Vincent has added a devotional statue in the centre of a small formal rose garden on the upper terrace, adjacent to three surviving monkey puzzle trees. North of the temple the C18th walls of the former walled garden survive on two sides, together with the site of the gate to the pleasure ground, now bricked up, this area is now an orchard. East of the old gateway an iron gate leads to a rough paddock on the site of the former pleasure ground, since 1962 with a small fenced burial ground on the eastern side.
An estate survey of 1754 shows a sequence of two ponds on the axis before the temple, a square pond on the middle terrace and a round or polygonal one directly before it. A walled garden behind, possibly planted as an orchard by 1796, led to a larger square 'pleasure ground' with three variously shaped ponds and a mount. In the C19th the estate was again improved by the owner J.F. Pawson, who was probably responsible for planting 4 monkey puzzle trees that are shown on the OS map of 1868 on the upper terrace close to the house. A low-relief plaster roundel of this period in the temple shows a view of the vista towards the house.
All the ponds have been filled during the last 40 years, although the round pond briefly reappeared after heavy rain, otherwise the landscape between house and temple is little altered today. The stuccoed temple with C19th glazing was later surmounted by a statue of Christ, and framed by clipped privet hedge and mature yew, holly and conifers. Scharf had described the temple interior as 'highly decorated with figures and ornaments in low relief, all in white plaster. They include portrait medallions of females, supported by sphinxes, mermaids and tritons. These faces are all in profile, full of individuality, and probably represented members of the family who then occupied the house'. Since 1962 the Order of St. Vincent has added a devotional statue in the centre of a small formal rose garden on the upper terrace, adjacent to three surviving monkey puzzle trees. North of the temple the C18th walls of the former walled garden survive on two sides, together with the site of the gate to the pleasure ground, now bricked up, this area is now an orchard. East of the old gateway an iron gate leads to a rough paddock on the site of the former pleasure ground, since 1962 with a small fenced burial ground on the eastern side.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ230925 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | The Order of St Vincent de Paul |
| Site Management | The Order of St Vincent de Paul |
| Dates | 1712; C20th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Littleberries (St Vincent's Provincial House), Chapel, Banqueting House in grounds |
| 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 | Mill Hill Mill Hill CA |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Archaeological Significance |
| Other LA Designation | Site of Special Projects (27); Article 4 Direction |
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
When the windmill further to the west along the Ridgeway ceased operating in the late C14th, the houses at the top of Milespit Hill became the centre of the hamlet of Mill Hill, due to the location on this important route to Hendon. However it was not referred to as a village until the mid C19th. The village green is an informal area of grass with two ponds. The Nicholl's Almshouses of 1696 face onto it as do a number of C18th and C19th properties including the former Methodist Chapel. The High Street was once part of The Ridgeway but in 1793 the main road was routed slightly further north in order to bypass the village.
St Paul's Church was consecrated in 1833, paid for by William Wilberforce, an important figure in the Anti-Slavery Movement. Wilberforce had moved to Highwood Hill in 1825 and gained permission to build the church on a gravel pit site on Belmont Estate. St Paul's became a parish church in 1926. The churchyard has yew in front, iron railings and flower beds to the road. Behind the church is a large churchyard with numerous trees including yews and other species.
Information about the site dates back to 1321 when it was owned by the Nicoll family. Ridgeway House was built in c.1525 and from 1702 was occupied by a series of Quakers, the most famous of whom was the foremost botanist, Peter Collinson, who lived here from 1749 to his death in 1768. The garden contained an extraordinary range of trees and plants collected from North America and elsewhere in the world. People came from all over Europe to visit his gardens here. In 1807 the property was bought by Mill Hill School who in 1826/7 built the present main school building and demolished Ridgeway House. Over the years additional lands were purchased and the site expanded to over 100 acres, with many school buildings and extensive sports fields. The grounds contain some of Collinson's original trees as well as fine trees planted over the years since. In front of the school is the Gate of Honour, a war memorial for ex-pupils who died in the two world wars.
