Description
Originally called Victoria Recreation Ground, Victoria Park opened in 1902 but was originally planned to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. It remained Finchley's only public pleasure ground until 1914. The early layout included a bandstand as well as facilities for tennis and bowling, with a park-keeper's lodge at the south entrance and a small body of water was found along the boundary with Etchingham Road. Planting includes bedding displays and a formal garden.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Victoria Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | Ballards Lane/ Long Lane/Park View Road, Finchley |
| Postcode | N3 2NE |
| What3Words | ///dark.tribal.basin |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | closes at dusk |
| Facilities | Tennis, bowling, 2 playgrounds, café; Finchley Victoria Park Bowling and Croquet Club |
| Events | Children's Fair. Community activities organised by Finchley Victoria Park Bowling and Croquet Club |
| Public Transport | Tube: West Finchley, Finchley Central (Northern) then bus. Bus: 143, 13, 26, 82, 260. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2017 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Victoria Park opened in 1902 as Victoria Recreation Ground but had originally been planned to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. Located between residential streets the park remained Finchley's only public pleasure ground until 1914. At the main entrance to the park on Ballards Lane is a grass strip with bedding displays and the gates have mosaic decoration on the gate piers; near the entrance is an electricity sub-station, in the form of a crenelated structure of red and yellow brick. The park was laid out with a rectangular formal garden enclosed by a hedge in the south-east and beyond this were tennis courts and two hedged bowling, greens and clubhouse, the latter used by the Finchley Victoria Bowling Club since its formation in 1925. One of the park's two bowling greens was converted for croquet in 2016, this change of use prompted by Barnet Council's decision to cease funding the borough's bowling clubs, requiring them to become more self-sufficient. As a result of this the Bowling Club reformed itself into the Finchley Victoria Park Bowling and Croquet Club and now offers a wider range of community activities and year-round opening has replaced the club's April-September season. A small area of garden in the north is dedicated to Vyvyan Wells, former Councillor and Mayor, and was opened on 21 May 1955 according to a plaque on the site..
On the corner of Long Lane and Park View Road the former park-keeper's house, known as The Lodge, was somewhat controversially sold by Barnet Council but the net profit from the sale has been ring-fenced for expenditure on improvements to Victoria Park. In order to ensure this takes place and to safeguard the park, a new Friends of Victoria Park was formed, itself growing out of an informal group called Etchingham Friends who had in the past paid for planting an avenue of trees in the park.
On the corner of Long Lane and Park View Road the former park-keeper's house, known as The Lodge, was somewhat controversially sold by Barnet Council but the net profit from the sale has been ring-fenced for expenditure on improvements to Victoria Park. In order to ensure this takes place and to safeguard the park, a new Friends of Victoria Park was formed, itself growing out of an informal group called Etchingham Friends who had in the past paid for planting an avenue of trees in the park.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ257912 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 7.43 |
| Site Ownership | LB Barnet |
| Site Management | Leisure and Youth Services, Green Spaces Division/Friends of Victoria Park |
| Dates | 1887- 1902 |
| 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 | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Archaeological Significance (part/ at entrance) |
| Other LA Designation | Premier Park |
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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Avenue House, built in 1859, was acquired by Dr Henry Stephens in 1874, son of the inventor of Stephens ink. He enlarged and improved the property and grounds, the latter laid out by Robert Marnock with lawns, ponds, mounds and rockwork, a network of informal paths and steps, a paddock and walled kitchen garden. Planting included a fine collection of trees. In 1918 Stephens bequeathed the house and 10 acres of grounds to 'the people of Finchley' on condition that it should be 'open for the use and enjoyment always of the public under reasonable regulations'. Put to various uses after Stephens's death in 1918, the property eventually opened to the public in 1928. The present gardens are reduced in size, but the planting and most of the path layout has remained unaltered since the 1870s/1880s.
Avenue House, built in 1859, was acquired by Dr Henry Stephens in 1874, son of the inventor of Stephens ink. He enlarged and improved the property and grounds, the latter laid out by Robert Marnock with lawns, ponds, mounds and rockwork, a network of informal paths and steps, a paddock and walled kitchen garden. Planting included a fine collection of trees. In 1918 Stephens bequeathed the house and 10 acres of grounds to 'the people of Finchley' on condition that it should be 'open for the use and enjoyment always of the public under reasonable regulations'. Put to various uses after Stephens's death in 1918, the property eventually opened to the public in 1928. The present gardens are reduced in size, but the planting and most of the path layout has remained unaltered since the 1870s/1880s.
A Norman church existed on the site from C12th but in 1872 Saxon foundations were discovered dating from an earlier church. The tower and main body are C15th with two later aisles. Bombed in WWII, the church was later restored. The churchyard is enclosed with C20th fence and iron railings, and has some good C17th and C18th tombs. An obelisk to Major John Cartwright (d.1824) was raised by public subscription and erected in 1835. The churchyard is densely shaded, and trees include ancient yew, cedar, holly, larch and hornbeam.
The Sternberg Centre is on the former site of Finchley Manor House, which once belonged to the Bishops of London and comprised a sizeable estate. A moated manor house is known to have existed by 1253, but there may have been an earlier house on the site. It was occupied by a succession of influential people and underwent numerous name changes over the years. All that remains of the once extensive moat is a dry L-shaped ditch at the far end of the grounds. The current building dates from 1723, built for Sir Thomas Allen on a new site outside the moat, who also had gardens laid out. The estate began to be broken up for development from 1849 and the house was leased as a school in both the C19th and C20th. In 1984 the Manor House Centre for Judaism was opened, later renamed the Sternberg Centre for Judaism.
