Inventory Site Record

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.

Previous / Other name:

The Grove; Grove House

Site location:

The Burroughs, Hendon

Postcode:

NW4 4BQ

What 3 Words:

darker.axed.strong

Type of site:

Public Gardens

Borough:

Barnet

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Hendon Central (Northern) then bus. Bus 113, 143, 183, 186, 271, 326.

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Research updated:

01/04/2002

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.barnet.gov.uk

Hendon Grove, or The Grove as it is often abbreviated to locally, was formerly the gardens of Grove House. Situated just north of The Burroughs it was one of the largest houses in Hendon, built in 1753 but substantially altered in the C19th when it became a private mental hospital. In the C20th the Town Hall, Public Library and Fire Station were built on its grounds but part of the gardens remain as this small public park.

The Grove is entered rather inauspiciously by way of a rusty iron gate leading to a short tree-lined approach avenue from The Burroughs, now with only a few of the original trees remaining. The site is laid out as two lawns in a slightly sunken area to which there are the remains of steps down, with perimeter paths and cast iron benches and surrounded by mixed planting of mature trees, including species of exotic fir, holly, beech and horse chestnut, which are survivals from the earlier garden.

Hendon Town Hall, designed by T H Watson in 1900 (its name mysteriously changed to Finchley Town Hall on election nights in the 1980s), the adjacent Public Library by T M Wilson of 1929 and the Fire Station of 1911 by Herbert A Welch, are fronted on The Burroughs by a strip of ornamental planting. Between the Town Hall and Library is a sculpture, 'Family of Man' by Itzhak Ofer, a gift to the borough by the Rayne Foundation to commemorate the borough's twinning with the Israeli municipality of Ramat Gan. It was unveiled by Mary Robinson in 1981.

Sources consulted:

Stewart Gillies and Pamela Taylor, 'Hendon, Child's Hill: a Pictorial History' (1993); Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England: London 4: North' (Penguin, 1998)

Grid ref:

TQ227892 (522660,189170)

Size in hectares:

1.38 (Hendon Grove)

Site ownership:

LB Barnet

Site management:

Leisure and Youth Services, Green Spaces Division

Date(s):

C18th; C19th; C20th

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII: Hendon Town Hall

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 Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Area of Special Archaeological Significance

Other LA designation:

Small Local Park

Hendon Grove, Sunken lawn, July 2000. Photo S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.