Barnet Fair - It Goes There (2)

The 383 - To New Barnet Next

In most places, where buses are part of the "commercial model", you would expect the 383 to stop on the main road (Station Road), leaving those wanting the train to walk along Station Approach ...

... veering off in front of the buildings on the right in the picture above. But, because it is London and because it is a "regulated" bus service, the 383 trundles up to a stop near the station building ...

... and double-runs back to the main road.

New Barnet owes its conception to the building of the Great Northern Railway in 1850, when a station serving High Barnet (Chipping Barnet) was built, but located about a mile away from the town centre of High Barnet, so that this 'new' area quickly saw development. The station was first just called Barnet.

In 1876, "Handbook to the Environs of London" by James Thorne (modern reprint shown above - available from the usual South American river) describes New Barnet as one of those new half-finished railway villages that we have come to look on as almost a necessary adjunct of every station within a moderate distance of London.

New Barnet's growth accelerated at the turn of the 19th Century aided by the speculative developer, E. Fergusson Taylor, who became known as the "creator of New Barnet".

In 1892 a town hall (now private flats) was built for the local board ...

... and from 1894 New Barnet formed part of the East Barnet Urban District of Hertfordshire until 1965 when it was transferred from Hertfordshire to Greater London to become part of the newly created London Borough of Barnet.

New Barnet station was blessed with a splendid booking office building on a pedestrian overbridge ...

... which had just been beautifully refurbished when it was destroyed during a thunderstorm in 1989. Google Earth still shows the remnants, now removed.

The main service is of all-stops trains to Moorgate every 15 minutes Monday to Friday ...

... also calling at Oakleigh Park which is the next interchange port of call on our 383 route.

Both stations have four platforms, but longer distance stuff rushes through on the middle two tracks, leaving the stoppers on the outside. To discourage access to the unused platforms, a substantial fence has been erected at New Barnet.

A peasant few minutes of YouTubery from August this year summarises the traffic on the "fast" lines.

Stopping trains used to be like this ...

... and are now like this:-

And if you are struggling with the railway geography, then this extract from a full geographical map of all London's rail routes may help.

Our 383 is linking High Barnet, New Barnet, Oakleigh Park and Woodside Park statiosn and finishing at Finchley Memorial Hospital, not too far from West Finchley.

Christmas Gift Ideas (1)

You may crave after a four car Javelin set, a part representation of the units that run between St Pancras and Kent destinations, using the High Speed 1 tracks part way.

But if £160 is a bit steep in the face of financial pressures from "the domestic authorities", how about buying one for a young relative - provided, of course, that they play with it in YOUR house. And, effectively, it would be LESS THAN HALF PRICE!

For just £80 you get a THREE car Javelin (one less than normal, but who is counting) ...

... and you get electrics (plug and play), a siding and a decorated mat to start your scenery off in style.

Available from Aldi, but on-line only.

Mr Tubbles And Bonfire Night

A picture of tension and anguish as fireworks explode nearby! No wonder the Latin for cat is "felix" which is also the Latin for "happy".

Big Celebration At fbb Mansions. Next door neighbours found a pack of sparklers in a drawer so one each was lit and whirled round in the usual fashion. Sadly, the fbb camera ran out of battery at the critical moment. But you will understand the excitement it was for all concerned!

And socially distanced to boot, two each side of the garden wall!

Sadly, no bonfire toffee or parkin.

From Blackfriars Station

In case you have forgotten, Blackfriars national rail station spans the river Thames with wonderful views down river, as captured here by a Twitterer awaiting his evening commute homewards.

 Next 383 bus blog (plus extras) : Saturday 7th November