Coordinates: 51°38′40″N 0°11′59″W / 51.6444°N 0.1997°W / 51.6444; -0.1997

Barnet
High Street
Barnet  Barnet shown within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ245955
- Charing Cross	10 mi (16 km)  SSE
London borough	Barnet
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BARNET
Postcode district	EN5
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Chipping Barnet
London Assembly	Barnet and Camden
List of places: UK • England • London

High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located 10 miles (16 km) north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London borough of which it forms a part. Chipping Barnet is the name of the Parliamentary constituency covering the local area - the word "Chipping" denotes the presence of a market (one was established here in the thirteenth century and persists to this day).

History[link]

The town's name derives from an ancient settlement, recorded as Barneto c.1070, Barnet 1197, La Barnette 1248, that is 'the land cleared by burning', from Old English bærnet, referring to the clearing of this once densely forested area in early times.

This was the site of the Battle of Barnet in 1471 (more accurately, Hadley), where Yorkist troops led by King Edward IV killed the rebellious "Kingmaker" Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Warwick's brother, John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu. Barnet Hill is said to be the hill mentioned in the nursery rhyme "The Grand Old Duke of York".

It is also the site of an ancient and well-known horse fair, whence comes the rhyming slang of Barnet Fair or barnet for 'hair'. The fair dates back to 1588 when Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the Lord of the Manor of Barnet to hold a twice yearly fair. Famous Barnet Market is now over 810 years old. On 23 August 1199 King John issued a Charter for a Market at Barnet to the Lord of the Manor, the Abbot of St. Albans, John de Cella.

Chipping Barnet was historically a civil parish of Hertfordshire and formed part of the Barnet Urban District from 1894. The parish was abolished in 1965 and the Chipping Barnet section of its former area was transferred from Hertfordshire to Greater London and the newly-created London Borough of Barnet.^[1] In 1801 the parish had a population of 1,258 and covered an area of 1,440 acres (6 km²). By 1901 the parish was reduced to 380 acres (1.5 km²) and had a population of 2,893. In 1951 the population was 7,062.^[2]

In Saxon times the site was part of an extensive wood called Southaw, belonging to the Abbey of St Albans. The name of the town appears in early deeds as 'Bergnet' - the Saxon word 'Bergnet'^[3] meant a little hill (monticulus). Barnet's elevated position is also indicated in one of its alternative names ('High Barnet'), which appears in many old books and maps, and which the railway company restored. According to local belief, though not verified, "Barnet stands on the highest ground betwixt London and York." The area was historically a common resting point on the traditional Great North Road between the City of London and York and Edinburgh.

At the beginning of the 21st century, a tongue-in-cheek movement calling for the name Barnet to be changed to "Barnét" began to gain the attention of the public and the national media, with many public road signs in the area regularly being altered to contain the accented character.^[4][5][6] Barnet Council has been treating any such alterations to public road signs as vandalism.

Geography[link]

The tower of Barnet parish church — St John the Baptist — at the top of Barnet Hill claims to be the highest point between itself and the Ural Mountains 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to the east.^[7] However, the same has been said of numerous other points. Since the opening of the railway, development has increased considerably, especially in the west of the area near Arkley.

Neighbouring areas

	South Mimms	Monken Hadley	Hadley Wood
	Arkley		Oakwood
		Barnet    East
	Totteridge	Whetstone	Southgate

Transport[link]

Barnet Hill is a major hill on the historic Great North Road. In coaching days, 150 stage coaches passed through Barnet daily. The modern Great North Road replacement the A1 avoids the town along Barnet Bypass.

Buses[link]

A Transport for London map of the routes through High Barnet: map.

Daily Bus Routes[link]

Route Number	Route	Via	Operation	Operator
34	Barnet Church to Walthamstow Central	Whetstone, Brunswick Park, Arnos Grove , Palmers Green, Edmonton Sliver Street	Daily. London Buses service	Arriva London
84	New Barnet to St Albans St Peters Street	Barnet , Monken Hadley, Potters Bar , South Mimms, London Colney	Daily. Hertfordshire service.	Metroline
107	New Barnet to Edgware	Barnet , Arkley, Borehamwood , Elstree, Stanmore	Daily. London Buses service	Metroline
184	Barnet Chesterfield Road to Turnpike Lane	New Barnet , East Barnet, Osidge, Arnos Grove , Bounds Green , Alexandra Palace , Wood Green	Daily. London Buses service	Arriva London
234	Barnet The Spires to Highgate Wood	Whetstone, Friern Barnet, Muswell Hill, East Finchley	Daily. London Buses service	Metroline
263	Barnet Hospital to Holloway Nags Head	Whetstone, North Finchley, East Finchley , Highgate , Archway , Upper Holloway	Daily. London Buses service	Metroline
307	Barnet Arkley Hotel to Brimsdown	New Barnet , East Barnet, Oakwood , Enfield Chase , Enfield Town	Daily. London Buses service	Arriva London
326	Barnet The Spires to Brent Cross	New Barnet , East Barnet, Whetstone, Totteridge , West Finchley, Finchley Central , Hendon	Daily. London Buses service	Metroline
384	Barnet Quinta Drive to Cockfosters	New Barnet , East Barnet	Daily. London Buses service	Metroline

Non-Daily Bus Routes[link]

Route Number	Route	Via	Operation	Operator
383	Barnet The Spires to Woodside Park	New Barnet , Oakleigh Park , Whetstone, Friern Barnet, North Finchley	Mon-Sat except evenings. London Buses service	Metroline
389	Barnet The Spires to Barnet Western Way	N/A	Mon-Sat 10am – 2pm. London Buses service	First London
399	Barnet The Spires to Hadley Wood	Monken Hadley	Mon-Sat 10am – 2pm. London Buses service	First London
614	Hatfield Business Park to Queensbury	Barnet, Arkley, Edgware , Burnt Oak	Mon-Sat. Hertfordshire service	Uno
606	Barnet Ravenscroft School to Queensbury	Barnet , Arkley, Edgware , Burnt Oak	Mon-Fri. London Buses school service	Metroline
626	Potters Bar Dame Alice Owen’s School to Finchley Central	Monken Hadley, Barnet , New Barnet , East Barnet, Whetstone, North Finchley	Mon-Fri. London Buses school service	Metroline
634	Barnet Hospital to Muswell Hill	Whetstone, Friern Barnet	Mon-Fri. London Buses school service	Metroline
N20	Barnet Church to Trafalgar Square	Whetstone, North Finchley, Finchley Central , East Finchley , Highgate , Archway , Tufnell Park , Kentish Town , Camden Town , Mornington Crescent , Euston[disambiguation needed ] , Leicester Square , Charing Cross	Nightly. London Buses service	Metroline

Tube stations[link]

Victorian Architecture of High Barnet Tube Station

High Barnet tube station is the terminus of the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line and is the northernmost station on the line.. (Trains run every 3–9 minutes to Morden via Bank, or to Kennington via Charing Cross, from three southbound platforms). The next station south is Totteridge and Whetstone.

Railway stations[link]

There are no overground railway stations in High Barnet itself, but these stations are nearby, and can be accessed from High Barnet by bus:

• New Barnet — First Capital Connect (84, 107, 184, 307, 326, 383, 384 buses)
• Oakleigh Park — First Capital Connect (383 bus)
• Hadley Wood — First Capital Connect (399 bus)

Religious sites[link]

St John the Baptist Church

St John the Baptist Church (built 1560), which stands in what was the centre of the town, was erected by John de la Moote, abbot of St Albans, about 1400, the architect being Beauchamp. Playing on its antiquity, it continues to call itself "Barnet Church", although this is not an official title. It is in fact the parish church of Chipping Barnet only, whilst Christ Church is the parish church of High Barnet, St Mark's is the parish church of Barnet Vale, St James's is the parish church of New Barnet, and St Mary's is the parish church of East Barnet. The parish church of St Mary the Virgin Monken Hadley (rebuilt 1494) also has parish boundaries which include a significant part of High Barnet, including much of Barnet High Street. The parish of Chipping Barnet, served by St John's Church, was provided with a chapel-of-ease in Victorian times; subsequently Chipping Barnet parish was split in two, and the chapel-of ease (on Bells Hill, Barnet) raised to the status of a parish church, dedicated to St Stephen.

St John the Baptist, the ancient parish church, consists of a nave and aisles separated by clustered columns which support four pointed arches; a chancel with an east window of good Perpendicular tracery; a vestry, built in the reign of James I by Thomas Ravenscroft; and at the west end, a low, square embattled tower. The living of Barnet is a curacy, held with the rectory of East Barnet till the death of the late incumbent in 1866, when the livings were separated.

Public services[link]

Barnet is served by Barnet General Hospital which is run by Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospitals Trust as part of the English National Health Service. There is also a National Health Service clinic in Vale Drive (near Barnet Hill and High Barnet tube station). London Ambulance Service responds to medical emergencies in Barnet. Home Office policing is provided by the Metropolitan Police Service. Statutory emergency fire service is provided by the London Fire Brigade, which has a station on Station Road, built in 1992.

Sport and recreation[link]

Barnet FC^[8] are the local football team, currently in Football League Two - the lowest professional league in English football. They play at the Underhill Stadium. They first reached the Football League in 1991 as champions of the GM Vauxhall Conference but lost their status 10 years later with relegation, only to return four years later - again as Conference champions. Barnet also has a Non-League football team London Lions F.C..

Barnet Cricket club and Old Elizabethans CC have merged to form one club in Barnet and currently play their games at Gypsy Corner. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers is a local athletics club. Chipping Barnet has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V. Old Court House Recreation Ground is a park in High Barnet.

High Barnet is home to an Odeon cinema, the Barnet Museum, the All Saints Art Centre, the traditional annual Barnet Fair, which was chartered in Medieval times, the Ravenscroft local park and Barnet recreational park, a now disused well that was frequented by, among others, Samuel Pepys, and many restaurants and public houses.

Cuisines on offer include Italian, French, Indian, Chinese and south east Asian. Amongst the most popular restaurants are branches of Pizza Express, Brasserie Gerard Prezzo, and Emchai (south east Asian cuisine). High Barnet also has a number of coffee/snack outlets, both independent ones such as The Coffee Bean and Oasis, as well as branches of Starbucks and Costa Coffee.

A small nightclub operated for a few years in the 1980s in the premises now occupied by The Misty Moon pub. The public houses and bars in High Barnet include: The Misty Moon, Toby Carvery, The Kings Head, The Monken Holt, The Black Horse, Ye Olde Mitre Inn, The Hadley Oak, The Nelson, The Sebright Arms, and The White Lion.^[9] The large number of inns in Barnet was a matter of note in Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist; it was here that Oliver met the Artful Dodger.

Local papers[link]

The local newspapers are as of 2011-

The town used to be part of Hertfordshire until 1965.

See also[link]

• List of people from Barnet
• List of schools in Barnet

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Barnet.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barnet Town

• The Barnet Society
• Barnet Symphony Orchestra
• Barnet YHA local group
• Barnet (A Guide to Old Hertfordshire)

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Edgar Davids

Personal information
Full name	Edgar Steven Davids
Date of birth	(1973-03-13) 13 March 1973 (age 39)
Place of birth	Paramaribo, Suriname
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
–	Jong Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1991–1996	Ajax	106	(20)
1996–1997	Milan	19	(0)
1997–2004	Juventus	159	(8)
2004	→ Barcelona (loan)	18	(1)
2004–2005	Internazionale	14	(0)
2005–2007	Tottenham Hotspur	40	(1)
2007–2008	Ajax	25	(1)
2010	Crystal Palace	6	(0)
Total		387	(31)
National team
1994–2005	Netherlands	74	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Edgar Steven Davids (born 13 March 1973) is a retired Dutch footballer. After beginning his career with Ajax, he subsequently played in Italy for Milan and Juventus before a loan spell with Barcelona. He went on to play for Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for two years, Davids returned to competitive football during a brief spell with Crystal Palace before retiring at the age of 37.

He was capped 74 times by the Netherlands at international level, scoring six goals, and represented his country at the FIFA World Cup (once) and the UEFA European Football Championship (three times). His dreadlocked hair and protective goggles – which he wore due to glaucoma – made Davids one of the most recognisable players of his generation.^[1][2][3] A combative and creative midfielder,^[4] Davids was nicknamed "the Pitbull" by Louis van Gaal because of his marking ability.^[5] He was one of the players chosen by Pelé to feature in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living footballers. He was born in Suriname to an African father and Jewish mother.^[6] His cousin Lorenzo is also a footballer.^[7][8]

Early life[link]

Edgar Davids was born in Suriname to an African father and a Jewish mother.^[6]

Club career[link]

Early years[link]

Davids started his career at AFC Ajax in 1991, making his debut on the 6 September in a 5–1 home win over RKC Waalwijk. He helped the Amsterdam club to three domestic Eredivisie titles, as well as continental success with the 1992 UEFA Cup and the 1995 UEFA Champions League. In the 1996 UEFA Champions League Final, he missed Ajax's first penalty in the shoot-out, which they ultimately lost to Juventus. While at Ajax, he was nicknamed "The Pitbull" by Ajax manager Louis van Gaal due to his fierce style of play and bite in the midfield.

Milan & Juventus[link]

This section requires expansion.

Juventus's Davids clashing with A.C. Milan's Gennaro Gattuso during the finals of the UEFA Champions League on 28 May 2003

At the start of the 1996–97 season Davids moved to Italy to play for A.C. Milan. After an unsuccessful spell where he failed to establish himself in the first team he moved on to league rivals Juventus F.C. in December 1997 for a £5.3 million transfer fee.^[9] Six successful years in Turin followed, with Davids helping the side to the Serie A title in 1998, 2002 and 2003. Juventus manager Marcello Lippi once described him as "my one-man engine room." On 17 May 2001, Davids was suspended by FIFA when he tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, nandrolone.^[10] He was often inspirational in Europe, playing 15 times as the club made it all the way to the UEFA Champions League 2002-03 final before losing to Milan on penalties.

Barcelona[link]

Davids joined FC Barcelona on loan in January 2004 from Juventus. Joining midway through a season where the club was struggling in midtable and recently appointed manager Frank Rijkaard was under considerable pressure, Davids led Barça's successful resurgence of form which saw them finishing second to Valencia in the league.^[11] Davids' arrival has been cited as the catalyst for the Catalan club's dominance of Spanish and European football during the mid to late 00s, with Rijkaard winning La Liga the following season (after five years without winning the league title) and a La Liga and Champions League double in 2005–06.^[12]

Internazionale & Tottenham Hotspur[link]

In the summer of 2004, he permanently moved on to Italian club F.C. Internazionale Milano on a three-year contract.^[13] When Inter terminated the remaining years of his contract in August 2005, he moved to England on a free transfer to play for Tottenham Hotspur F.C..^[14] He had a successful stay at Tottenham and instantly became a fan's favourite. His first and only goal was in a 2–1 away win against Wigan Athletic.^[15] Davids played for Spurs in the 2005–06 and the 2006–07 seasons, both in which the club finished in 5th position.

Return to Ajax[link]

Davids signed once more for Ajax on 28 January 2007^[16] and played his first match against Ajax's rivals Feyenoord on 4 February.^[17] After the mid-season switch, Davids proved his value for the Ajax team again. He was one of the key midfielders in the run for the Dutch championship that was lost on one single goal to PSV on the final day of the league. He also played a major role in Ajax's cup campaign. He secured the KNVB Cup for Ajax by scoring the final penalty in a thrilling penalty shoot-out against AZ. Prior to the start of the 2007–08 season, Davids' leg was broken in a pre-season friendly against Go Ahead Eagles, sidelining him for around three months.^[18] In May 2008, Davids said he would leave Ajax when his contract expired on 30 June.^[19]

Davids embraces Ajax team manager David Endt during his second period at Ajax, with Thomas Vermaelen and Gregory van der Wiel behind.

He played against Los Angeles Galaxy on 6 December 2008 in an exhibition match held at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, as part of an Oceania XI All-Star team, despite the fact he is not from Oceania and has never played for an Oceanic club or national team.^[20] Davids was in contract negotiations with English Championship club Leicester City from 22 October 2009.^[21] However, he failed to make a decision for over a week and the club withdrew their offer on 30 October.^[21]

Crystal Palace[link]

On 20 August 2010, Davids agreed a pay-as-you-play deal with English Championship club Crystal Palace. He made his debut on 24 August 2010 at left-back in the Second Round of the League Cup against Portsmouth.^[22] On 8 November 2010, he announced his departure of the club, stating it was "one of the greatest experiences of my life".^[23]

International career[link]

Davids was an integral part of the Dutch national team since his debut on 20 April 1994 in Tilburg against Ireland (0–1),^[24] though he has not won any major tournaments for the Oranje.

During the UEFA Euro 1996, he was sent home by then manager Guus Hiddink for saying in a radio interview: "Hiddink should stop putting his head in some players' asses."

Nonetheless, Davids remained appreciated by Hiddink, who included him in the Dutch squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Davids' most notable performance for the national team came in the 1998 FIFA World Cup second round game against FR Yugoslavia. He scored the winning goal in the last minute of the game and ensured that the Dutch team went through to the next round to meet Argentina. The Dutch national team eventually finished 4th overall and Davids was named to the official FIFA "Team of the Tournament".

Davids played in the UEFA Euro 2000 when he was named for the UEFA "Team of the Tournament". The Netherlands reached the semi-finals and played against Italy in a thrilling game that ended up being decided with a penalty shootout.

During the Netherlands' UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches, Davids scored the Netherlands' first qualifying goal in their opening 3–0 victory against Belarus and subsequently bossed the midfield in five of the remaining seven Group 3 fixtures and both legs of the play-off victory against Scotland.

After Euro 2004, new national team coach Marco van Basten appointed Edgar Davids as captain of the team. However, lack of first team football at his club Inter meant Davids also lost his place in the national team in October 2004, thus losing the captain's armband in the process, which was later handed to Edwin van der Sar. At the latter stages of the qualifying series for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in October 2005, he was re-called back into the national team, though not as captain. He fell out of the picture again shortly after, thereby missing out on the Dutch squad for the 2006 World Cup.

Davids was selected to appear on the cover of the football game FIFA Football 2003 alongside Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs and Brazilian international Roberto Carlos.

Post-retirement[link]

In June 2011, Davids was elected to the new supervisory board at Ajax alongside Johan Cruyff.^[25][26][27]

Personal life[link]

He is engaged to fashion designer Olcay Gulsen.^[28]

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Ajax

• Eredivisie (3): 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96
• KNVB Cup (2): 1992–93, 2006–07
• Johan Cruijff Schaal (4): 1993, 1994, 1995, 2007
• UEFA Champions League (1): 1994–95
• UEFA Cup (1): 1991–92
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 1995
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1995

Juventus

• Serie A (3): 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
• Supercoppa Italiana (2): 2002, 2003
• UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1999

Internazionale

• Coppa Italia (1): 2004–05

Individual[link]

• UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament
• 1998 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team

Career statistics[link]

^[24][29]

References[link]