London/North

Many outer areas of North London were once part of the county of Middlesex, which no longer exists for administrative purposes. However, residents of these areas still have the option of using Middlesex in their postal addresses.

Boroughs

North London consists of the following boroughs:

• Barnet — the borough includes:

• Barnet
• Edgware
• Finchley
• Golders Green
• Hendon

Brent — the borough includes:

• Wembley
• Kilburn
• Neasden
• Willesden

Enfield — the borough includes:

• Enfield, Edmonton and Bush Hill Park
• Palmers Green
• Southgate

Haringey — the borough includes:

• Harringay
• Crouch End
• Muswell Hill
• Tottenham
• Wood Green

Harrow — the borough includes:

• Harrow, Harrow town centre is a bustling shopping and business area, while Harrow on the Hill, with the famous Harrow school, has remained almost unchanged for a hundred years.
• Pinner
• Stanmore

London Borough of Enfield

Enfield can be split into four distinct areas:

• Enfield Town, Chase, Slades Hill and Hadley Wood. Shopping here in Palace Xchange can be relatively expensive but there are some well-known stores such as United Colours Of Benetton, Ralph Lauren, Armani Exchange, The Arsenal Store, H&M, Next, Rolex, Per Lui, TK Maxx, Pearsons Department Store, JD Sports, M&S, Jane Norman, plus coffee shops (Cafe Néro, Starbucks and Costa). Also in Enfield Town is the world's first working and commercial ATM at the Barclays Bank on The Town EN2.
• Southgate and Palmers Green - Wealthy suburban areas with beautiful Victorian and Edwardian era houses; a short bus ride from Enfield Town on the 121/329.
• Oakwood, Cockfosters, Grange Park and Cat Hill - Upper-middle-class suburbs bordering London's Metropolitan Green Belt; views of open countryside are not uncommon in both Chase and Oakwood.
• Edmonton and Bush Hill Park - Two outer London middle-class suburbs; location of the Edmonton Green shopping centre, Edmonton Green Bus Station and many shopping villages.

Finchley

This is a large, thriving metropolitan area in central North London and can be divided into several areas including Finchley Central (known historically as Finchley Church End), East Finchley and West Finchley.
Finchley Central is one of the only areas within London to be fortunate enough to have a city farm. College Farm is an attraction for locals and tourists alike and one can expect to see horses, cows, yaks, pigs and other farmyard animals (a rare sight in London). Finchley Central is also home to the famous 'naked lady' statue at the Henly's Corner. There are a number of hotels situated in the district ranging from smaller bed and breakfasts to the Holiday Inn Finchley.
Finchley Central contains an odd mix of upper-middle class suburbia infused with some working class aspects too, thus giving it a rather unique vibe. There is a strong Jewish community in Finchley, however, this does not contain many Orthodox Jews who generally choose to make the neighbouring areas of Hendon and Golders Green their home. The Jewish community is represented by a number of synagogues in the area, the most prominent being the New North London Synagogue which is situated on East End Road. This also acts as a local hub for Jewish culture.
There are a number of restaurants in Finchley Central which are reasonably priced and these include specialist restaurants such as Kosher and Halal establishments. Finchley also has a number of bohemian and lively bars, some of which have late licensing laws, though the number of traditional pubs has declined in recent years. Travel in and out of central London is simple via the Northern Line and a variety of bus routes. Although Finchley has a distinctly urban feel, one can venture close by to the neighbouring Mill Hill area in order to experience some of the great British countryside.

Kilburn

Kilburn is a busy, diverse area situated along a stretch of the Roman Watling Street that makes up the local Edgware Road. Northern Kilburn encompasses the smaller area of Brondesbury. Known as 'Little Dublin', Kilburn spans the boroughs of Brent and Camden.
Being surrounded by generally wealthier areas, Kilburn is a mixture of influences. Historically, it was a focus point for Irish immigration (at some point it was even referred to as "County Kilburn"), and although there are few remaining in Kilburn, their influence is felt in the naming and styling of some of Kilburn's cafes and pubs. The community is very diverse, both ethnically and socially, with a mix of wealthy and poor streets.

Tottenham

Tottenham is mentioned in the Domesday book as the homestead of a man named Tota. The village of Tottenham grew up around the area of High Cross, on the junction with the High Road (the Roman road Ermine Street) and what is now Monument Way.
As a rural village this was a popular destination for the wealthy, and Henry VIII is believed to have visited the Tudor Bruce Castle, then in the hands of the Bruce family (descended from Robert the Bruce). The area stayed semi-rural until the late 19th century when the railway (with its new, reduced, workmen's rates) brought new trade and the need for more housing to the area. The area rapidly became built up, and by the time of World War II was a major target for Luftwaffe bombing campaigns.
Since then, Tottenham has become most notorious for being one of the most deprived areas of North London and the scene of the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985. Since then, the area has done much to recover, and is now reputed to be the most ethnically diverse part of Western Europe. The 2011 England riots were sparked in Tottenham, which saw some of the worst looting.

By Tube

North London is well served by Tube connections from Central London:

• Metropolitan Line (purple) runs through Wembley and Harrow terminating outside the London region in Watford and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
• Jubilee Line (silver) runs through Wembley terminating at Stanmore.
• Bakerloo Line (brown) runs through Wembley terminating at Harrow and Wealdstone
• Northern Line (black) has two branches one terminating at Edgware and the other at High Barnet with a sub-branch line to Mill Hill East.
• Piccadilly Line (dark blue) terminates at Cockfosters.
• Victoria Line (light blue) runs through Tottenham terminating at Walthamstow.

By train

• From London Euston (part of the overground network, orange) through Wembley, along the same route as the Bakerloo line, to Harrow then continuing to Watford.
• From London Kings Cross to Barnet and Enfield.
• From London Liverpool Street to Tottenham and Enfield.
• Tottenham Hale station is a stop on the Stansted Express from Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street.

By road

The North Circular Road (A406) is the main west to east road through North London. It has junctions with:
From the North: M1/A1, A10.
From the East: M11.
From the West: M4, A40.

Crouch End

• Tricky as there is no tube to Crouch End
• Crouch End can be accessed relatively easily by the London Overground railway line, by transferring at Gospel Oak.
• You can take a number 91 bus from Trafalgar Square (calls at Aldwych, Holborn, Euston and King's Cross) but it takes almost an hour (off peak) from Trafalgar Square.
• Alternatively you can go by tube to Archway and then take bus number 41 to Crouch End. Or take a Victoria Line/Piccadilly Line train to Finsbury Park, and then the W7 bus. Finsbury Park tube station has an exit closed for refurbishing until around 2020.
• There is also a W5 local bus, which runs from Sainsbury's at Harringay Green Lanes and serves the YMCA just down from Crouch End Broadway.

Tottenham

By tube

Tottenham is served by two tube stations on the Victoria line, Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters.

By train

Seven Sisters, Bruce Grove and White Hart Lane stations are on the National Express line between Enfield Town and Liverpool Street.
South Tottenham station is on the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking.

By bus

Buses:
123 Wood Green to Ilford,
149 Liverpool Street to Edmonton,
243 Wood Green to Waterloo, and many more services come through Tottenham.

Wembley

By tube

Two London Underground stations are within a short walk of the venues. Wembley Park is on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, and Wembley Central on the Bakerloo and London Overground lines. Access to the venues are via Olympic Way and the White Horse Bridge respectively. London Underground services typically run every 5 minutes in each direction until midnight, seven days a week.

By train

Two mainline stations are within a short walk of the venues. Wembley Central is served London Overground, providing services to Watford Junction northbound and London Euston southbound. Services typically run every 20 minutes in each direction M-Sa, and every half hour on Sundays. Southern trains also run M-F peak hour services on the West London Line, also to Watford Junction northbound but to Clapham Junction and Gatwick Airport railway station southbound. Whether matchday services will run at the weekends on this route remains unclear.
Wembley Stadium station is next to the stadium. Services are provided by Chiltern Railways on the Chiltern Main Line to London Marylebone (one stop away) southbound. Services are every half-hour seven days a week. Northbound, trains only run up as far as High Wycombe and are every half-hour seven days a week. However, if travellers go first to Marylebone, there are northbound services that go all the way up to Birmingham Snow Hill. These run every half-hour, seven days a week.

It is relatively easy to get around, as there are lots of buses, as well as Tube and Overground stations.

Enfield

• Capel Manor Gardens

  address: Capel Manor Gardens, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RQ
  30 acres of grounds featuring over 60 different gardens and landscapes (some award-winning). Also has a restaurant and gift shop.

• Forty Hall & EstateA renovated 17th-century estate featuring a mansion and grounds. Has a gift shop and café.

Harrow

• Harrow SchoolHarrow is famous for its school, Winston Churchill attended it as did 7 other British prime ministers. The school is at the top of the hill, the buildings and surrounding area are a step back in time. Try to go in term time on a Sunday as the pupils in long coats and straw boaters, and the masters in mortar boards are a sight rarely seen anywhere outside of Hollywood films of Olde England!

• Harrow on the HillHarrow on the Hill grew around the millennium-old St. Mary's Church, and was the centre of power for an area encompassed by what is the current borough. The hill is a place where you can see a chunk of English history in the urban landscape.

• Bentley Priory Nature ReserveThe place is a beautifully preserved nature reserve but it also contains Bentley Priory, this place was the RAF Fighter Command HQ in the Second World War. When London was burning, this place was never bombed, some people say that German Air Command did not destroy it because they wanted to make it their own HQ, this place was inside the RAF Stanmore Air Base but now its been opened to the public. It also has a deer park and a beautiful pond; named Boot Pond.

Kilburn

• St Augustine's

  phone: +44 20 7624 1637
  address: Kilburn Park Road, NW6 5XB
  An ornate Anglican church, sometimes incorrectly called the "Cathedral of North London". The church was built in the 1870s, and has altar screens designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1930.

Neasden

• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandi

  phone: +44 20 8965 2651
  address: 105-119 Brentfield Road, Neasden, London NW10 8LD
  It's Europe’s first mandir, a traditional Hindu stone temple. It used to be also the biggest one outside India.

Wood Green

• Alexandra PalaceWood Green's landmark, on a hill overlooking the City of London and the West End. The grand Victorian building was the first place from which the BBC broadcast regular television, but has been gutted by fire on two separate occasions. It now serves as an exhibition and event venue, and is popular for the surrounding Alexandra Park, its boating lake and ice-rink, and its panoramic views over London.

Wembley

• Wembley Stadium

  phone: +44 20 8795-9000
  address: Stadium Way
  The large arch, the answer to the old stadium's twin towers, is an impressive structure and is often lit up to celebrate special occasions (such as London winning the 2012 Olympic Games bid).

Tottenham

• Bruce Castle & Museum

  phone: +44 20 8808-8772
  address: Lordship Ln
  Bruce Castle is a manor house, one of the oldest brick houses in England, that is now a public park and museum. The museum mostly concerns the local history of Haringey, and there are regular talks and workshops. Bruce Castle Park has a tree trail and children's playground.

• Tottenham MarshPart of the Lea Valley Park, a natural habitat for many resident plants and animals.

• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

  address: Park Lane, Tottenham N17 0BX
  Spurs play in the Premier League, the top tier of football in England. Their new ground on the site of the former White Hart Lane stadium opened in April 2019, capacity 62,000. This has two pitches - a retractable grass pitch for Spurs games, and an artificial pitch for American football games - from October 2019 the National Football League will play at least two games each season here. Spurs also have a women's team playing in the Women's Super League, with home games at The Hive, Barnet FC.

Hendon

• RAF MuseumA must for any war buffs. It has extensive galleries detailing the history of the RAF and its aircraft. A sound and light show inside the museum focuses on the Blitz.

Kilburn

• Kiln Theatre

  phone: +44 20 7328 1000
  address: 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 6JR
  Renowned theatre and cinema, noted for its 'reality' plays such as The Riots (2011) and Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry (2005).

Wood Green

• Alexandra Palace ice rink

• Chocolate Factory

  address: Clarendon Road, N22 6XJ
  Converted sweets factory now used by local artists; there are regular shows and events here. The annual Open Studios is on the second weekend in November.

• Cinemas

  address: Wood Green High Road
  There are two cinemas on this road.

Tottenham

• Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tour

  phone: +44 344 499 5000
  address: Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Rd
  A tour of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

• Cycle and boat hire on the Lea

  phone: +44 7747 873831
  address: Stonebridge Lock, Tottenham Marshes
  Hire a canoe, kayak or cycle by the hour.

Harringay

• Finsbury ParkOne of North London's green lungs - boating on the lake, start a walk of Parkland Walk to Highgate along the route one of London's former railway lines.

Wembley

• Football matches

• NFL International Series (American football): the best players battle it out four times a year in jolly old England, with two here and two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Harrow

• St. George's and St. Ann'sTwo shopping centres housing a range of high street stores, including Topshop, Primark, TK Maxx, Monsoon.

Wood Green

• High RoadMile-long shopping street containing many high street chains and independent shops.

• The Mall Wood Green

  address: The Mall Wood Green, 159 High Road, Wood Green, N22 6YQ
  It features many high street chains and independent shops, as well as a covered market with a large food section including butchers, fishmongers, fruit and vegetables and international food.

Wembley

There are several specialised shops in the area, as well as large shopping centres. Of course, there are hundreds of other shops and shopping centres nearby in London.

Tottenham

• West Green Road shops

  address: West Green Rd, Seven Sisters
  Specialist Caribbean and African food, open til late.

• Tesco

  address: High Rd

Golders Green

Large number of charity/thrift shops in the area. The haul is pretty good if you are looking for ladies' vintage and the Norwood shops often have shipments of castoffs from high street mainstays (Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, and Charles Tyrwhitt), but for actual designer stuff, go to St. John's Wood instead.

Crouch End

There are plenty of good quality restaurants in Crouch End to choose from.

• BannersGlobal food, good vegetarian options but hard to get into on a weekend.

• La Bota

  phone: +44 20 8340-3082
  address: 31 Broadway Parade
  Spanish tapas, very popular.

• The Kings HeadRedeveloped pub. Trendy crowd, with comedy on a Monday night.

• O's Thai CafeGood quality reasonably priced Thai food. Buzzy atmosphere.

Edgware

• Kabul City Restaurant

  phone: +44 20 8952-6036
  address: 32-34 Station Road
  A great place for meat lovers! Its mixed kebab grill is cheap and delicious! The best part is that it is bring your own booze, so just stock up from the off licence round the corner.

Finchley

• Falafel Feast

  address: 377 Regents Park Road, N3 1DE
  High quality and affordable authentic middle-eastern specialties - including sabich, shakshuka and falafel - served by friendly staff.

Golders Green

• Cafe Japan

  address: 626 Finchley Rd
  Very good food. Zagat rated. Book in advance as they get very busy.

• Kimchee

  address: 887 Finchley Rd
  Good Korean food.

• L'Artista

  phone: +44 20 8731-7501
  address: 915-917 Finchley Road, NW11 7PE
  Superb Italian food - generous portions, large varied menu; perhaps one of the best Italian restaurants in London whether a quick pizza or party. Somewhat noisy esp. in evenings from adjacent railway and staff celebrating diners' birthdays with clashing cymbals and parades, quieter in back and in the covered outdoor area.

• Local Friends

  address: 28 North End Rd
  Chinese.

• Water Margin

  address: 96 Golders Green Road
  Chinese

Harringay

• The restaurants and food shops of the Harringay stretch of Green LanesOne of London's great collections of restaurants, with a predominance of Turkish food.

Harrow

• St. George'sA few restaurants on the same floor as the cinema.

• St. Ann'sUpstairs food court with a KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc.

Tottenham

• Marmalade

  phone: +44 20 8808-9111
  address: 40 Lordship Ln
  An excellent homemade food cafe, with superb cakes.

Wembley

Wembley is noted for its large ethnic minority communities, particularly people of Indian origin. There are many Indian takeaways, and many other takeaways, restaurants and pizza parlours.

Wood Green

• Karamel Club

  address: Chocolate Factory 2, 4 Coburg Road, N22 6UJ
  Global fusion homemade cuisine and music venue.

• Vrisaki

  address: 73 Myddleton Road, N22 8LZ
  Authentic Greek (Cypriot) food. Highly recommended by Haringey and Enfield residents.

Wembley

There are numerous bars in the area. Alcohol is not permitted in the arena or stadium.

Crouch End

• The Railway PubRenovated.

• The Kings Head pubGood comedy night downstairs most nights.

Harringay

• The Salisbury pubHuge ornate early Edwardian pub; worth a visit just to look but plenty going on including music and period jazz dancing.

Kilburn

• The Colin CampbellSmall, friendly Irish pub with good traditional music sessions on Friday nights.

• The Black LionNice gastropub/restaurant.

• The North London TavernPopular bar/restaurant. Not quite as good as the Black Lion.

Hostels

• London Backpackers

  phone: +44 20 8203-1319
  address: 8-10 Queens Parade, Queens Road, NW4 3NS
  Hostel for 18- 35 year olds only.

Wembley

There are several inns and hotels in the area, ranging for the cheap-and-cheerful to 5-star.

Golders Green

Golders Green has a fair number of small hotels and Bed and Breakfasts within walking distance of the Underground Station.

• Martel Guest HouseComfortable rooms, reasonably priced.

Hotels

• Radisson Blu Hotel, Stansted

  phone: +44 127 966-1012
  address: Waltham Close

Tottenham

The area has a justified reputation for being blighted with crime. Gangs of male youths are responsible for the majority of crime and disorder, in particular robbery and burglary. Hartington Park is to be avoided from the evening onwards. Keep to the well-lit streets and the High Rd, and avoid flashing jewellery or mobile phones.
Tottenham Police Station is located at 398 High Road N17: 5 min walk north from Seven Sisters underground station.
It is recommended for people to stay in groups when in Tottenham, and avoid anyone who looks dodgy.