The Saturday List #8 - Ten Barnet Landmarks

Continuing a theme from a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd compile a list of  Barnet Landmarks which most of us have noticed at one time or another on our travels around the Borogh

1. La Deliverance - (AKA "The naked Lady") at Henleys Corner. Generations of young men have been entranced by her curves. Features in the opening sequences of  "A Tale of Two Barnets"


2. The National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill. The big building with a green roof, visible from all over London. Featured in Batman films as the set for Arkham Asylum.

3 St Josephs College, Mill Hill. The tower is visible all around Mill Hill. Currently the set for "Call the Midwife".

4. The Royal Airforce Museum, Colindale. You can't ignore a buiding with a big missile outside it. Also visible from the train, although mostly obscured given the recent new buildings.

5. The Welsh Harp, West Hendon. The largest bit of open water in the Borough. Home of several sailing clubs.

6. The Whale's Jawbones, Whalebone Park, Wood Street, Barnet. The entrance to the park is formed by the jawbones of a Blue Whale.

7. Brent Cross Flyover. At the intersection of the A406 and the A41, Brent Cross Flyover is the biggest road junction in Barnet. When it was built it was deemed a design masterpiece and had very interesting road illuminations. I have always considered it an object fo great bueaty, especially when viewed from the Norther Line at Sunset, unlike the very ugly shopping centre next door.

8. Mill Hill East Rail Viaduct. Noted in the blog 150 great things about the London Underground - http://150greatthingsabouttheunderground.com/2012/04/10/12-the-viaduct-at-mill-hill-east/ - The biggest viaduct in Barnet and the best as well.

9. British Library Newspaper Museum, Colindale. A fantastic piece of architecture and the source for authors of many of the most fascinating things we read.

10.  The Orange Tree Pub. There is no pub in Barnet with a more enticing a vista than the Orange Tree. It has a duck pond outside and a large grassy area. On many a hot Sunny Sunday, it has been my destination on a long walk. Served by the 251 bus, it serves a decent pint, albiet sometimes surrounded by the some of the most annoying yuppy types on the planet. It used to be said that the way to pull at the Orange tree was to borrow a Ferrari. Frequneted by foootballers and wannabe's, but a great stop off on a walk none the less