Golders Green
Prior to the arrival of the tube in 1907 Golders Green was open fields and farmland but thereafter it quickly developed into a solid middle class suburb most obviously associated with the synagogues, kosher shops and restaurants which give the area its distinctive character.
These days the well-established Jewish community, which settled here before and after World War II, has been complimented by an influx of Japanese residents who come to work in the City.
Golders Green is a peaceful neighbourhood largely comprised of substantial detached and semi-detached Edwardian family homes with good gardens (4/5 bed); smaller 30s semis (3 bed); and purpose-built apartment blocks.
The larger family homes can be found to the north around Princes Park; to the south overlooking Golders Hill Park; and west of here in the streets off The Ridgeway. Smaller terraces, semis, purpose-built blocks and conversions can be found in the neighbourhood around Brent Cross tube station and in Temple Fortune area (west of the Finchley Road).
Brent Cross shopping centre, a massive and somewhat alienating structure, and the bustling Golders Green Road, make this is a good area for shopping. There are also plenty of restaurants (Jewish, Japanese, Indian), and a fair sprinkling of bars and cafes.
The schools are generally very well thought of and the wide open spaces of Hampstead Heath are conveniently close.
Transport facilities include tubes at Golders Green and Brent Cross (northern line).
Hampstead Garden Suburb (NW11)
Situated to the east of Finchley Road, Hampstead Garden Suburb was a utopian housing project begun in 1907 by Lady Henrietta Barnett. The original intention was admirable enough: Barnett hoped to create a socially mixed neighbourhood in which the rich would rub shoulders with middle class professionals and honest artisans and all would benefit from the experience.
But the distribution and scale of the properties underlines the fact that this was a scheme as much concerned with the preservation of class distinctions as their dissolution. Grand 7 bedroom mansions overlook Hampstead Heath Extension to the south; substantial detached and semi-detached houses can be found on the tree-lined streets around the Central Square; and smaller cottages and apartment blocks lie to the north. No prizes for guessing who lived where.
The Suburb, which is now run by a Trust, imposes strict regulations on the maintenance of the properties and takes much pride in conserving its leafy and picturesque environment.
The choice of property is still fairly diverse-flats and maisonettes, terraces and semis, attractive cottages and ambassadorial mansions- and prices vary from a modest £80,000 to a whopping 10 million, depending on the location and the type of accommodation.
The area attracts first time buyers, well-off families, seriously wealthy types and the rich and famous. Some permanent famous residents can be found at Golders Green crematorium (just off Hoop Lane) where Bram Stoker, Sigmund Freud, T.S. Eliot, Sean O'Casey, Kipling, Shaw, and Peter Sellers were consigned to dust.
Shopping is not a strong point here: Falloden Way has some discreet and suitably pricey shops but residents generally have to go further afield to Golders Green or Hampstead Village for more in the way of shopping and dining.
The Schools-notably Henrietta Barnet Senior Girls School and Brookland Junior- are well thought of and the whole area is a veritable oasis of open space and greenery.
Golders Green and East Finchley are the nearest tubes; the estate itself runs a 'Hopper' bus service. The rest of the Suburb, to the east, is part of N2.
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