Another in the occasional series on “Far-Flung Lost London” …
Barnet was first recorded in c. 1070 as Barneto, from the Old English baernet, meaning land cleared by burning (see also March 30th, August 1st and August 8th, 2016, and April 14th, 2017 postings). The church of St John was originally built here in c. 1250, subsequently substantially rebuilt in c. 1400, and restored in the nineteenth century, and twice in the twentieth.
Queen Elizabeth’s School was built here in c. 1577, four years after the granting of a charter for that purpose. It was originally a free grammar school, and subsequently became a boarding establishment (with specially constructed dormitories accessed by way of a staircase in the east turret). The old school moved to a new location in 1932. The recently restored former school building on the original site is now owned by Hertfordshire County Council, and known as Tudor Hall.
The Battle of Barnet was fought a short distance to the north in 1471, in the Wars of the Roses.
Artefacts from the site may be viewed in the Barnet Museum (on Wood Street).
