It is centred on Tally Ho Corner, the junction of the roads to East Finchley, Church End, Friern Barnet and Whetstone. Church End is often known as Finchley Central, owing to the name of the tube station located there.

The area has mainly 19th-century housing, ranging from quaint Victorian cottages to substantially larger Victorian double-fronted houses. There is also a dominant Edwardian style toward Woodside Park and Nether Street, but with some modern houses—probably built between the 1930s and 1960s—towards Friern Barnet. 

Tally Ho Corner and the High Road

North End, the old name for the area of North Finchley and Whetstone, was first recorded in 1462. North Finchley did not develop into an urban area until after the enclosure of Finchley Common in 1816. Prior to that, in 1627, Thomas Rawson was allowed to construct a windmill and house which by 1722 had also become an inn, the Windmill. By 1754 the inn was called the Swan with Two Nicks and had ceased as a mill. The site is now a police garage.

Ballards Lane is an ancient road which was probably named after the Ballard family of about 1300. It did not always connect with the High Road. For many centuries it terminated near where Victoria Park is today. In 1756 a raised way was constructed from the end of Ballards Lane to the High Road, then the Great North Road, making North Finchley a junction. This suggests that Ballards Lane had already become a link in a route from London via Hendon to the Great North Road. There was a beerhouse in 1814, licensed to provide gunpowder and shot, near the junction.

The name Tally Ho came in the 1830s when a coaching company of the same name based a staging post of 16 horses on the corner. But it was later, with the enclosure of the common after 1816 and the creation of the Finchley Road turnpike along Ballards Lane in the late 1820s, that the beginnings of a suburb were sparked.

Charles Jacques built twenty-one cottages in Lodge Lane around 1824 and constructed Torrington Cottage as a residence. By the 1830s there were other houses and in 1837 a dissenting chapel, "Cottagers Chapel", which had been converted from the stables of Orchard Cottage.

By 1839 North Finchley had at least five retail outlets including a blacksmith called Elizabeth Humphreys. These were on Lodge Lane rather than on the High Road. Incidentally, Lodge Lane was the home of Private John Parr the first British soldier to be killed in World War I, and the actor David Jason. 

We come together for tea, coffee and a selection of cakes and sandwiches, and spend some time chatting and socialising, and our vicar visits when possible to give a short thought for the day.

We meet on a Wednesday morning from 10am to 12pm in the small hall behind the church. If you would like more information please get in touch.

Tuesday 25 Aug- Friday 28 August 2026

10:00-12:30

Come and join us for games, crafts, drama and stories from the Bible as we learn about Jesus in this quest themed holiday club. 

Who is it for?   This is a supervised group where you can drop your children in school years from Reception - Year 6 (2025-2026). We will be teaching stories from the Bible but we welcome all children of all faiths or none and children of all abilities - do let us know in advance if your child would benefit from extra support for any reason.

Who is it run by? We are an Anglican church with many years experience of running holiday clubs and groups for children. All our leaders are DBS checked with the relevant safeguarding training. We run this on a not-for-profit basis to make the club as open to as many people as possible.

What does it cost? £5 per day or £15 per child for the week. 

How do I book? An online booking form is available here.

We provide a meeting place for parents and carers with babies and small children to relax and chat together whilst the children enjoy play, painting, and other activities. 

We offer an opportunity for friendships, learning and fun. 

Each week we learn about God through our craft activity.

We provide snack time for the children and refreshments for the adults. The session ends each week with a fun time of singing. 

For further details, please get in touch with us at 123@christchurchnorthfinchley.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Is English an additional language for you?

Do you want to speak English more fluently?

Do you want to know more about British culture?

If your answer is "Yes!" come to ETC, our English Tuition Class!

We are here on Monday mornings during school term times. Classes are small, friendly and relevant.

Contact Rosemarie Nixon through the church office at ETC@christchurchnorthfinchley.org.uk

Activities would need to fit around the church’s own schedule of services, particularly on Sundays. 

There are different spaces to hire and we have parking, toilets, disabled toilet, and disabled access.

If you are interested in hiring any of our spaces, please do get in touch with the church office. 

Baptism & Thanksgiving

 "All of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:3-4).

At Christ Church we have two services which are connected with the start of life, sometimes called ‘Christening’ - Thanksgiving and Baptism.

Thanksgiving is about celebrating the beginning of the life of a child. We give thanks to God for their birth and we ask for his wisdom and blessing as they grow.

Baptism is a God-given marker of entry into the family of God’s people, the church. It is the physical sign that goes with coming to faith in Jesus Christ. It is a joyful event, intended to encourage and strengthen the faith of the baptised person and the church family. At Christ Church we offer this both to adults who come to faith and to children of believers whose parents want them to grow up within the Christian faith. 

Please contact our church office to enquire further.

Weddings

No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
(1 John 4:12)

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
(Genesis 2:24)

Weddings at Christ Church are special occasions when we celebrate with joy that God has brought a couple together in marriage. We will be delighted to meet with you and pray with you as you prepare, not just for a big day, but for a life together.

Please contact our church office to enquire further.

Funerals

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
(Philippians 1:21-23).

The message at all church funerals is that in Jesus there is hope. In amongst the sadness because someone known and loved has died, we hold to God’s promises to be with his people and the fact that Jesus has risen from death. We work with families and with local funeral directors to ensure everything is appropriate.

Please contact our church office to enquire further.