Other resources

Published histories

• many local history publications are available from Barnet libraries. Search the library catalogue and request titles via our Select and Collect service
• the Victoria County History series for Hertfordshire Volume 2 and Middlesex Volumes 4 to 6 contain a wealth of useful information.

 Educational displays available on application

• Individuals in communities, the story of individual African and Caribbean people living in Barnet between the 1670s and the 1960s, beginning with Robert Moore and ending with Desmond Tutu
• Dreams of flight, Hendon aerodrome in the pioneer days from 1909 to 1925
• 175 years of the Welsh Harp, the fascinating story of the man made lake
• Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month in Barnet, the story of a community who have been visiting the Barnet area since at least the 18th century.

Web resources

• Borough Photos Barnet's historical picture collection
• From Barnet Streets to Fields of France - The Somme 1916 The Battle of the Somme, described as the worst day in the history of the British Army, lasted for 141 days from 1 July 1916. To commemorate the 100th anniversary, a volunteer from Heritage Development has documented a compilation of the names of the 419 men whose deaths were recorded in the Barnet Press, Finchley Press and Hendon Times.
• Jewish Gen specialist site for research on Jewish family history.
• London Film Archive explore the city's archive film collection.
• Pocket Histories short histories of your local area. Covering every corner of the borough with information about changes to each area, buildings, famous people, coats of arms and population statistics. Each area has an online resources page with links to the many resources available through the internet
• Your Paintings by the Public Catalogue Foundation and the BBC

Local history eBooks

Please be aware that these are large PDF files so may take some time to download

• A chat about Barnet and it's history by S.H Widdicombe, Vestry Clerk of Chipping Barnet. First published 1912. 
• Finchley Manual of Industry: Cooking prepared for the use of the National and Industrial Schools of the Holy Trinity at Finchley. First published1849. Copyright London Borough of Barnet 2016
• History and Topography of Hendon by Edward T Evans. First published 1891
• The Story of Golders Green and its Remarkable Development by Francis Howkins. First published 1923
• Village Into Borough by G.R.P Lawrence, M.Sc. (A history of Finchley). Originally published in 1964. Copyright London Borough of Barnet 2016

Ancestry library

The genealogical website Ancestry Library Edition is available in all Barnet Libraries and Local Studies and Archives with your library card. Features of this site include:

• The Census for 1841 to 1901
• Parish registers including Hendon, Mill Hill, Edgware, Finchley and Friern Barnet
• UK phone books from the 1880s onwards
• Kelly's and Pigot's County Directories from 1839.

Records at risk

Please contact us about the potential deposit of old documents, maps and photographs relating to the geographic area of the Borough of Barnet that may be at risk. We welcome donations of records that are appropriate to the collection.

Local groups

There are lots of local history groups in and around the London Borough of Barnet:

• Barnet and District Historical Society/ Barnet Museum
• Finchley Society
• Friern Barnet and District Local History Society
• Hendon and District Archaeological Society/ HADAS
• The Association of Jewish Ex-Service Men and Women/ AJEX
• Mill Hill Historical Society, Judith Sear (Hon. Secretary), 020 8959 3490.
• London Westminster and Middlesex Family History Society
• Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust
• Mill Hill Preservation Society
• The Royal Air Force Museum
• Cricklewood Matters, Pauline McKinnell, 020 8455 6527 and Keith John, 020 8455 7331. Email: ccform@hotmail.co.uk