Cherry Tree Wood is a 5.3-hectare park in

East Finchley East Finchley is an area in North London, immediately north of Hampstead Heath. Like neighbouring Muswell Hill, it straddles the London Boroughs of London Borough of Barnet, Barnet and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey, with most of East F ...

in the

London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in north London, England. Forming part of Outer London, the borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It is the ...

. It is a

Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typical ...

. Located opposite East Finchley Underground station, it contains woodland and grassland, a playground, tennis courts, a cafe and toilets. The history of the wood may date back to prehistoric times. The wood in this area likely served as a source to fire nearby Roman

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...

s around AD50-AD160.History of Cherry Tree Wood
by The Friends of Cherry Tree Wood The first mention of the park is from the 13th century as the hunting grounds of the Bishop of London. It is a remnant of the large medieval wood called Finchley Wood, which was shown in Great Hornsey Park in

John Rocque John Rocque (originally Jean; –1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed John Rocque's Map of London, 1746, map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704 ...

's map of 1754. It was later known as Dirthouse Wood because the

night soil Night soil is a historical euphemism for Human waste, human excreta collected from cesspit, cesspools, privies, pail closets, pit latrines, privy middens, septic tanks, etc. This material was removed from the immediate area, usually at night, by ...

and horse manure from London's streets was brought to the Dirthouse, now the White Lion pub next to East Finchley Station, as fertiliser for hay meadows.Cherry Tree Wood, Barnet Online
In 1914 it was purchased by Finchley Council from the

Ecclesiastical Commissioners The Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title was Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorised to determine the distribution of revenues of the Ch ...

to create a public park.Cherry Tree Wood, London Gardens Online
/ref> Until it became a public park, hornbeam trees were cut back every few years to provide wood for charcoal, while oaks were allowed to grow to their full height for timber. Now that coppicing has ceased the hornbeams have grown tall and rangy, and the wood has grown shaded. Wood anemone and other ancient plants can be found in the spring, and

Eurasian nuthatch The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (''Sitta europaea'') is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-stripe. ...

and great spotted woodpecker are often seen. Mutton Brook rises in Cherry Tree Wood, and the

Capital Ring The Capital Ring is a strategic circular walking route in London, around in length. It is promoted by London's 33 local councils, led by the City of London Corporation in partnership with the Greater London Authority and its functional body f ...

between

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

and

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

passes through it.Capital Ring, Walk 11, Hendon to Highgate

References

External links

The Friends of Cherry Tree Wood website

Cherry Tree Wood
on the VisitWoods website
Cherry Tree Wood
on the GoParks.London website {{Nature reserves in Barnet Ancient woods of London Nature reserves in the London Borough of Barnet Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Barnet

See also

References

Further reading

External links