Town centres emerge. They evolve. The High Road East Finchley is no exception. It is the beating heart of the local community.
This 1 hour 30 minute walk will pick up past echoes of what was here before the buildings and then explore the evolution of the centre to the present day and pose questions about where it may be going in the future.
Historical documents from Old Bailey trials to newspaper reports will bring out past voices and events along this High Road which was constructed around 1300. The first retail buildings appeared around the late Victoria/Edwardian period and the walk will explain how and why the centre developed in this location. Moving nearer to the present we will bring together lived experience voices from traders to shoppers to children through the work of the East Finchley Town Team to understand what the centre means to people today and pose questions about where the future of the centre may lie.
