Finchley, Residential area in North London, England.
Finchley is a residential area in North London divided into three main centers: North Finchley, East Finchley and Finchley Church End. The area sits around 7 miles north of Charing Cross and combines tree-lined streets with shopping districts along wide through roads.
Anglo-Saxon settlers established small villages here in the early Middle Ages that grew slowly over centuries. The arrival of the railway in 1867 turned the rural area quickly into a London suburb.
The street layout follows many old paths that once crossed farmland and woodland before housing took their place. Churches, schools and shops form the centers of the three districts where everyday life happens.
Four Underground stations on the Northern line bring visitors into the area, while bus routes connect the individual districts. Pedestrians move easily between shopping streets and residential neighborhoods that sit close to each other.
Margaret Thatcher represented this constituency in Parliament from 1959 to 1992 and kept close ties with the area during her time as Prime Minister. The old church of St Mary-at-Finchley dates from the 12th century and still stands at the center of one of the three districts.
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