Place Name
Believed to follow one of the oldest routes in East Barnet, with accounts suggesting that the hill on which it rises may have formed part of an early roadway dating back to Roman times. Early maps clearly show its prominence, reinforcing the idea of its longstanding use as a local thoroughfare. The road takes its name directly from St Mary the Virgin, the parish church that stands at its crest, forming both a geographical and historical anchor for the area.
St Mary the Virgin was originally founded around 1080 and is considered the oldest surviving building in the London Borough of Barnet. Although the church is now predominantly 19thCentury in appearance, the north wall of the nave survives from the original Norman structure, retaining distinctive architectural details such as Romanesque window openings and early stonework. The church was established under the patronage of the Abbot of St Albans, who remained both patron and rector until the Reformation, after which the Crown took over the appointment of rectors – a practice that continues today. Over the centuries, St Mary’s underwent numerous phases of alteration and expansion. By the 13thCentury, the windows had been glazed, and in the 15thCentury the original apse was replaced with a larger chancel. A Neo‑Norman tower was added in 1828, followed by the construction of a south aisle in 1868 and a major chancel extension in 1880. The church interior contains a wide collection of historical monuments, including memorials to Major General George Prevost, Sir William Richmond Cotton, and Sir Simon Haughton Clarke, whose Gothic monument stands prominently in the churchyard. The grounds also contain notable tomb chests, obelisks, and a millennium‑planted yew grown from the ancient Eastling Yew.
