Willesden Bus Garage
to North Finchley
Monday March 30th 2009
Monday March 30th 2009
NOTE: Well, well we rode this route in the innocent first
month of the Project and took it after riding the Number 6 to Willesden Green.
However, we had clearly run out of energy/battery or something as we only have
two photos from that day. Looking at the map I see the 460 is far from an
unique route so I have cannibalised photos from its fellow travellers – the
210, 221, 226, 240, 245, 260, 263, 266, 328, 382 many of which cross at Golders
Green Bus Station. Thank goodness for the search function on the computer.
Our previous journey (the estimable Number 6) left us
outside Willesden Bus garage: no need to move, so we boarded a double-decker
460 – three of us occupying the front top. We had already admired some very
up-to-date local health centres and the bus wove its way into Willesden Green
with its shops, Jubilee line and library all still intact (and very familiar to
some of the family who live just off this route). Leaving their home patch
behind we trundled on to Cricklewood, where somewhat strangely Middlesex Uni
seems to have some halls of residence. We crossed the Hendon Way aka A41 and
familiar access to the M1, and so into Golders Green, scene of my childhood and
adolescence, noting the not insignificant changes since 1971: the iconic
(sorry) Ionic cinema* – it had an excellent ionic portico, hence the name – is
now a Sainsbury’s and the early coffee bar that was the Wimpy now a Hi Sushi
(sic)…
On up the Finchley Road past Hoop Lane on the right, giving
access to both (cemetery ) and crematorium and family plots. We note the good residents of the Hampstead Garden Suburb only permit the smallest of hopper buses to cover their
home patch.
The bus continues in a more or less straight line north through Temple Fortune, Dollis Park and eventually Finchley, sort of following the ‘other ‘ branch of the Northern Line. Most of the roads back from Ballards Lane etc looked comfortable enough and we remembered this was Mrs Thatcher’s constituency until she was deposed as leader and stood down – do we blame Finchley for her legacy ?
The bus station seemed to be in some kind of one way system of soulless office
blocks and though called Tally-Ho Corner seemed to have neither tally ho nor
toilets, so we immediately boarded our next number (134) back into town…
Though slightly difficult to tell from the top deck this
looked like a local shoppers and short hop bus, rather than a commuter or business
bus.
*Built 1907 demolished 1975; you will find a nice image at www.barnetimagebank.co.uk:just 'enter the database' and search for 'Ionic'.
The Phoenix Cinema at Finchley
Finchley Housing
PS Barnet Council Offices, now presumably redundant as services have been sent 'north'.
Unfortunately your lack of original pictures has thrown up a slight problem. The Phoenix Cinema is in East Finchley, and so not on 460 bus route. Two places of note that you would have gone past are College Farm, just north of the North Circular Road this was established by the Express Dairy to provide its customers with fresh milk. I recall, as a small boy, a fine herd of Jersey cows grazing in one of the two fields that led down to Regents Park Road, along which you would have travelled. The other, a little further north, is Finchley Central Station, immortalised by The New Vaudeville Band. The lyrics proclaimed 'Finchley Central, for Golders Green change at Camden Town, two and sixpence'.
ReplyDeleteThe route was originally part of the 60 tram from North Finchley to Hammersmith which became a 660 trolleybus in the thirties and the 260 bus in January 1962. This route was split into two separately number sections, 260 for the southern half and 460 for the northern half, nearly years ago.
And the barnet council offices are further north than the 460 terminus. north finchley bus station IS horrible, but the building it's underneath is mostly expensive-ish flats, not offices.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that --- I knew something would go wrong! It's just as well there are folk who know better.
ReplyDelete