Our series on London etymology continues with a look at the stations of the Northern line. Find out how your local station got its name.
High Barnet branch
The borough of Barnet contains plenty of Barnets — High Barnet, Chipping Barnet, Friern Barnet, New Barnet... All derive their names from the Anglo-Saxon word 'bærnet', which suggests the clearing of woodland by burning. It was first recorded as Barneto in 1070. If you're of a certain age, you will now have 'Just one Cornetto' rattling round your head. Sorry.
Totteridge & Whetstone
Two adjacent villages united in one station. Totteridge stands on high ground between the valleys of the Folly Brook and Dollis Brook — hence the 'ridge'. The first part probably derives from a personal name such as Tata. Whoever Tata was, he probably gazed upon the same yew tree that still greets visitors to the village today — it's thought to be 2,000 years old.
Whetstone, a little farther east and less charming, has slightly muddled origins. Some say it refers to an old stone used to sharpen swords before the Battle of Barnet (1471), and point to the stone that still stands before the Griffin pub. The name was first attested a decade before the battle, however, and more probably derives from 'west town'. The Knights Hospitaller owned land in Friern Barnet, but moved their settlement west to this area sometime after 1340.
This pleasant suburb was built up in the late 19th and early 20th century. The estate and its tube station take their name from Woodside House in nearby Whetstone, built in 1840. Developer Henry Holden (no known relation to Charles) later acquired its grounds and coined the name Woodside Park for the new estate he built there. The original house presumably got its name from some woods, to the side.
West Finchley, Finchley Central, East Finchley
For once, the etymology is exactly what you'd expect. The various Finchleys all hark back to a clearing or open space (ley) populated by finches. How delightful is that?
Mill Hill East
We always feel a little sorry for this tube station, out on its lonely spur, and well away from Mill Hill town centre and the older village and school. Its etymology is pretty guessable. You can't miss the great hill before you, and it only takes the daintiest of intellectual leaps to suppose there was once a windmill on top. Indeed, you can still find an open space called the Mill Field up on the Ridgeway, but no sign of any corn-grinding sails.
Another station whose etymology can be more-or-less guessed. Highgate was the site of a high gate. Specifically, an opening into the hunting lands of the Bishop of London. The name gained further resonance when a toll gate was built here, controlling traffic heading north out of London. The Gatehouse pub is on the site.
London Bridge isn't the only Northern line stop to be named after a span. Archway takes its name from the bridge that carries Hornsey Lane over the A1. The first version opened in 1813, but was replaced at the turn of the 20th century. It has long been a notorious spot for suicides.
Named after the Tufnell family, who developed much of the housing here in the 19th century. Sorry. This one's not very exciting.
You might expect that Kentish Town has something to do with the county of Kent. You would be wrong. What we need to do is find the now-buried River Fleet (hinted at by Anglers Lane) and head upstream. Eventually, you'll reach Caen Wood on Hampstead Heath and the associated Kenwood House. Kentish Town is from the same root, and probably means 'the bed of the waterway'.
Named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl of Camden, who owned land here in the late 18th century. Camden Place was his seat in Kent, itself named after William Camden who lived in the property from 1609.
T'other terminus of t'Northern line recalls an otherwise forgotten Anglo-Saxon chieftain called Ecgi, associated with a fishing pool (weir or ware) in these parts.
Clearly, some kind of arboreal inferno has inspired this station name. The charred tree above can be found in nearby Watling Park. Trouble is, it's a willow, not an 