Stone worktops in Osidge

The name is medieval: Barnet Council's historians trace it to "Huzeheg" in the 12th century, and the area was traditionally part of East Barnet and Hertfordshire rather than Southgate. Its best-known resident was Sir Thomas Lipton, the tea merchant and yachtsman, who bought Osidge House in 1893. After his death in 1931, most of his estate of around 60 acres was built on, with Davis Estates leading the building in the mid-1930s. Lipton left the house as a nurses' hostel, and it later became the Sir Thomas Lipton Memorial Home, which closed in 2014; the site is now Lipton Close. The older manor house was Grade II listed in 1982.

Houses of that era came with small, separate kitchens. Many in Osidge have since been extended into the garden or knocked through into the dining room, which turns a short run of worktop into an L-shape, a U-shape or a run with a peninsula. When you enquire, tell us whether the kitchen has been extended and send a photo or two: it helps us plan where joins will fall.

Part of Brunswick Park was industrial for most of the 20th century. Standard Telephones and Cables opened a factory there in 1922 and at its peak employed nearly 10,000 people; the site is now North London Business Park. Brunswick Park itself was named in the Victorian period, possibly after Caroline of Brunswick.

If your units are in good condition, new stone on the existing cabinets is often the most cost-effective upgrade. Stone is usually slimmer than the laminate it replaces, so an upstand neatly covers the line on the tiles. Our replacement worktops page explains the process.