Torrington Park, then Woodside Park
The station opened in April 1872 as Torrington Park, and was renamed Woodside Park in 1882. Two months after the station opened, 45 acres of the Woodside estate were sold for building as Torrington Park. Henry Holden, who inherited the land in 1877, developed much of what is now Woodside Park; Holden Road is named after him, and his assembly room of 1885, Woodside Hall, became Woodside Park Synagogue in 1950. Spike Milligan was one of Holden Road's better-known residents.
The garden suburb by the brook
West of the railway, between the Dollis Brook and the Folly Brook, the Woodside Park Garden Suburb was built between 1929 and 1939, first by F.J.C. Ingram, with the Leyland Construction Company selling houses south of the Folly Brook by 1936. Both builders knew the line was due to become part of the Northern line. Finchley Council created the brookside walk in the 1920s.
These are generous family houses, and many have had kitchens extended or reconfigured. If yours has, it is worth thinking about an island or a peninsula while the worktops are being planned.
Kitchens in the older streets
Closer to the station, the late Victorian and Edwardian houses often have kitchens at the back of the house, reached down a hall. Long pieces of stone need a clear route in, so tell us about tight turns and narrow doorways. If a single piece won't make it, we plan a join where it is least noticeable.
Which material?
For a busy family kitchen, quartz is the easiest to keep looking new. For an island where you want natural movement in the stone, look at quartzite. Our material comparison sets them side by side.
Questions from Woodside Park
Do you fit worktops in the Woodside Park Garden Suburb?
Yes, on both sides of the railway, and in the streets around the station.
Can we add an island when we replace the worktops?
Often, if there is room to walk around it, and if water, waste or power can be run to it for a sink or hob. We will talk it through before quoting.
How long is the gap between templating and fitting?
It depends on the material and stock. We give you dates for your job when we quote, so you can plan around them.
Sources
Links to other organisations are for further reading and do not imply any connection with them.