Colney Hatch

Colney Hatch ( /ˈkoʊnɪ ˈhætʃ/ is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. The name Colney Hatch was originally that of a hamlet in the parish of Friern (once spelt Fryern) Barnet, first recorded in the early 15th century. It became well known from the mid-19th century following the building of Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, which gained such notoriety that the name 'Colney Hatch' came to form part of various terms of abuse associated with the concept of madness.

Colney Hatch could be said to refer to a loosely defined area centred around the northern end of Colney Hatch Lane (B550), which connects Friern Barnet with Muswell Hill, crossing the North Circular Road. The area is predominantly residential with a mixture of Victorian and Edwardian houses as well as much more recent developments.

It forms the meeting point between the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Haringey and includes the location of the former Colney Hatch Asylum on Friern Barnet Road, opened in 1851. The asylum eventually became known as Friern Hospital and was closed down in 1993. The extensive grounds on which Friern Hospital and Halliwick Hospital (its sister institution for day patients) stood have since been redeveloped as two distinct housing estates, Princess Park Manor and Friern Village.

Nearby is New Southgate main line rail station, originally called Colney Hatch but renamed several times from the mid-19th century onwards, taking its present name on electrification of the line in 1976.

Read more about Colney Hatch:  Geography

Famous quotes containing the word hatch:

    He looked at Senator Hatch and said, “I’m going to make her cry. I’m going to sing ‘Dixie’ until she cries.” And I looked at him and said, “Senator Helms, your singing would make me cry if you sang ‘Rock of Ages’.”
    Carol Moseley-Braun (b. 1947)