OS grid reference TQ285945 Ceremonial county Greater London Country England Dialling code 020 | London borough Barnet Region London Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town London | |
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Osidge is a district in the London Borough of Barnet, between Brunswick Park and Southgate, just west of the border with the London Borough of Enfield. It may be defined as the part of postal district N14 that is in Barnet.
Contents
Map of Osidge, London, UK
The two main roads in Osidge are Osidge Lane and Hampden Way, which meet at a roundabout called Hampden Square. Around the roundabout are three parades of shops and the Osidge Arms pub. South and west of this roundabout is an area of green belt land, crossed by Pymmes Brook and leading down to New Southgate Cemetery; an adjacent road, Whitehouse Way, provided the backdrop to scenes from Mike Leigh’s film Secrets and Lies.
History
The name is Anglo-Saxon, meaning 'hedge belonging to someone named Osa'. It was first recorded in 1176, in a charter from Henry II to the Abbot of St Albans referring to the abbot's woodland property here. The land was sold after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and a large house was built and parkland laid out. A condition of tenure was that the woods should supply faggots for the burning of heretics. In 1652, the house became the residence of the Hadley family. They were associated with four places in the north of Barnet, Hadley Wood, Hadley Green, Monken Hadley and Hadley Highstone, though they obtained their name from these areas, not vice versa.
Notable residents
Notable residents have included Sir Thomas Lipton, who moved there in 1893. After his death, most of his 60-acre (243,000 m²) estate was built up, but Lipton endowed his house on Chase Side - now the Sir Thomas Lipton Memorial Home - as a hostel for nurses; Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse grew up on Osidge Lane and attended local schools.
Education
Osidge is served by Hampden Way Nursery, Osidge Primary and Ashmole Academy - as well as the nearby East Barnet Day Nursery and Monkfrith and Brunswick Park primary schools. Osidge Primary School made the news in 2005 when chef François Nouaillat, horrified by the quality of the school meals given to his sons, took over the school kitchens.
Osidge also has a library, situated on the border with Brunswick Park.
Osidge and Southgate
Osidge is not seen as a separate locality by most local residents but is regarded as part of Southgate; addresses are occasionally given as Osidge, Southgate. This is technically incorrect, as the area lies outside the pre-1965 Borough of Southgate and the current parliamentary constituency of Enfield Southgate. There are probably two reasons for this confusion. Firstly, they are in the same postal district, N14 (although so too is Oakwood). Secondly, Osidge is close to Southgate tube station and to Southgate's main commercial hub on Chase Side.
Despite this association, a 1992 Boundary Commission Report rejected proposals to incorporate most of the Osidge area into Enfield borough, partly on grounds of objections from Barnet council, local schools and residents that "the Osidge community identified itself with Barnet".