Coniston Court

Up until the late nineteenth century, the area to the south of Mill Hill East station was agricultural land, as can be seen from the map of 1873.”

Up until the late nineteenth century, the area to the south of Mill Hill East station was agricultural land, as can be seen from the map of 1873.

By 1873, the route of Bittacy Hill had been established, and also the field boundary and track in the area where Langstone Way now exists was evident. The location occupied by Coniston Court is noted in red on the map. Mill Hill East station was built by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway as part of its line between Finsbury Park station and Edgware station. Before the line was completed it became part of the Great Northern Railway. The station opened in August 1867, although at that time the area was a rural location. The name of the station was later changed to Mill Hill East.

At the same time as the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway was constructing the line between Finsbury Park station and Edgware station, the North Middlesex Gas Company built a gasworks in Mill Hill with Mill Hill station being adjacent to the new gas works. At the time, this was open rural land, as can be seen in the black and white aerial picture from 1926. Land now occupied by Coniston Court is shown edged in red. It its early years, the gas works supplied gas for street lighting in parts of Hendon and surrounding areas, although oil lamps were used to light streets in the immediate area of the gas works into the early 1900’s. The gas works was demolished around 2000 to make way for new development which included the Waitrose supermarket and Coniston Court.

The area to the south of the gas works remained rural through the first World War, and only became developed after the second World War. The map above indicates surrounding development in the early 1960’s. The area now occupied by Coniston Court is indicated in red.