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The general character of the District is residential; the
area on the west of the railway has been conveniently planned,
and consists principally of good-class detached and semi-detached
villa residences, the altitude varying from 200 to 400 feet above
Ordnance datum. The District forms a portion of a much wider
area noted for the healthiness of its climate, and popularly known
in and around the Metropolis as the " Northern Heights." On
the east of the railway are situate the older portions of the District,
including the village of East Barnet, and Brunswick Park
at the southern extremity, most of which is developed for a
much smaller class of property and is consequently more densely
populated.
On the north-east boundary of the District are the beautiful
Hadley Woods and Common, partly grazing land and partly
wooded, being parts of the old Enfield Chase. The Council has
leased from the Hadley Commoners a portion of Hadley Common
(about 4 acres in extent), including a large lake, until recently
part of Beech Hill Park Estate, to be used as a recreation ground.
Bathing, boating, and fishing facilities will be available in the
lake. The whole acquisition makes a considerable addition to the
attractiveness of the District.
Water.
The water is obtained from wells sunk through the clay
Reading beds and borings deep into the chalk. The wells are at
New Barnet, East Barnet, Potters Bar, Tyttenhanger, and one at
North Mimms. It is pumped direct into the mains or into reservoirs
at New Barnet and Rowley Green. It is of great purity,
pleasant to drink, and almost free from organic matter or objectionable
bacteria.
Like all London water, it is of considerable hardness, varying
in the different wells from 22 to 26 degrees of hardness (1 degree
of hardness is equal to 1 in 100,000 parts, 0.7 grains of carbonate
of lime in 1 gallon of water). Much of the hardness might be
remedied by boiling; this process precipitates the lime, but at
the same time by boiling out the oxygen renders the water less
pleasant to the taste. So far as is known, the hardness has no
deleterious effect, such as causing disease of the blood vessels or
the so-called rheumatic affections of joints. On the other hand,
those who use it are free from the diseases associated with the
consumption of softer water obtained from reservoirs, such as
rickets and lead poisoning.