Temple Fortune is a place in the London Borough of Barnet to the north of Golders Green. It is principally a shopping district used by residents of the Hampstead Garden Suburb.
It is likely that the name
Temple Fortune refers to the Knights of St John, who had land here (c.1240). "Fortune" possibly referred to a small settlement on the route from Hampstead to Hendon, marking a stop before reaching Hendon. At this point, a lane from Finchley called Ducksetters Lane, dating back to around 1475, intersected.
It’s probable that this settlement was initially part of the Bleccanham estate around the 900s. By the late 18th century, Temple Fortune Farm was established on the northern side of Farm Close.
The construction of the Finchley Road around 1827 replaced Ducksetters Lane as the route to Finchley and led to the growth of a small hamlet. Along the Finchley Road, several villas were built in the 1830s, and the Royal Oak public house emerged around the 1850s. By the end of the 19th century, the area had a population of around 300 residents, and there were amenities like a laundry and a small hospital for children with skin diseases. The primary industry was brickmaking.
A pivotal moment in Temple Fortune’s transformation into a suburban area came in 1907. The establishment of the Hampstead Garden Suburb brought significant changes to the area east of the Finchley Road. Temple Fortune Farm was demolished, and the construction of the Arcade and Gateway House around 1911 marked the beginning of the retail district of Hampstead Garden Suburb along the road. Additionally, Golders Green tube station opened in the same year.
Although the area had been served by horse-drawn omnibuses, dating back to the 1880s, and later motor buses from 1907, it was the tram line established in 1910, linking Church End Finchley with Golders Green Station, that spurred development in the area west of the Finchley Road.
In 1908, the Carmelite Monastery was founded in Bridge Lane.
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Temple Fortune is a place in the London Borough of Barnet to the north of Golders Green. It is principally a shopping district used by residents of the Hampstead Garden Suburb. 
