Pulham Avenue was built in the grounds of a house called Elmshurst.
In 1811-16, came the enclosure of Finchley Common. Between 1875 and 1879, Ecclesiastical authorities decided to release land in Finchley on 99-year leases when demand for homes rose.
A consequence of enclosure was verges along East End Road coming into private ownership but one house predated all this. The Old House originated from the late 1500s and was called The Elms, then Elmhurst. It was occupied from 1833 to 1857 by Anthony Salvin, architect of Tudor and Gothic style country houses and a restorer of castles.
He was instrumental in raising funds for a parish church - Holy Trinity - which he designed and built on Bull Lane (later Church Lane) in 1846.
Elmhurst was demolished in 1939 and Elmshurst Crescent and Pulham Avenue were built in the grounds after the war. A green space was left for the public, opposite the triangle of green created around 1960 by the demolition of Causeway Cottages for a projected road widening
scheme.
