The town of Barnet is nothing if not interesting. For one, it has three different names associated with it including the aforementioned name of "Barnet". Depending on where you are and who you're with, the town may be referred to as "Chipping Barnet" or even "High Barnet". The reason for these discrepancies has to do with the fact that Barnet is very anomalous when it comes to a suburban city. We'll start at the beginning: In the 1100s London was nothing like the metropolis it is now and there were many towns that existed outside of the already sizable town. At the time it was considered to be a source of pride and a mark of honour for a town to be granted a weekly market and Barnet was just such a town. It received a market charter and began to be known by the name "Chipping Barnet" because the "Chipping" in a town's name denoted that that town was lucky enough to be blessed with a market.
At any rate, London began to explode in size and population and over the years towns that had their own identity and personality couldn't help but become swept up in the growth of London and begin to take on more of a decidedly London-like appearance. Barnet suffered this fate but in an interesting way: By the time Barnet began to become overtaken by the growth of London the idea of suburban development was in full effect and it became one of the first towns to have brand-new homes and modern buildings built right alongside ancient edifices that had stood for countless centuries.
These days Barnet still maintains its healthy array of fascinating historical relics that date back to a time when the town had more of its individuality present. In 1471 the town played host to a particularly brutal battle between King Edward IV and the Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville. Edward killed Neville and the whole bloody affair was known as the Battle of Barnet. Barnet Hill also is believed to be the hill that is mentioned in the famed nursery rhyme "The Grand Ole Duke of York". This alludes to the sense of fun and entertainment that can be found in Barnet and has been available in spades ever since Queen Elizabeth granted the town the right to hold two fairs a year in the 1500s. Barnet is about more than just fun, however: The town is also home to some of the most beautiful religious buildings in the area. Among these, perhaps none are as breathtaking as the St. John the Baptist Church. This masterpiece was built in the early 1500s in what was once the centre of Chipping Barnet. Clearly, there is something special about this town that allows it to have a life and an identity of its own despite being under the rather large shadow of modern-day London. If only every city could so easily stretch out its roots as easily as Barnet.
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