Important Buildings

These buildings can be enjoyed on a short, self-guided walking tour starting at Highwood House at the “top” end of Mill Hill. Historic England has a useful interactive map and further information about the listed buildings.

Highwood House, Highwood Hill (listed and blue plaque)
Early 19th century mansion, 2 storey stucco. The original Nicoll house was demolished and rebuilt in 1817. Previously home of Lord William Russell, executed (1683) for alleged complicity in the Rye House Plot. Later home of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore and of The Zoological Society of London. On returning to the UK in 1825 he lived there until his death in 1826.

Highwood Ash, Highwood Hill (listed)
An 18th century building of painted brick with a hipped slate roof. The main block has a parapet and corbelled band between the storeys. Built on the site of a previous house. In October 1950 a Dakota of British European Airways crashed in the garden due to engine failure. The house survived but some 27 adults and 1 child died in the fire.

‘Rising Sun’ Public House, Highwood Hill (listed)
Late 17th Century. Unlike most others in the district that were weather boarded, this is made of brick, with gabled dormers. The style is typical of many inns built in the 17th & 18th C.

The Old Forge, Holcombe Hill (listed)
18th century stucco with hipped red tiled roof. Originally home and workshop of the village smithy. It has had other roles, notably a tea shop and is now a private house.

Holcombe House and St Mary’s Abbey, The Ridgeway (listed)
A late 18th century stucco house designed by John Johnson in 1775 for Sir William Anderson, former Lord Mayor of London. Interior in the Adam style, with elliptical hall, wrought iron staircase and fine plasterwork panels in the library. Acquired in 1881 by Cardinal Vaughan, the building is incorporated in the range of later buildings forming St Mary’s Abbey complex, now largely converted to private residential use.

The Old Mill House with ‘Post Office Cottage’, The Ridgeway, (all listed)
Linked buildings once used as the village shop and post office. The mill house of brick with dormers and a striking front at ground level. The 18th century cottage of white weatherboard, in the grounds of which is the original village pump. The telephone kiosk outside is also listed.

Belmont and Belmont Chapel, The Ridgeway (listed)
Late 18th century yellow brick, 3-storey mansion, with stone or stucco enrichments. Built in 1772 by James Paine Jnr., the Oval Room in the Adam style has a fine plaster ceiling and with views out over beautiful lawns and grounds. It was formerly home of Sir Charles Flower Bart (who gave his name to Flower Lane) and of John Wilkes, both were Lord Mayor of London. Now junior school, part of the Mill Hill School Foundation.

Sunnyside now Murray House, Hammers Lane (listed and blue plaque)
18th century 2-storey building set sideways to road, now whitened cement with slate roof. Formerly home of Sir James Murray, Mill Hill schoolmaster, edited Oxford English Dictionary. Sunnyside was changed to Murray House in his memory in recent years.

West Grove and West Grove Cottage, Hammers Lane (listed)
Early 19th century house, now faced in rough grey cement, porch with Doric columns.

Marshall House Linen and Woollen Drapers Institute, Hammers Lane (listed)
Established by James Marshall and John Snelgrove of the store Marshall & Snelgrove, the former donating the 4-acre site, the homes were intended for retired staff from the drapery trade and are an example of late Victorian commercial philanthropy. On the East side of Hammers Lane there is Marshall Hall, built 1897, designed by George Hornblower. The main building, originally designed as the communal part of the cottage homes, has broad steps up from the pavement and an imposing front garden. On the West side of Hammers Lane, the Drapers cottages are neatly laid out with pretty gardens. Buildings are of red brick with clay tiled roofs.

St Paul’s Church (blue plaque), Church House and Church Cottages, The Ridgeway (all listed)
Founded under the benefaction of William Wilberforce, the slavery abolitionist, the church, of brick with white render, was built in 1828-1833. The other buildings belong to the 18th century. Note the ‘ink well walk’ in one of the Church Cottage gardens, made of upturned stone inkwells from Mill Hill School.

War Memorial and Middlesex Regiment War Memorial, The Ridgeway (listed)

Mill Hill School, Chapel, Library and Murrey Scriptorium and Gate of Honour, The Ridgeway (all listed)
Nonconformist Mill Hill School was founded in 1807 in Ridgeway House (now demolished, blue plaque), one-time residence of the famous 18th century botanist Peter Collinson. The main school building (completed 1827) was designed by Sir William Tite, architect of the Royal Exchange in the City.  In front of this stands the classical stone memorial, the Gate of Honour, built in 1920 of Portland stone and inscribed with the names of pupils who died in two world wars.  The current school buildings include the Chapel (built 1898) by Basil Champneys; the assembly hall on the right of the main building added in 1905 by T.E. Collcutt along with The Library (1907), Music School (1912) and The Crick Science Building (1924).  The most recent addition is The Favell Building marking the School’s Bicentenary in 2007.

The Grove (now Headmaster’s House), The Ridgeway (listed)
Late 16th or early 17th century irregular buildings, set sideways to the road. Now the Headmaster’s House of Mill Hill School. The oldest part dates from 1590 with some 17th century features – the house being completely restored in 1912. The building is reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited house in (what was) Middlesex.

Rosebank, The Ridgeway (listed and blue plaque)
Late 17th century long, low 2-storey building of black and white weatherboard with red tiled roof. A picturesque building, which was formerly a Quaker Meting House (1678-1719)

Blenheim Steps, High Street (listed)
Late 18th century building 2-storeys in brick with renewed dormers and large bow windows added in the last 100 years. For many years this was the School tuck shop. It is possible that the house takes its name from the battle of Blenheim (1704), the year it was built, but the evidence for this is unreliable.

Nicoll’s Almshouses, Milespit Hill (listed)
A picturesque village group of brick cottages under long red tiled roof built 1696 by Thomas Nicoll. Repairs were carried out in 1893 & 1923.

Littleberries, Chapel and Banqueting House (St. Vincent’s Convent), The Ridgeway (listed)
18th century. Littleberries is a fine red brick house of 3 storeys. Interior contains a good mid-18th century wrought iron staircase and plasterwork ceiling in the ‘Gilt Room’. The Chapel is adjacent and Banqueting House sits in the grounds of the convent.

Featherstone House, Wise Lane (listed)
A good simple house of early 18th century design, 2 storeys with clay tiled roof and hipped dormer windows and gabled ended sides. The house was possibly the Dower House to the Nicoll family of Copt Hall.

St Joseph’s College, Lawrence Street (listed)
The 30m high square campanile capped with a gilded bronze statue of St Joseph is a dominant focal point seen from lower Mill Hill. This building housed probably the most important religious community in Mill Hill, being a community of monks training for foreign missions, was founded by Cardinal Vaughan in 1866 and opened in 1873. The architects were G. Goldie and Child. In 2008 the Missionaries moved out and it is now an upmarket retirement complex.

Lawrence Farm House, Goodwyn Avenue (listed)
Late 17th or early 18th century farmhouse (renovated) of warm, red brick and tiled roofs. A unique building in Mill Hill and is now used for office purposes. This farmhouse was the vestige of farming off Lawrence Street, which, from manorial records went back to 12th century. The proposal to demolish the building in 1969 was met with instant outcry. After a long struggle the building was bought in 1976 and renovated.

Other interesting buildings:
London University Observatory, west of the Watford Way before Mill Hill Circus
The building project was completed and opened 1929. The original building had one dome for the ‘Wilson’ telescope. There have been additions and alterations ever since to facilitate new technology. Light pollution of modern Mill Hill is a constant problem.

The Adam and Eve, The Ridgeway
There has been an Inn here since 1717, originally ‘The Eve’. A weatherboard building was built 1751; the name changed 1828; the present building was erected 1915. The Adam and Eve and The Three Hammers are the only ‘Ridgeway’ pubs remaining.

The Favell Building, Mill Hill School, The Ridgeway 2007