Two finials that once adorned the landmark New Southgate gasholder guard the gate to the Millennium Green
If you drive or go by bus north-westwards along Station Road, New Southgate, from Hobarts Corner up the hill towards Friern Barnet Road, you probably won't notice a footpath opposite where Homebase once was. It's the entrance to a small but very varied green area that was laid out in the year 2000 to become one of a series of Millennium Greens around the UK. Which means that this year the people who created it and care for it will be celebrating the 21st birthday of the New Southgate Millennium Green. See the box below to find out how they'll be marking the occasion.
When the wrecking balls and bulldozers moved into this corner of New Southgate in the 1970s, remodelling it to make place for tower blocks, the site of the Green was one of the areas where shops and houses were demolished. But for some reason they never got round to building on it. The land was flattened and seeded with grass, then a few trees were planted in corners. It was owned by the council and regularly mown, but otherwise ignored by both the authorities and the public alike for more than 20 years. Then the idea of using it for one of 250 millennium greens came up, money was successfully bid for, and the Green was created. In view of the busy roads in the vicinity, it was designed as a "countryside haven", with high hedges and tall trees to block out the outside world - which they do pretty effectively.
The Green has been the venue of many community events over the years, featuring music and art, and this special celebration will see a big one, the 21st Birthday Art & Music Fest.
