Whetstone
Administration
Borough:	Barnet
County:	Greater London
Region:	Greater London
Nation:	England
Other
Ceremonial County:	Greater London
Traditional County:	Middlesex
Postal County:	London
Dialling Code:	0208

Whetstone is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, bearing the postcode N20. More commonly referred to as Totteridge & Whetstone, as the areas are so close, it is the 63rd richest area in the UK- an acclamation which can be accredited to Totteridge Lane, an extensive road home to hundreds of multi-millionaires, some previous residents being celebrities such as Samantha Fox.

Whetstone was named after the stone used to sharpen knives and other tools, a chunk of which is located on the High Road.

History

Those interested in 20th Century British History may be interested in the revelations regarding Whetstone being the unlikely venue for a secret meeting between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess during the Second World War. A local newspaper unearthed a letter in Barnet Council's planning archives which states that Hess was brought to Tower House, 17 Oakleigh Park North, for interrogation after he made his infamous trip to Scotland in 1941.

The letter mentioning Hess dates from January 23, 1987, and was written by the owner of Tower House, a Mr W Jones, to inform his neighbours of his plans to demolish the building and erect luxury apartments on the site. It reads "We purchased 'Tower House' in 1953 and have operated from here ever since. It was built many years ago as a private house. In 1939 it was a boys' boarding school. During the war it was at different times a blood transfusion centre, a fire service station (hence the corrugated iron sheds) and a prisoner of war cage (Hess was brought here for interrogation after he flew to Scotland). After that it was unoccupied and derelict until we took it over."

Many historians are sceptical, and it was said that Churchill and Hess never met, but others say that knowing Churchill's temperament, he might have been fascinated and intrigued to meet Hess. It has been said that there would have been far more suitable venues, but after all, aren't secret meetings supposed to be secret?

Nearest places:

• Totteridge
• Southgate
• Cockfosters

Nearest tube station:

• Totteridge and Whetstone tube station

External links:

• Whetstone Farmers' Market (http://www.lfm.org.uk/whet.asp)