Time capsule marks 80th Anniversary of VE Day at Hendon Waterside

To celebrate the anniversary, pupils, residents and local councillors joined in with planting a commemorative tree at the development and burying a time capsule, including drawings by the children and memorabilia to reflect the importance of this day in British history.

Barry Smith, Director of Visitor and Commercial Development at the Royal Air Force Museum London joined the celebrations to educate those in attendance about Hendon’s World War II history.

At the time, West Hendon was at the centre of London’s aircraft manufacturing industry and was targeted during the Blitz. Most notably on 13th February 1941, a single bomb killed 85 people, injured hundreds and made over 1,000 people homeless.

Councillor Tony Vourou, Mayor of Barnet commented: “It was fantastic to join in with the celebrations at Hendon Waterside and to mark 80 years since the historic day. It was a pleasure to also join pupils from Barnfield Primary School to share more about the history of West Hendon with the next generation of our borough, so it is never forgotten.”

Danny Farenden, Project Director at Barratt West London, added: “We were proud to host Mayor Tony Vourou alongside the esteemed Cllr Ernest Ambe and Cllr Rishikesh Chakraborty and pupils at Barnfield Primary School to help us mark this occasion. As we continue to build at Hendon Waterside, we look forward to seeing this tree grow alongside the vibrant community that is developing around our new homes and revisiting the time capsule decades from now.”

Duncan Quigley, Headteacher at Barnfield Primary School adds: “This was an exciting opportunity for our students to take part in an interactive activity that highlights how the past connects with the future. As they are learning about the history of VE Day in the classroom, by joining in with the activities at Hendon Waterside, it will attach a memory to their learnings and hopefully stay with them for years to come.”

Guy Palmer, Director of Regeneration, Metropolitan Thames Valley comments: “MTVH was delighted to partner with Barratt for Hendon Waterside’s VE day celebration. Alongside ongoing construction of high-quality new homes in this beautiful waterside location, we are proud to promote a community spirit and bring people together. This successful event brought together senior local politicians, the RAF museum and schoolchildren, who celebrated the area’s history and looked to the future with a time capsule buried for the next generation.”

Barratt London’s Hendon Waterside is situated on the site of the Welsh Harp Reservoir in Hendon, bringing a large-scale residential development to the regenerated area. To find out more, visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/dev000147-hendon-waterside/.