The road through Highgate, Finchley, and Barnet passes the following places on the way to St. Albans:
Chipping Barnet.—A growing town, much modernized; church, Perpendicular style, but recently almost entirely rebuilt.
Monken Hadley.—A pretty village; interesting church with cradle beacon affixed to tower; obelisk of Battle of Barnet.
South Mimms.—Small village; Perpendicular church, with traces of Early English; the Frowyke Chapel, with effigy.
Salisbury Hall.—A sixteenth-century moated grange.
St. Albans.—Cathedral, Early Norman (1077) to Decorated, of exceptional interest; great gateway of the monastery; Roman walls of Verulamium and British causeway; medieval clock-tower; sites of the two battles; St. Michael's Church, Saxon, with monument of Bacon; old timbered houses.
Redbourne.—Small village; church, Norman and Early English; fine chancel screen.
Dunstable.—Ancient town, with earthworks; Priory Church, Transition Norman, impressive west front.
THE STARTING-POINT
The best and most direct route from London to the finest scenery in Wales, as well as to many of the most picturesque towns and districts in the western half of the central or midland portion of England, is the Holyhead Road. The older route books invariably give the General Post Office as the best starting-point, and this has been indicated on the route map on this page, and that road beyond Barnet is described, but as the Edgware Road is so much preferable in many ways, the distances by that way are given at the head of this section. From the Marble Arch the road goes as straight as an arrow, passing through Maida Vale, Brondesbury, and Cricklewood. The Welsh Harp Reservoir is crossed, and the villages of Edgware and Elstree passed through, and the road from Barnet is joined at St. Albans.