Arkley

Coordinates: 51°38′52″N 0°13′52″W / 51.6477°N 0.2311°W / 51.6477; -0.2311

Arkley is a village in the London Borough of Barnet. It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet and Stirling Corner, roughly centred on the "Gate" pub, and is composed of the ancient hamlets of Barnet Gate, Rowley Green and Arkley hamlet. It is located 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north north-west of Charing Cross, and at 482 feet (147 m) above sea level is one of the highest points in London. It is also home to one of the oldest windmills in southern England.

History

Toponymy

The origins of the name Arkley are unclear; it is first recorded as Arkleyslond in 1332. The first element of the name appears to come from the Old English word (e)arc (or ark, meaning a chest, bin or other wooden receptacle), while the second element is from leāh, a woodland clearing or glade. –lond in the earlier name means "cultivated ground". The name Arkley would thus mean "woodland clearing by the ark or by the place where arks are made".

Arkley (automobile)

The Arkley is an English automobile that was manufactured by John Britten Garages workshops at Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet.

The first model was a two-seater called Arkley SS, designed by John Britten in 1970 (not to be confused with the famous New Zealand motorcycle designer, John Britten).

The retro "bug-eyed" design was inspired by a mixture of the Morgan and the original Austin-Healey Sprite. The main purpose was recycling old rusty or damaged Austin-Healey Sprites or MG Midgets. The Arkley SS utilised a BMC A-Series engine launched by Austin in 1951.

The Arkley Midget used fibre glass front and rear ends fitted to the donor car. Transformation did not affect the main structural members. There were two versions, the S for standard wheels and the SS for wide wheels.

Peter May, who had worked with John Britten Garages, founded Peter May Engineering in Halesowen in 1979 and bought the manufacturing rights to the Arkley in 1987. Production continued via Peter May Engineering until 1995, in the form of DIY kits.

Arkley (disambiguation)

Arkley may refer to multiple articles:

See also