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The Hive Stadium
(Barnet)
Address: Camrose Avenue,
Canons Park,
Greater London,
England,
HA8 6AG
Capacity: 6,500 (5,356 Seated)
A modern football ground with good quality facilities, though it isn’t in the borough which its tenants called home for many decades.
Opened in 2013, it has been the home of Barnet Football Club ever since.
The Bees moved here having previously been at their Underhill Stadium home in High Barnet since 1907. Club chairman Anthony Kleanthous had been looking to move away from Underhill since the 1990s because of the ground’s poor facilities. After unsuccessful attempts to find a new venue, Barnet came across a site in Canons Park where work had originally begun in early 2003, with the intention for it to become a new home for Wealdstone Football Club. The work was brought to a halt however when one of the investment partners in the project went into liquidation and was unable to supply funds to pay the builders.
The site remained undeveloped for two years, before Harrow London Borough Council decided to put it up for lease in 2006. Barnet bought the lease and stated that the site would be used exclusively as a training facility, not as the location of a new stadium.
Harrow Council wanted the lease deal to include the promise that a completed stadium on the site would be used by Wealdstone FC, but this did not come to fruition. Wealdstone also received no compensation for the work that had already been done on the site.
Barnet would use the Canons Park site as a training centre for several years, before fully moving into the completed Hive Stadium in the summer of 2013. The initial plan was for the Hive Stadium to be a temporary home whilst the Bees planned to build a 10,000 capacity stadium in the London Borough of Barnet, but this plan came to an end in 2015.
Alongside Barnet Football Club, rugby league club London Broncos shared the stadium with the Bees between 2014 and 2015. London Bees, a women’s football club affiliated with Barnet, have been playing at the Hive Stadium since 2014, and the ground has also been used for home games by the Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Team since 2019.
Location and Getting There
The Hive Stadium is located on the former site of the Prince Edward Playing Fields. It can be found in Canons Park, which is part of the London Borough of Harrow, around 11 miles northwest of the Centre of London. The King George V Memorial Gardens are 0.7 miles away to the north, Edgware Community Hospital is 0.9 miles away to the east. And Byron Park is 1.5 miles away to the west.
Though I normally discourage people from heading to London-based stadiums by car, the Hive Stadium is one of the easier ones to reach because of its location far to the northwest.
There is a large car park directly to the south of the ground which can hold 500 vehicles and costs £5 per car. There is only one exit out of the stadium’s vicinity however and that cause delays when trying to leave the Hive after full-time.
Street parking should be possible with plenty of residential streets nearby. Ensure that you are legally allowed to park where you find however and do not block the drives of any residents.
There are no national railway stations located very close to the Hive Stadium. Instead, your best route for reaching here via public transport is through the Underground.
Canons Park Station is on the Jubilee Line and located to the north of the stadium. Exit from the station onto Whitchurch Lane (B461), cross over the road, and head east. On your right you will eventually to a set of gates that lead to first playing fields and then the Hive Stadium’s northern end. If you aren’t able to get through these gates, you will need to walk around to the stadium’s southern entrance, heading along Whitchurch Lane, onto Buckingham Road, Merlin Close, St. Bride’s Avenue, and then Camrose Avenue which will lead to the southern entrance on your right. The route can take between 20 and 25 minutes on foot.
Queensbury Station is on the same Jubilee Line as Canons Park and based to the south of the Hive Stadium. Walking north from here along Turner Road and then onto Camrose Avenue takes around 15 minutes.
Outside the Stadium
If you are coming from Canons Park Station and are able to go through the northern gates off Whitchurch Lane (B461), the route will bring you to the stadium’s northeast corner.
The adjacent North Stand was formerly a terrace but is now known as Stand ’66.
Its exterior consists of mostly black corrugated iron with a an orange-coloured strip up towards the top. There is a large building protruding out of the back of the stand which holds an Amber Lounge inside. The section to the left of the Amber Lounge is fenced off and acts as the stand's outer concourse. Barnet’s Academy Office and Bees In The Community Office are based to the left of the Amber Lounge, with the Away Ticket Office to the right.
Turnstiles for Stand ‘66 (N1-N4) are based next to this Away Ticket Office, near the stadium’s northwest corner.
Out beyond the exterior of Stand ’66 are grass playing fields.
Continuing round in a clockwise direction from Stand ’66, past large parking bays that are for coaches, brings you to the East Stand which is better known as the Hive Stand.
Its exterior is formed largely from black panels and glass windows, with solar panels in place on the roof. Starting at the northern end is a door signed as the entrance for Changing Rooms A-F and Officials Room 1 & 2. The stand from here turns into an open porched area which has benches and table outside. Inside is the entrance to the bar, and you will notice from the overhead sign that there is also a Starbucks here.
The Hive London Main Reception is to the left of the bar, followed by an Amber Lounge Entrance and then a unisex toilet.
Heading towards the southern end of the Hive Stand takes you past a TIC Health Centre, and right at the southern end is an additional building which houses the Main Ticket Office and Hive Bar Café.
Most of the turnstiles for the Hive Stand can be found in detached blocks at either end of the exterior. Turnstiles E4 and E5 are behind the Coach Bays in the stadium’s northeast corner, Turnstile E3 is located within the Hive Bar Café, whilst Turnstiles E1 and E2 are housed behind the Ticket Office building in the stadium’s southeast corner. It is these latter turnstiles that are also signed as being where the Bumble's Family Zone can be found.
There are more grass playing fields out beyond the Hive Stand’s exterior, up on higher ground and usually being where coaches park.
The South Stand at the Hive Stadium was known as the Bees Terrace when it was open. It is currently demolished and remains out of use on matchdays.
There are two large 3G pitches out beyond the southern side of the Hive Stadium.
The Hive Stadium’s West Stand is better known as the Legends Stand.
Because of its close proximity to the Underground tracks, it is the least accessible of the four stands. You are not able to walk right along its exterior, which consists mostly of black corrugated iron with a strip of orange up towards the top. A large part of the exterior protrudes outwards, and it’s inside here that the Legends Lounge is housed.
The Legends Lounge is a very good size with good quality facilities, and a big feature are its two large boards based either side of the main bar. The boards list the names of the Legends of Underhill, a reference to Barnet's former home and provide facts on some of the most iconic figures in Barnet's history. The left board covers 1930-1970s. The right board covers 1980-2010. The players who feature are:
Lester Finch (Striker)
Denis Kelleher (Striker)
Alf D'Arcy (Defender)
Bobby Brown (Forward)
Roger Figg (Forward)
Ricky George (Forward)
Les Eason (Forward)
Colin Powell (Forward)
Gary Phillips (Goalkeeper)
Nicky Evans (Forward)
Paul Wilson (Full-Back)
Gary Bull (Forward)
Dougie Freeman (Forward)
Greg Heald (Defender)
Giuliano Grazioli (Forward)
Ian Hendon (Defender)
Edgar Davids (Player/Manager)
The turnstiles for the Legends Stand are housed at either end. Turnstiles W1-W6 are based in the southwest corner, adjacent to the turnstiles for the Bees Terrace. Turnstiles W7-W10 are at the opposite end in the stadium’s northwest corner and next to the Stadium Control Room. Turnstiles W1-W6 are the more commonly used one, especially when large away crowds are expected in the adjacent Stand 66.
If you have a ticket for the Legends Stand, be sure to check exactly which turnstile you are required to head through. You will have to walk around the entire stadium’s vicinity if you head to the wrong corner.
Inside the Stadium
Stand ’66 consists of a single tier of seating.
The majority of the seats in this stand are orange, though there are two thick horizontal lines made out of black seating. One of these is part-way up and the other is right at the back. Down at the front of the stand, near the stadium’s northwest and northeast corners, are fenced off seating rows for disabled supporters to use.
Your view from anywhere inside Stand ’66 is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.
The stand doesn’t have windshields at either end though, with just small walls in place to offer protection from the sides.
The Hive Stand contains several blocks of black seating, with most of the space behind and to the sides taken up by the offices inside.
The Hospitality Suite and Hive Bar Café are up behind the seating blocks, with glass windows enabling them to see out to the pitch from inside. The stadium’s substitute benches are walled off and down at the front of the stand, with the stadium’s tunnel based to the left of the seating area and near to the northeast corner. An electronic scoreboard can be found attached to the back wall, in line with the stadium’s substitute benches.
There is a roof hanging overhead, but it does not cover the whole seating area, with the outermost blocks in particular left exposed from above and from the sides.
Views from anywhere inside the Hive Stand are perfectly clear, but protection from the elements is low when compared to the other three sides of the stadium.
The Legends Stand is very similar in design to the adjacent Stand ’66.
It is single-tiered, consisting mostly of orange seating with two thick horizontal lines made out of black seating. One of these is part-way up and the other is right at the back. Right up behind the back row is the area which holds the matchday camera. An electronic scoreboard is also in place beside this. You can find a small Barnet club shop on the ground at the southern end of the stand.
Your view from anywhere inside the Legends Stand is perfectly clear as there are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof above.
The stand doesn’t have windshields at either end though, with just small walls in place to offer protection from the sides.
The Stadium Control Room can be found in a small building between the Legends Stand and Stand ’66.
Away Fans
Away fans are housed behind the northern goal in Stand ’66. This is a single-tiered, all-seater stand that can hold around 1,900 people.
You are treated to a perfectly clear view of the action from any seat, with fenced-off seating rows right down at the front for disabled supporters to use.
Protection from the sides is minimal however as there are no windshields in place at either end of Stand ’66.
A Tea Hut and Amber Lounge are located within the stand's outer concourse, with the facilities in general being very good at this end of the stadium.
The turnstiles for the away section can be found along the exterior, near to the stadium’s northwest corner.
The Away Ticket Office is housed next to these turnstiles.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include*:
-Bar 66 in Stand '66 to the north (Away Supporters Only)
-The Hive Bar in the Hive Stand to the east (Home Supporters Only)
-J.J. Moon's (553 Kingsbury Road, NW9 9EL) (A JD Wetherspoon Pub, Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located very close to Kingsbury Underground Station which is two stops south of Canons Park on the Jubilee Line)
-Moranos (Station Road, HA8 6RW) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (An Irish Pub Located close to Canons Park Underground Station)
*The location of the Hive Stadium limits the amount of pubs nearby, unless you make use of the bars actually at the stadium itself. It may be advisable to find a drink elsewhere in London whilst making your way to the match.
Overview
The Hive Stadium is a modern football ground that has replaced a home with more than 100 years of history. Facilities are excellent within three of its four stands, the fourth being a simple covered terrace at the southern end.
Whilst views of the pitch are clear from anywhere inside, its East Stand still looks more like an office block with seating next to it rather than what you would expect to find at a football stadium. Not every block on this side is covered by the overhanging roof either.
The away end here is of good quality however, and with parking facilities to the south and Underground stations located within 20 minutes on foot, there are certainly other stadiums in Greater London that are much harder to reach.
Barnet may no longer play at a venue that is based in their home Borough, but their Hive Stadium is a decent football ground, nonetheless.
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