Friern Barnet was an ancient parish in the Finsbury division of Ossulstone hundred, in the county of Middlesex.

The "Friern" part of the parish's name derives from the French for "brother" and refers to the medieval lordship of the Brotherhood or Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Princess Park Manor is a luxury redevelopment of the Victorian era Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum (later Friern Hospital).

Adjacent to Princess Park Manor is a modern housing development called Friern Village.

The area includes the North Middlesex Golf Club, whose main entrance is at the Whetstone end of Friern Barnet Lane, and Coppetts Wood nature reserve, a medium-sized green area of rare plants and wildlife including some types of small bat and Great Crested Newts.

The nearest London Underground stations are Arnos Grove, Woodside Park and Finchley Central.