Coppetts Wood was once part of a vast woodland known as Finchley Wood. By 1504, this woodland had strunk in size and become known as a common. The 17th and 18th centureis saw Finchley Common used for such diverse pursuits as bare-knuckle boxing, horse racing and pigeon shooting. It also had a reputation as the haunt of highwaymen at this time.

After the area had suffered an outbreak of typhoid in 1872, both Coppetts Wood and Scrublands saw the installation of a sewerage works. After a period of private ownership, the wood was puchased by the Council in 1900.

During the Second World War, the wood was used by the military and several tank traps, a bomb crater and remains of buildings used to test gas masks. More ...