Barber on Archway Road: A Local's Guide to Getting a Great Cut
If you want a barber on Archway Road, Highgate Cuts is on the ground floor of The Highgate House, a corner building on the Highgate stretch of the road, about five minutes on foot from Highgate tube. That puts a proper cut within reach of a commute on the Northern line, a bus ride from Muswell Hill or Crouch End, or a walk from Highgate village. This guide is the practical, local version: how the road works, how to get here without fuss, and how regulars fit a cut into a week that is already full.
Archway Road, briefly
Archway Road was built in the early nineteenth century as a bypass. Highgate Hill, the old route north out of London, was steep and badly surfaced, and a new road was cut to the east of Highgate village to give coaches an easier gradient. It opened around 1813 as a toll road and stayed one until 1876.
The original plan was a tunnel through the ridge. It collapsed in 1812 while under construction, and John Nash was brought in to design a bridge instead, carrying Hornsey Lane over the cutting. The bridge you see today replaced Nash’s in 1900, designed by Sir Alexander Binnie. It also marks the boundary between Islington to the south and Haringey to the north, which is why the road changes character as you climb it.
Today Archway Road is part of the A1, the long road north towards Edinburgh. That history matters in one practical way: it is a busy through-road, not a village high street. The rest of this guide is shaped by that.
The stretch between Archway and Highgate
The road runs north from the Archway junction, near Archway tube, through the cutting under the Hornsey Lane bridge and up to Highgate station. If you live or work at the Archway end, you can walk it, though it is a steady climb the whole way. Most people coming from the south take the tube one stop to Highgate instead and walk from there.
The upper stretch around Highgate station is the more neighbourhood end of the road. Jacksons Lane, the arts centre, sits directly opposite the station’s main entrance. Small shops, cafés and pubs line both sides, and side roads lead off towards Highgate village to the west and Crouch End to the east.
Getting here
By tube
Highgate is on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line, in Zone 3, between Archway and East Finchley. Trains on this branch run through Camden Town and on to either the West End or the City, so it is a direct ride from both. The station has two street entrances: the main one on Archway Road, opposite Jacksons Lane, and a second on Priory Gardens. Use the Archway Road entrance. We are about five minutes’ walk from it.
The ticket hall reaches the platforms by escalator. If you need step-free access, check TfL’s accessibility information for the current position before you travel.
By bus
The 43, 134 and 234 all stop at Highgate Station on Archway Road. Check the TfL journey planner for the route from your door, since services change.
On foot or by bike
From Highgate village, Crouch End or the Archway end of the road, walking is often quickest. If you cycle, allow for the hill from the Archway side and bring a lock.
By car
Because Archway Road is a main through-route, stopping on it is restricted and traffic is heavy at peak times. Read the signs carefully before you park on any side road, as controlled parking applies across much of the area. For a short appointment, public transport is almost always less stressful.
We do not have a street number to publish yet. When you book, we will tell you exactly where to find us when we reply.
Fitting a cut into your week
The barbers people stick with are rarely the “best” in the abstract. They are good barbers whose shops are easy to get to on a normal day. Being on the road you already use is most of the battle. Here is how regulars build a cut into their routine.
| Your week looks like | How a cut fits |
|---|---|
| You commute on the Northern line | Stop at Highgate on the way home rather than making a separate trip at the weekend. |
| You work from home in N6, N10 or N8 | A midweek daytime slot replaces a lunch break. Walk or take the bus, and you are back at your desk within the hour for most cuts. |
| You have children at school locally | Book the window between drop-off and your first meeting, or between pick-up and supper. |
| You train in the studio downstairs | Book the cut straight after your session, so one trip covers both. |
| Weekends are for family | Book weekday slots on a fixed rhythm, so the cut never competes with Saturday. |
Two habits help more than anything else:
- Fix the interval, not the date. Work out how long your cut lasts before it loses its shape (your barber will tell you), then book the next one as you leave. A cut you never have to think about is one you never let slide.
- Attach it to something you already do. A regular train home, a weekly session downstairs, a Thursday working from home. Anchored appointments survive busy weeks. Floating ones get cancelled.
For the detail on timing and how far ahead to book, see our guide to barber appointments in Highgate.
One building, two reasons to visit
The Highgate House has Highgate Cuts on the ground floor and a private one-to-one training studio on the lower ground floor, run by Artem Olekhnovych. The two are separate, but for some people that is the point: a session downstairs and a cut upstairs, one journey, home in time for dinner. If that interests you, the private personal training page explains how the studio works.
At the barbers, the Highgate Cuts team does skin fades, scissor cuts, beard work and hot towel shaves. You can see what each involves on our Archway Road barber services page. If you are still deciding whether we suit you, our guide on how to choose a barber in Highgate sets out what to look for anywhere, including here.
Who we are handy for
The obvious catchment is the streets around the road itself, plus Highgate village, Archway, Crouch End, Muswell Hill and Hampstead. From Muswell Hill, the 43 and 134 come down to Archway Road and stop at Highgate Station. From Crouch End, the side roads up the hill make it a reasonable walk. From Hampstead it is a cross-country trip, so it makes most sense combined with something else you are doing in Highgate.
Questions we get asked
Which side of the road are you on?
We will confirm exact directions when you book. We are a corner building on Archway Road, about five minutes’ walk from Highgate station’s Archway Road entrance.
Is Archway Road the same as Highgate Hill?
No. They are parallel routes up the same ridge. Highgate Hill is the older, steeper road that climbs from Archway to Highgate village. Archway Road was built in the early 1800s to the east of it as a gentler bypass, and it is now the A1.
Can I walk from Archway station?
Yes, up Archway Road, though it is uphill all the way and takes considerably longer than five minutes. Taking the tube one stop to Highgate is quicker.
Do you take walk-ins?
Booking is by email for now, with online booking coming soon. Emailing first means there is a chair and a barber ready when you arrive.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready for a proper cut? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · The barbers
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
