Oak. The store was later moved to a larger plot at 9 Watling Avenue, before moving to Burnt Oak Broadway in 1976. This store closed in 2018 and is set to be redeveloped into apartments. In 1930, Dominican nuns established St Rose's Convent at Orange Hill House, which led to the foundation of St James' Catholic High School in 1934. On 31 October 1936, the Co-op opened its department store at the junction of Stag Lane and Burnt Oak Broadway (now a Poundstretcher). The Watling Market began offering a hundred covered shops and stalls in December 1960; this market ceased trading around 2014. In 2018, a stairwell previously used to access the marketplace was closed to the public, along with another on the opposite side which led to the derelict electrical substation. On 10 December 2014, a large fire destroyed the roof of the Lansdowne pub in Burnt Oak. The building was demolished in 2016 and is now the site of a car dealership. In 2017, 500 people were evacuated from the area due to the eruption of a large fire behind shops in Watling Avenue. Watling Estate The Watling Estate is one of 12 London County Council cottage estates built between the wars to provide Homes fit for Heroes. Geography Burnt Oak lies about 160 (50 m) to 200 feet (60 m) above sea level. Prior to urbanisation, much of the area had been rolling grassland. The Silk Stream, Burnt Oak Brook, and Deans Brook flow through Burnt Oak, all tributaries of the River Brent. There are several parks in the area: Watling Park, Silkstream Park, Lyndhurst Park, Woodcroft Park, and The Meads Open Space. Burnt Oak lies northwest of Charing Cross in central London. Demography and culture In 2011, the Burnt Oak ward in Barnet had a population of 18,217. The census showed that 47% of the population was white (30% British, 14% Other, 3% Irish), 13% was Black African, and 12% Other Asian. Religiously, 50% was Christian, 18% Muslim, 7% Hindu, 2% Buddhist, and 1% Jewish. The area is known for its variety of multicultural shops, reflecting the established Indian, Turkish and Nigerian communities. In the 2010s, the area attracted a large community of Eastern Europeans, particularly from Romania. The large size of the Romanian diaspora and its concentration in the area has earned Burnt Oak the nickname "Little Romania", or "Little Bucharest". Similarly, in the 1930s,