Her resolute and, at times, frosty nature as Prime Minister led to her being nicknamed the Iron Lady.

But Margaret Thatcher will be remembered in Finchley as a hard-working and dedicated constituency MP.

She was already carving out a reputation as a determined politician when she won her seat in the borough at the 1959 general election.

And after three terms as Britain’s first female Prime Minister between 1979 and 1990, she had become known for her steely certainty and unwavering leadership.

She took the country to war in the Falklands and fought political battles at home, most famously the miners' strike in 1984.

Even before she was elected as Conservative leader, her role as cabinet member for education under Ted Heath’s government brought fierce controversy when she ended free school milk in department spending cuts.

But Baroness Thatcher is remembered fondly in Finchley as someone who “put the constituency on the map” when she gained her first seat in the House of Commons.

She had come a long way from Grantham, where she was born Margaret Roberts in 1925 as the daughter of a greengrocer.

Having studied as a barrister, her life in politics began with two unsuccessful campaigns in Labour stronghold Dartford – though she attracted a lot of media attention as the youngest and only female candidate.

It was at that time she met Denis Thatcher, whom she later married. The couple had their first of two children before she stood in the Conservative-safe seat of Finchley in 1959.

She would go on to serve the constituency for more than 31 years including periods as education secretary, leader of the opposition and Prime Minister.

Even during her years as the Conservative leader, constituents and colleagues remember her dedication to Finchley, where she held regular surgeries throughout her political career.

She is also fondly remembered by local journalists who worked for the Times Series in those years, many commenting on her approachable nature – a trait her political opponents no doubt saw little of.

Lady Thatcher was replaced as Conservative leader in 1992 by John Major, famously shedding tears as she left Downing Street in front of a mass of reporters and cameras.

In her later years, she suffered long periods of illness and speculation about her health had mounted in recent years following a series of frail public appearances.

The announcement of her passing at the Ritz Hotel this morning, where her family say she died peacefully following a stroke, has been met with sadness from leaders and politicians from across the world.

And constituents will be left to remember Finchley’s most famous MP and one of Britain’s best known Prime Ministers.