Enfield Town
Encyclopedia
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex
and now in the London Borough of Enfield
. It is 10.1 miles (16.3 km) north north-east of Charing Cross
. The area is identified in the London Plan
as one of 35 major centres in Greater London
.
. At the time of the Domesday Book
the area was spelt 'Enefelde', and had a priest who almost certainly resided in St. Andrews Church. By 1572 most of the basic street layout had been completed. The village green later became the historic marketplace between the church and where the fountain now stands. A market is still operated in this area, which is owned by the parish charity. Its name most likely came from Anglo-Saxon Ēanafeld or similar, meaning "open land belonging to a man called Ēana" or "open land for lambs".
The parish church, on the north side of the marketplace, is dedicated to St Andrew. There is some masonry surviving from the thirteenth century, but the nave, north aisle, choir and tower are late fourteenth century, built of random rubble and flint. The clerestory dates from the early sixteenth century, and the south aisle was rebuilt in brick in 1824.
A sixteenth century manor house, known since the eighteenth century as Enfield Palace, is remembered in the name of the Palace Gardens Shopping Centre. It was used as a private school from around 1670 until the late nineteenth century. The last remains of it were demolished in 1928, to make way for an extension to Pearson's department store, though a panelled room with an elaborate plaster ceiling and a stone fireplace survives, relocated to a house in Gentleman's Row, a street of sixteenth to eighteenth century houses near the town centre.
In 1303, Edward I granted a charter to Humphrey de Bohun, and his wife to hold a weekly market in Enfield each Monday, and James I granted another in 1617, to a charitable trust, for a Saturday market. The Market was still prosperous in the early eighteenth century, but fell into decline soon afterwards. There were sporadic attempts to revive it: an unsuccessful one of 1778 is recorded, and in 1826 a stone Gothic market cross was erected, to replace the octagonal wooden market house, demolished sixteen years earlier. In 1858, J. Tuff wrote of the market "several attempts have been made to revive it, the last of which, about twenty years ago, also proved a failure, It has again fallen into desuetude and will probably never be revived".
However the trading resumed in the 1870s. In 1904 a new wooden structure was built to replace the stone cross, by now decayed. The market is still in existence, administered by the Old Enfield Charitable trust.
The charter of 1303 also gave the right to hold two annual fairs. one on St Andrews Day, and the other in September. The latter was suppressed in 1869 at the request of local tradesmen clergy, and other prominent citizens, having become, according to the local historian Edward Ford "a source of immorality and disorder, and a growing nuisance to the inhabitants".
The New River
, built to supply water to London
from Hertfordshire
, runs immediately behind the town centre through the Town Park
, which is the last remaining public open space of Enfield Old Park
. The Enfield Loop of the New River also passes through the playing fields of Enfield Grammar School, and this is the only stretch of the loop without a public footpath on at least one side of it.
The poet John Keats
went to progressive Clarke's School in Enfield, where he began a translation of the Aeneid
. The school's building later became Enfield Town railway station
until it was demolished in 1872. The current building was erected in the 1960s. In 1840 the first section of the Northern and Eastern Railway
had been opened from Stratford
to Broxbourne
. The branch line from Water Lane to Enfield Town station was opened in 1849.
Enfield Town had the world's first ever cash machine or ATM, which was installed at the branch of Barclays Bank on 27 June 1967 was opened by actor Reg Varney
.
The Town also houses the borough's Civic Centre, the headquarters of the borough administration at which Council and committee meetings are also held.
On Sunday 7 August 2011 after rioting spread from Tottenham vehicles, including a police car were attacked and several shops and business were targeted in the town centre. Most businesses remained closed on Monday 8th and many were not repaired for several weeks after the rioting.
is (as of May 2007) in Division 1 (North) of the Isthmian League
. The club plays at Goldsdown Road, Enfield.
routes 121, 191, 192, 231, 307, 313, 317, 329, 377, W8, W9, W10, night route N29, and non-London route 610 serves Enfield Town.
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and now in the London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
. It is 10.1 miles (16.3 km) north north-east of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
. The area is identified in the London Plan
London Plan
The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London, England in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
as one of 35 major centres in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
.
History
Historically, Enfield was a collection of small communities spread around the royal hunting grounds of Enfield ChaseEnfield Chase
Enfield Chase is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It was once covered by woodland and used as a royal deer park. While it is no longer officially a 'place', the Church of England Parish of St Mary Magdalene, Enfield Chase, officially holds that title, which was effectively...
. At the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
the area was spelt 'Enefelde', and had a priest who almost certainly resided in St. Andrews Church. By 1572 most of the basic street layout had been completed. The village green later became the historic marketplace between the church and where the fountain now stands. A market is still operated in this area, which is owned by the parish charity. Its name most likely came from Anglo-Saxon Ēanafeld or similar, meaning "open land belonging to a man called Ēana" or "open land for lambs".
The parish church, on the north side of the marketplace, is dedicated to St Andrew. There is some masonry surviving from the thirteenth century, but the nave, north aisle, choir and tower are late fourteenth century, built of random rubble and flint. The clerestory dates from the early sixteenth century, and the south aisle was rebuilt in brick in 1824.
A sixteenth century manor house, known since the eighteenth century as Enfield Palace, is remembered in the name of the Palace Gardens Shopping Centre. It was used as a private school from around 1670 until the late nineteenth century. The last remains of it were demolished in 1928, to make way for an extension to Pearson's department store, though a panelled room with an elaborate plaster ceiling and a stone fireplace survives, relocated to a house in Gentleman's Row, a street of sixteenth to eighteenth century houses near the town centre.
In 1303, Edward I granted a charter to Humphrey de Bohun, and his wife to hold a weekly market in Enfield each Monday, and James I granted another in 1617, to a charitable trust, for a Saturday market. The Market was still prosperous in the early eighteenth century, but fell into decline soon afterwards. There were sporadic attempts to revive it: an unsuccessful one of 1778 is recorded, and in 1826 a stone Gothic market cross was erected, to replace the octagonal wooden market house, demolished sixteen years earlier. In 1858, J. Tuff wrote of the market "several attempts have been made to revive it, the last of which, about twenty years ago, also proved a failure, It has again fallen into desuetude and will probably never be revived".
However the trading resumed in the 1870s. In 1904 a new wooden structure was built to replace the stone cross, by now decayed. The market is still in existence, administered by the Old Enfield Charitable trust.
The charter of 1303 also gave the right to hold two annual fairs. one on St Andrews Day, and the other in September. The latter was suppressed in 1869 at the request of local tradesmen clergy, and other prominent citizens, having become, according to the local historian Edward Ford "a source of immorality and disorder, and a growing nuisance to the inhabitants".
The New River
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....
, built to supply water to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, runs immediately behind the town centre through the Town Park
Enfield Town Park
Enfield Town Park is a 9.5 hectare park in the Enfield Town area of the London Borough of Enfield, first opened in 1902. The New River passes through it.- See also :* Enfield Old Park...
, which is the last remaining public open space of Enfield Old Park
Enfield Old Park
Enfield Old Park was an ancient game reserve located in what is now Enfield, in north London. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Today much of the Park is built over as part of the suburb of Grange Park.-Early history:...
. The Enfield Loop of the New River also passes through the playing fields of Enfield Grammar School, and this is the only stretch of the loop without a public footpath on at least one side of it.
The poet John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
went to progressive Clarke's School in Enfield, where he began a translation of the Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
. The school's building later became Enfield Town railway station
Enfield Town railway station
Enfield Town railway station is the most central of several stations in Enfield . It is the terminus of the line served by National Express East Anglia from Liverpool Street, one of the Lea Valley Lines. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by National Express East Anglia...
until it was demolished in 1872. The current building was erected in the 1960s. In 1840 the first section of the Northern and Eastern Railway
Northern and Eastern Railway
The Northern & Eastern Railway operated one of the two main lines which eventually became the Great Eastern Railway: the other being the Eastern Counties Railway....
had been opened from Stratford
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
to Broxbourne
Broxbourne
Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon...
. The branch line from Water Lane to Enfield Town station was opened in 1849.
Enfield Town had the world's first ever cash machine or ATM, which was installed at the branch of Barclays Bank on 27 June 1967 was opened by actor Reg Varney
Reg Varney
Reginald Alfred "Reg" Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as Stan Butler in 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses.-Early life:...
.
The Town also houses the borough's Civic Centre, the headquarters of the borough administration at which Council and committee meetings are also held.
On Sunday 7 August 2011 after rioting spread from Tottenham vehicles, including a police car were attacked and several shops and business were targeted in the town centre. Most businesses remained closed on Monday 8th and many were not repaired for several weeks after the rioting.
Economy
Enfield Town centre underwent major redevelopment work, completed in Autumn 2006. A large extension to the existing shopping centre was built, under the name Palace Exchange. Many branches of chain stores already existing in Enfield Town centre were relocated to the new extension, and there are some completely new stores.Enfield Town Football Club
Enfield Town F.C.Enfield Town F.C.
Enfield Town F.C. is an English football club from Enfield Town, Greater London. Established in 2001 as a fan-led breakaway from Enfield FC, the club currently play in Division One North of the Isthmian League and are based at the Queen Elizabeth II stadium....
is (as of May 2007) in Division 1 (North) of the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
. The club plays at Goldsdown Road, Enfield.
Nearest places
Nearest railway stations
- Enfield Town railway stationEnfield Town railway stationEnfield Town railway station is the most central of several stations in Enfield . It is the terminus of the line served by National Express East Anglia from Liverpool Street, one of the Lea Valley Lines. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by National Express East Anglia...
- Enfield Chase railway stationEnfield Chase railway stationEnfield Chase railway station is located in Windmill Hill, Enfield, in the London Borough of Enfield in north London, and is in Travelcard Zone 5. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by First Capital Connect. It is directly west of Enfield Town centre...
Buses
Enfield Town has excellent bus links.London BusesLondon Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes 121, 191, 192, 231, 307, 313, 317, 329, 377, W8, W9, W10, night route N29, and non-London route 610 serves Enfield Town.