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The newsletter of The Enfield Society

TES News No 184 • Winter 2011

Celebrate Enfield’s heritage in 2012The Enfield Society is planning a seriesof events to celebrate Enfield’s heritagein 2012 to coincide with the Queen’sJubilee year and the Olympics. Theevents will be open to all – members andnon-members of TES – and we hope theywill promote the Society and increase ourunderstanding and knowledge ofEnfield’s fascinating history. Most of theevents will be ticketed so we are notoversubscribed, though we plan that themajority will be free and an SAE sent toJubilee Hall will be all that is required.In March we have been extremelyfortunate to get Alex Werner, Head of theHistorical Collection of the Museum ofLondon and curator of the major CharlesDickens exhibition.* This is to celebratethe 200th year of the birth of Dickens andwill open at the Museum of London on9th December and run through to June2012. He has some pictures of Enfieldtaken by William Attwood in the 1880sand 1890s which will be shown as part ofthe talk. As we expect a lot of interest theDugdale centre has been booked for thistalk and tickets will cost £3 to coverexpenses.*www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Dickens.htm

Although our first event is on Tuesday21st February, there is an earlier jointmeeting with Edmonton Hundred onFriday 10th February in Edmonton onCharles and Mary Lamb. This isunticketed and promises to be a good startto what I hope will be a most informative,interesting and busy year!Other events planned for later in the yearinclude walks around Winchmore Hillwith Peter Hodge and the Royal SmallArms site with Ray Tuthill, as well as ourusual Enfield Town Heritage Walk inJuly and an event to celebrate thereopening of Forty Hall later in the year.Ticketing arrangements for these eventswill be announced nearer the time.Meanwhile if you wish to come onTuesday 21st February for a talk by IanJones who will tell the story of the RoyalPalaces of Elsynge and Enfield anddiscuss the results of recent excavations,or to the Dugdale centre for the Dickenstalk, then please send an SAE to JubileeHall as below, with a cheque for £3 perticket to reserve your place for AlexWerner’s Dickens talk.

Heritage events inSpring 2012

Friday 10th FebruaryIn the steps of Charles and Mary Lamb,by Helen Walton, at the Charities School,Church Street, Edmonton, 7.30 for8.00pm. Please just come along.

Tuesday 21st FebruaryThe royal palaces of Enfield, anillustrated talk by Ian Jones, 7.30 for8.00pm at Jubilee Hall.Admission by free ticket available tomembers and non-members on receipt ofa stamped addressed envelope. Pleasesend your application to Emma Halstead,The Enfield Society, Jubilee Hall,2 Parsonage Lane, Enfield EN2 0AJ.

Wednesday 21st MarchDickens and London, an illustrated talkby Alex Werner, curator of the Museumof London at the Dugdale Centre, 7.30for 8.00. Please send a SAE to JubileeHall as above with a cheque for £3 perticket, payable to “The Enfield Society”.

Janet McQueen

Charles LambFrontispiece ofTales from Shakespeareby Charles and Mary Lamb

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Conservation AreasIn Enfield Town we learn that there is tobe no ice skating rink this year, as lastyear’s operated at a loss.John Davies and I have met with JeremySturgess of the Trent Park Golf Club toconsider draft proposals prior to aplanning application to improve theClubhouse and main entrance of the golfcourse. With the younger generation inmind, the proposals include a landscapedmini golf area next to the Enfield Roadand ten five a side football pitches. Thesewould be floodlit, but we were happywith the final scheme, which includedsinking the pitches with additionalscreening and planting and a muchimproved road entrance and changes tothe elevation of the clubhouse.

Conservation AdvisoryGroupClock House Parade in London Road.Proposals to lower and set back theprominent roof plant referred to in thelast News should resolve the problem.The CAG has been concerned withproposals affecting the lakes in bothGrovelands and Trent Park. Some yearsago spillways to accommodate possibleflooding were installed withmodifications agreed to lessen theenvironmental impact. Updatedregulations mean that both lakes, whichare classed as reservoirs because theyhave a dam, have to be upgraded to copewith a 1,000 year flood risk. InGrovelands Park this means that theexisting 1.7m wide spillway is totallyinadequate. An 80m wide one would nowbe needed! However, raising the wallalong the dam by half a metre will allowthe width of the new spillway to bereduced to 20m and this is what isproposed. The result would be a sectionof the asphalt path along the dam havingto be sunk by half a metre, to the level ofthe spillway. One might feel that thesenew requirements are over the top (nopun intended) but the committee reportwas for information only, as this ispermitted development not requiringpermission.A similar approach in Trent Park wouldsee the pathway along the edge of thedam beside the Japanese Garden raisedby an unclear amount to provide a levelgravel path, with the 27.5 metre sunkensection for the spillway surfaced in Yorkstone. As in the case of Grovelands onlya few medium sized trees on theembankment would be removed.

Conservation

Trees GroupI must apologise for not updating mytelephone number when requestingassistance with Trentwoodsideallotment tree nursery. If there are anyfurther volunteers willing to put in theoccasional couple of hours, the numberlisted on the back page of thisnewsletter is now correct.We have objected to the application toreplace the bungalow at 110 Bush Hill,adjacent to the Golf Club, with two 5-bedroom houses filling most of the siteand involving the loss of most of thenumerous trees. Since the site reads asan extension of the woodland along theGolf Club frontage this would be amajor blow to the appearance of thisattractive road.Also, we have objected to proposals fornine 4-bedroom houses by the FoyleFoundation at Gwalior House on thecorner of Chase Road and AvenueRoad N14. Outline permission forhousing was granted on appeal someyears ago. The land has now beenfound to be subject to a restrictivecovenant made in 1936 with SouthgateCouncil, requiring it to be retained asprivate open space, but this isapparently not a valid planningconsideration. The mature trees allaround the open area on the corner infront of the existing flats are protected,but the plans involve the removal ofmany of them.

Chris Jephcott, Convener

Green BeltThe Society has objected to conversion ofa small barn and shed near to theWhitewebbs Lane entrance to Guy LodgeFarm into a house on the grounds ofinappropriate development in the GreenBelt. We have no problems with aproposal at the same farm for a bundalong the M25 to safeguard livestockfrom possible breaches in the motorwayboundary fence.

Chris Jephcott

High wire in the woodsFollowing investigation, theConservation Advisory Group weregenerally happy with the Aerial Trek (ahigh wire forest adventure network)proposed for Church Wood in Trent Park.

English Heritage has upgraded the listingof Arnos Grove and OakwoodUnderground Stations, designed byCharles Henry Holden, to Grade ll*, thesecond highest to Grade l. This wasobviously very welcome and in answer toan enquiry it was confirmed that therestoration of artefacts, such as thefragmented Art Deco cast iron railings atOakwood, would happen when fundingbecomes available. We will keep up thepressure on this.

Cast iron railings at Oakwood station,in need of restoration

Existing spillway at Grovelands lake, tobe widened to cope with floods

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Sales table

The seventh, and final, book in Dr.Jim Lewis’ series on the the LeaValley was launched at Myddeltonhouse in September. Regenerationand innovation charts the changesfrom medieval farm land to 21stcentury Olympic site via thestories of the Great EasternRailway Works, the chemicalscompany Johnson and Matthey,and many others. All seven booksin this series are well illustrated by

photos and images and explore theregion’s rich heritage as thecrucible of world industrial andtechnological firsts.The previous six titles are:� From gunpowder to guns

features the Royal Small ArmsFactory and the RoyalGunpowder Mills;

� Water and waste documents400 years of improvements topublic health and theengineering feat of the NewRiver;

� Battleships, buses and bombersdescribes the range of transportinnovation pioneered in theregion including A V Roe’shistoric flight at Walthamstowin 1909;

� Weapons, wireless and worldwars explores the involvementin two World Wars fromadvances in weaponsmanufacture to the developmentof wireless technology;

� Industry and innovation looksat the numerous inventionswhich were developed in the

Lea Valley and the growth ofmajor businesses such asEdiswan light bulbs andGestetner copying machines;

� From Eton Manor to theOlympics is concerned with thehistory of the region, much of itconnected to the 2012Olympics.

These books cost £9.99 each andthey can all be purchased from theSales Table at Jubilee Hallmeetings or on Saturday morning10th December from 10 am to 1p.m. when our full range ofpublications will be available,especially for those members whocannot get to Jubilee Hall duringthe week. Many smaller itemssuch as badges and maps makegood stocking fillers while bookson the Enfield area are welcomedby friends and family.All our publications can also besupplied by post. See thepublications page on our website<http://www.enfieldsociety.org.uk/> for details.

Monica Smith

The Edmonton group was pleased tosee so many TES members on thewalk in August and the walled gardenat Pymmes Park was especiallyenjoyed, as seen in this photographby Irmlinde Adibe. Concerns atpresent include the threat ofdevelopment on playing fields. Oneof the trees planted at MontaguRecreation Ground has died and weare hoping to replace it shortly. Allmembers, wherever they live, arewelcome at the joint meeting withEdmonton Hundred HistoricalSociety on Friday 10th February at 8p.m. at the Charity School Hall, 24Church Street, Edmonton. HelenWalton will give a talk “In the stepsof Mary and Charles Lamb”.

Monica Smith

Edmonton Group

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This list gives a selection of forthcoming events, notincluding our regular Jubilee Hall meetings listed on page5. Contact details for the organisations responsible forthese events are given in the notes at the end. Otherevents and updates may be found on our web site at<www.enfieldsociety.org.uk> and on the Enfield Councilsite at <www.enfield.gov.uk/events/>

Until 4th May 2012Exhibition: Remembering Star Wars - a social history of thecinema in Enfield, Dugdale Centre, 39 London Road. OpenMonday-Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission free.Friday 18th November, 7.30 for 8.00 pm, Jubilee HallEAS Digging for Enfield sites – the roast beef of Old Englandby Neil Pinchbeck, EAS Osteo-archaeologist. [EAS]Wednesday, 23rd November, 10 amGroundforce project: Brooke Wood. Carrying on the coppicingof hornbeam and clearing scrub growing up around previouscoppicing. Parking in Royal Chase Hotel car park. [GF]Sunday 27th November, 10 am to 4 pmEnfield Conservation Volunteers task: Trent Park, Shaw’sWood. Meet in the Council Works Yard, at the top of SnakesLane, near the Wildlife Rescue Centre and café. There is still alot of rhododendron smothering the ground in Shaw’s Wood, sowe will be taking it out to encourage the return of native species.[ECV]Saturday 3rd (7 pm) and Sunday 4 December (3 pm)Christmas concerts with the Children’s International Voices ofEnfield. Dugdale Centre, 39 London Road, Enfield in advancefrom 020 8882 7404 or at the door.Wednesday 7th December, 10 amGroundforce project: Trent Nature Trail. Continuing theremoval of sycamore stumps and general clearance andmaintenance. Parking in Trent car park next to hockey club.[GF]Saturday 10 December 10 am to 1 pmSales Table open at Jubilee HallSaturday 10th December 11 am to 5 pmMake Do Christmas – A festive fair where vintage meets food.Dugdale Centre, 39 London Road, Enfield. 11:00 - 17:00.Tickets: £3/ £1.50/ under 16s free.Sunday 11th December, 10 am to 4 pmEnfield Conservation Volunteers task: Whitewebbs GolfCourse. Meet in Beggars Hollow car park, off Clay Hill. Reedthinning and clearance in the brook. Bring wellies! [ECV]Tuesday 13th December, 7.45 for 8.00 pm, Jubilee HallSeasonal meeting of EHHS. No lecture, just a social eveningwith wine and mince pies[EHHS]Friday 16th to Saturday 31st DecemberSkewbald Theatre in The Snow Queen. Dugdale Centre.Tickets £10 (£8 concessions). For performance dates and timescontact 020 8807 6680 or <www.millfieldartscentre.co.uk>Wednesday 21st December, 10 amGroundforce project: Hillyfields. Carrying on with removal oftree seedlings and the more mature growth. Parking in CooksHole Road.Tuesday 10th January 2012, 8 pm, Jubilee HallNapoleon’s empire: its principles, practices and legacy(illustrated), by Dr Michael Rowe (King's College, London).[HA]

Diary datesFriday 10th February, 8 pmIn the shadow of Mary and Charles Lamb, by Helen Walton.Joint meeting of The Enfield Society with the EdmontonHundred Historical Society at the Charity School Hall, ChurchStreet, Edmonton.Tuesday 14th February 2012, 8 pm, Jubilee HallClergy in London from the Black Death to the Reformation(illustrated), by Professor Virginia Davis (Queen Mary,University of London). [HA]Tuesday, 21st February 2012, 7.30 for 8 pm, Jubilee HallRoyal palaces of Enfield, by Ian Jones.Tuesday 13th March 2012, 8 pm, Jubilee HallThe alchemy of dust: waste and recycling in nineteenthcentury London (illustrated), by Dr Peter Hounsell FHA [HA]Tuesday 8th May 2012, 8 pm, Jubilee HallDe-Stalinisation in the Soviet Union by Dr Polly Jones(University College, Oxford). [HA]

Other guided walks are organised by Enfield Council’sParks Outreach Team. Details are in the “Walk Enfield”brochure which can be downloaded from the Council’sWeb site at<http://www.enfield.gov.uk/downloads/download/1083/walk_enfield_brochure>. Phone (020) 8441 8272 or email<alan.mitellas@enfield.gov.uk> for more information.If you are interested in participating in Groundforce or ECVprojects, please contact them in advance for details.GF: Groundforce. Web page at<http://sites.google.com/site/groundforce99/home>Contact Eileen Jessup (020) 8805 1974 or email<groundforce.enfield@gmail.com>;ECV: Enfield Conservation Volunteers. Contact JennyWillmot, Outreach and Community Officer, Parks Office,Trent Park, Cockfosters Road, Barnet, EN4 0PS, tel. (020)8449 2459, email <jenny.willmot@enfield.gov.uk> or seethe ECV website at <www.ecv.org.uk>.EAS: Enfield Archaeological Society. Visitors are verywelcome (£1.00 per person).<http://www.enfarchsoc.org/index.html>EHHS: Edmonton Hundred Historical Society<http://www.edmontonhundred.freeolamail.com/>.HA: The Historical Association, North London Branch.<http://www.history.org.uk/resources/he_resource_1170.html> These meetings are open to all and there is no fee.Contact the Branch Secretary, Robin Blades (020 83685328), <robin.blades@virgin.net>

Hire Jubilee Hall for your meetingJubilee Hall is available for hire to local groups and societiesfor seated meetings, conferences, etc.The hall can accommodate up to 80 people, and there arefacilities for making and serving tea and coffee. Pictures ofthe hall and hire charges can be seen on our web site<http://www.enfieldsociety.org.uk> by clicking on the menuitem “Hire of Jubilee Hall”Enquiries about bookings should be made to Pat Keeble, tel:(020) 8360 3873 or by email to<hall.bookings@enfieldsociety.org.uk>

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The President’s column

Tuesday mornings 10.00 for 10.30 am.Some meetings may finish a little laterthan normal.29th November. The time line, byMargaret Bale, with slides.13th December. Songs and music, byChristine and Peter Padwick.31st January. The great migration :Tanzania wildlife, by Anne Johnson, withslides.28th February. Treasures and the Tower,by Garry Wykes, with digital images.27th March. Malta, by Brenda Brown,with slidesEvening meetings, at 7.30 for 8 pmThursday 19th January. The history ofEnfield’s railways. Part one: Lea Valley,Southbury Loop & Enfield Town, anillustrated talk by Dave Cockle.Tuesday 21st February. The royalpalaces of Enfield, an illustrated talk byIan Jones.Thursday 15th March. How we used tolive – domestic interiors from Victoriantimes to the present, by Stephen Gilburt.Thursday 19th April. The Walkers ofArnos Grove, by Ruby Galili (Joint meetingwith Edmonton Hundred Historical Society).

Jubilee Hallmeetings

Writing in the last TES News, I warnedabout the threat to our Green Beltcountryside from a leaked draft of theGovernment’s new National PlanningPolicy Framework as highlighted on thefront page. The final draft, released inmid July, purported to protect the GreenBelt by excluding it from the proposalsand the Government has regularlyrepeated this line. Unfortunately, scrutinyof the draft shows the Green Belt is farfrom secure. Not only are local planningauthorities able to revise the boundarieseach time a Local Plan is revised, asEnfield is currently doing, but a newcategory of ‘reserved’ land is created,between the built up area and the GreenBelt proper. Inevitably the effect will beto push the Green Belt boundaryoutwards and become an invitation tospeculators to snap up the land. It is noteven clear that the presumption in favourof ‘sustainable’ development – ‘thedefault answer to development is yes’ –will not apply in the Green Belt.But this is not the worst of it. Thedocument is so loosely drafted that anyhalf decent lawyer acting on behalf of adeveloper should be able to drive a coachand horses through it. The Framework isto be plan led, but we were astonished tolearn that all the existing planningguidance is to be cancelled, including, forexample, on the historic environment orhousing, adopted after full consultationwithin the past 18 months. Localauthorities were encouraged to refer to

the guidance whendrawing up theirown Local Plans, sothat these will now be existing in avacuum. Each will have to reinvent thewording for themselves. And when a planis deficient or absent, any developmentapplication will have to be approved bydefault. We can see this setting the clockback 60 years to the time when ribbonbuilding was rife and the countrysideopen to sporadic uncontrolleddevelopment.The stock answer of the Government isthat localism will solve all the problemsbut it does seem in fact that localautonomy under the Localism Act will bevery restricted and difficult to exercise.Unfortunately, planning is a rathertechnical subject and we have problemsin getting the message across to thegeneral public. As far as I can ascertainnone of the local press has printed ourletters on the subject, nor have theEnfield MPs yet replied to our lettersasking for their support.What are the implications for amenitysocieties such as ours? The CoalitionGovernment seems set in its view that thepurpose of the planning system is topromote economic growth. Possiblyincreased joint working by individualsocieties will help but I feel veryuncertain about our future.

Chris Jephcott

New membersWe warmly welcome the followingnew members:

Mr & Mrs W Baldeo, Mr J Branagan,Mr & Mrs D Buckley,Mr & Mrs W & K Burton,Mrs V.A. Dabbs, Ms K Doku,Mr & Mrs D Glen,Mr B Hasan-Bekir,Mr A E Heywood, Mrs S Iannacone,Mr T Kelly, Mrs I Lucking,Dr & Mrs S McCarthy,Miss J McNeill, Ms C Michael,Ms V Munday,Mr & Mrs R & R Parncutt,Ms M Putt, Mrs J Quinn, Mr M Rye ,Ms S Sanford, Miss C. Stavrinides,Mrs F Stone,Mr & Mrs. A & G Whiffin,Ms S Winter, Miss H Yiu

Joyce James

Newsletter contributionsContributions to the newsletter frommembers are most welcome, and maybe in the form of letters, articles, newsitems, responses to previous articles,opinion pieces or photographs. Wecannot undertake to publish everything,and we reserve the right to shorten oredit items before publication. Copy inelectronic form is most convenient, andcan be sent as an email attachment to<newsletter@enfieldsociety.org.uk>,but items on paper can also be accepted.Contact the Newsletter Editor, LeonardWill, at the above email address or bytelephone at (020) 8372 0092 if youhave any questions about making acontribution. The copy date for the nextissue is 20th January 2012, but itemscan be sent at any time and having themin advance is most helpful. Thenewsletter is distributed about threeweeks after the copy date.

Leonard Will

This curious tree sculpture was photographedby John Bourne in Parkfield on a TESfootpath walk on 13th August. Parkfield is anattractive open space located to the west ofHigh Street, Potters Bar, which also includeswoodland and a Japanese garden.Does anyone know know what the sculpturerepresents, what the occasion was for whichit was carved, the date, the name of the artist,and so on?

Potters Bar totem pole?

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Historic buildings

Following improvements to rail services andthe extension of the Piccadilly undergroundline north from Finsbury Park toCockfosters between 1930 and 1933, manycomfortable terraced, semi-detached anddetached houses were built for sale in theLondon suburbs. One developer advertised“A Home, a House, a Little Palace in aconvenient healthy district, purchasable byanyone with a small capital and regularincome”. Prices ranged from £500 to£2,500, those at the lower end beingaffordable to someone with an annualincome of £200. However “no cheap ornasty project [was] allowed”.Styles varied from modern and neo-Georgian to “Tudorbethan”, with half-timbered features; examples of the latter canbe seen in the Meadway Estate conservation

Little palaces: suburban inter-war houses

The front door had stained glass panels. The hallstandwas used for hats, coats and shoes.

area in Southgate (see TES News no. 172,page 1).People moving into their new homes werenot short of advice. One 1930s manualrecommended that “furniture should be wellmade, graceful and strong. Overcrowding isbad in taste and too many ornaments orpictures provide a distracting and muddledeffect”. The new residents were proud oftheir facilities and one wrote “We Southgatepeople in our new houses are a pretty cleanand gentlemanly lot. We don’t boast aboutour baths and bathrooms, but the factremains we take our ablutions seriously”.

In 2000 a semi-detached house wasconverted to its possible appearance in theSecond World War for Channel 4 televisionand a family were filmed living there underwartime conditions. A replica of the house

was constructed in the Imperial WarMuseum in Lambeth and later incorporatedinto “The Children’s War and the 1940sHouse”. This free exhibition, which willbring back many memories, closes on 3rdJanuary 2012.

A forthcoming talk: “How we used to live –domestic interiors from Victorian times tothe present” at 8pm on Thursday 15thMarch in Jubilee Hall, will illustrate the1940s house together with other preserved19th and 20th century houses, genrepaintings and museum recreations ofdomestic interiors such as those at theGeffrye Museum at Shoreditch and thosewhich were at the former Museum ofDomestic Design and Architecture at CatHill, Barnet.

Stephen Gilburt

17 Braemar Gardens, West Wickham, Kent, with tworeception rooms, kitchenette, three bedrooms and aseparate bathroom and toilet, was on sale for £875 in 1932.

The living or sitting room, where visitors would bereceived, was the successor to the Victorian parlour andthe Georgian drawing room. Furniture included a settee,armchairs, a footstool (made from six golden syrup tinscovered with cut moquette), a glass-fronted cabinet, adesk and a side table. There was also a sewing machine,a Bakelite wireless and a wind-up gramophone, but notelevision or computer.

Houses without gardens might have a Morrison air-raidshelter – a steel mesh cage with a solid top which couldalso serve as a dining table when the side panels wereremoved. This dining room also had a sideboard, bookcaseand trolley, and was heated by an open coal fire in the tiledfireplace. Tape was stuck over the windows to hold theglass in place should a bomb fall nearby and the curtainswere drawn across at night to help maintain the blackout.

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Historic buildings

The kitchenette had a ceramic sink with a wooden drainingboard, a small gas stove, a washing tub with an electricelement to heat water, a scrubbing board, dolly stick andmangle, a coke-burning boiler to provide hot water for thehouse, a kitchen cabinet and an ironing board. The housewas cleaned with the aid of a mop, brushes, dusters and acarpet sweeper. There was, however, no washing ma-chine, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave oven orvacuum cleaner in this house.

Due in part to the influence of the Hays Production Codeon 1930s American films, separate beds for married cou-ples became fashionable. The beds had silk-covered ei-derdowns filled with feathers and down from the eiderduck. Other furniture included a wardrobe and dressingtable. Heating was provided by a built-in gas fire in thetiled fireplace.

Although there were bathrooms in many late Victorian andEdwardian houses, for some people moving to a houselike this it would have been the first time they had their ownbathroom, having previously used a portable tin bath or thelocal public slipper baths. In wartime Britain bath waterwas reused and a maximum depth of five inches (whichcould be marked in paint) was suggested.

During the war when clothes and food were rationed, peo-ple were encouraged to “Dig for Victory” and gardens pro-vided valuable home-grown fruit and vegetables. Somepeople kept chickens, rabbits or even a pig. (“You can useevery bit of a pig, except its squeal” was a popular saying.)The Anderson air-raid shelter cost £7, but the corrugatedsteel sheets needed were provided free to families earningless than £250 a year. Shelters were also used to growrhubarb and mushrooms, for which the dark, damp condi-tions were suitable.

Southbury Road in the late 1960sWe have recently received this photograph taken from Bovril House(now called New River House), next to Enfield Town station. It wassent to us by Mrs Valerie Martin (neé Jemmett), who says that sheremembers climbing onto several packing cases to get a better view.The picture shows the junction of Genotin Road and Southbury Road inthe foreground, with Cole & Read Tailors and the Town Book Shop. St.Andrew’s Church is at the top right and Church Street on the far leftThis photograph is one of many that we are mounting on the EnfieldSociety’s website. Several volunteers are selecting and recordingimages from the large collection of slides that we were bequeathed bythe late Stanley Smith and we now have over 400 available to view.

Leonard Will

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The library of your dreams – in EnfieldOne feature of the new Enfield Town library which may have escaped your notice is thelong purple frieze which winds around above the curved partition on the ground floorleading to the children’s and teenage areas. The library was open to visitors as part of theOpen House London event in September, when Nick Hufton, a director of the architects,Shepheard Epstein Hunter, discussed some of the features they had incorporated in thebuilding.He writes “The frieze is intended to be suggestive of a dream landscape in whichfragments of the Enfield skyline appear. There is a theme of town and countryside whichwe felt was particularly appropriate to Enfield and the project.” The images were takenfrom old postcards and photographs of Enfield (as shown here) and digitally processed toproduce an impressionistic effect.In our last issue Chris Jephcott reported the concern of the Conservation Advisory Groupabout the amount of “roof clutter” – plant and equipment that spoilt the skyline of manyrecent buildings. Nick Hufton explained that in the case of the library they had gone togreat pains to avoid this, and had achieved a clean roof line from many differentviewpoints.The library is designed to be energy-efficient, with most of the heating and cooling beingprovided by a 100 kW ground source heat pump system which exchanges heat with anarray of boreholes sunk to 100 metres below the Library Green. The Green, which theEnfield Preservation Society fought to preserve in 1937, thus provides new hiddenbenefits to the community.

Leonard Will

Town Park gates, before the Cecil Roadhouses were completed in front of them

Church Street - the image hasbeen reversed to better fit the

design of the frieze!

Part of Pearsons shop front

The north side of thenew library faces theLibrary Green, whilethe south side, on

Cecil Road, has a solidwall to keep out

sunlight, decoratedwith inscribed lettering.

The original Carnegielibrary building hasbeen preserved and

connected to the newextension.

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nuisance late in the season when pupaeare no longer being raised, butunfortunately they seem to be in steepdecline in London.When I was growing up leavingwindows open and lights on during hotsummers’ evenings was an invitation tohundreds of midges and moths to coatthe ceiling. Now I am surprised to findtwo or three midges and an occasionalsolitary moth. Apart from sadness oflosing more wildlife, this mattersbecause all those midges and moths arepollinators and food for other insects,birds and bats. The loss is probably

partly due to loss of habitat as weblithely concrete over more and more ofour gardens, as described by Stuart Millsin his article in the summer edition, butthere’s evidence that street and otherlighting is the bigger culprit. Oneestimate put the figure at 85%.Very recently scientists reported thatcities are better habitat for wildlife than

rural areas, many of which are vastmonocultures supporting few species.Stuart Mills touched on how we mighthelp, and I would add avoiding doubleflowers and leaving plant litter on thesoil to his list.Avoiding double flowers because theyoffer no food source to butterflies andbees, and leaving plant litter because itcreates habitat for beneficial insects,worms and the myriad soil-life lost inpast times to serious air pollution – suchas the black soil beetle which helpedreduce the slug population which is nowso out of control in London.I strongly support Stuart Mills’ case thatwe should do what we can to foster athriving insect population for its ownsake and in our practical interest, but tomy mind the need to protect habitat isalso relevant to visual amenity generallyand street scene in particular. The crazefor turning gardens into concrete carparks has made many streets – includingmy own in a conservation area –represent urban blight rather than apleasant place for family living. We loststreet trees (also habitat for insects) aswell as most gardens in this ratherspecial case of urban degeneration, andall for no net gain in parking places.

David Hughes

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Anonymous friendsMy wife and I were having lunch withfriends, and the conversation turned togardens. “What I don’t see ...”, said one“… is the point of woodlice?”Caught by surprise I responded: “They'remore important than you are.” Not myfinest moment, but nevertheless theresponse was apt – the likes of woodliceare essential to the recycling of soilnutrients whilst humankind confers nocomparable benefit to the health of theplanet.I tell the story because people tend to seeinsects and other ‘creepy-crawlies’ as aregrettable act of nature, rather than partof a self-balancing system keeping theplanet fit for habitation. Meanwhile, asthe dominant species we are doing manythings to reduce their number and there isnow real concern that decliningpopulations of bees and other pollinatinginsects threatens our food supply.If not essential, wasps come close. Earlyin the season they feed insects in variousstages of their life cycle to pupae in theirnests whilst living on a high sugar dietsecreted by those pupae. All veryimportant in the control of aphids anddamaging caterpillars, and withoutfarmers and gardeners doing a thing.Wasps are friends, only becoming a

Natural environment

A group of walkers on a Footpaths Group walk startingfrom Ingatestone Station in rural Essex on 30th Julyadmiring All Saints Church, the parish church of the villageof Stock, a small village on the outskirts of Billericay and 6miles south of Chelmsford. It used to be called StockHarvard and the ecclesiastical parish is still known by thatname.(Photo by John Bourne)

On 10th September Monica Smith led a Footpaths Groupwalk to the new Olympic White Water Centre in the LeaValley Park. She says that there are no walkers in view, sowe guess that they were not keen enough to brave therapids themselves.(Photo by John Bourne)

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Train details are correct at press date butTES cannot be responsible forsubsequent alterations. Please alwayscheck with operating train companies’enquiries line (08457 48 49 50) or withtheir websites. For TFL London areaTube, DLR, London Overground andbus details, ring 0843 222 1234 or checkTFL website.Reduced price train travel: GroupsaveOff-Peak Day Return (previously CheapDay Return) tickets allow 3 or 4 adults totravel together for the price of 2 adults onFirst Capital Connect, London Midland,Southeastern, Southern, Chiltern, SouthWest or National Express East Anglia.Even for travel to the start of linear walksGroupsave tickets are usually cheaperthan buying a standard price single butyou must travel as a group.If you have a Freedom Pass or NationalBus Pass please bring it with you as wemight use a bus for access.Please wear walking boots or stoutwalking shoes – trainers are not usuallysuitable, even for London parks.

Sat 26 Nov. The Old East End. Meet9.50am Cambridge Heath Station(9.22am train from Enfield Town or9.28am from Edmonton Green).Note: Engineering work will result inclosure of the Southbury Loop and notrains north of Waltham Cross. As atTES copy date, the NEEA amendedtimetable indicates this should notaffect trains from Enfield Town –normal departures at 22 & 52 mins pastthe hour are retained, with extraservices. However, please check earlierin the week and travel as appropriate tomake the start time.Today’s linear walk highlights changesfrom the East End to the rejuvenatedDocklands via the Mile End Greenway,Poplar High Street, Limehouse Basinand Wapping. Bring lunch or foodavailable. Although full route is 8 miles,finish point will depend upon weatherconditions etc. on the day. Many shorteroptions. All travel within Freedom Passarea. Details: 07703 470 156. Leaders:Toby Simon & Margaret McAlpine

Wed 30 Nov.* Note alteration in meeting place fromAutumn newsletter *More tales from the London Blitz.Meet 10.30am at the western entrance tothe New Change shopping centre whereit exits onto New Change street (i.e.facing St. Paul’s Churchyard and theeastern end of the Cathedral). With the

Future walks 70th anniversary of the Blitz, and bypopular request, Brian explores moreparts of The City that were soirrevocably altered by the Blitz. Fullroute ends by 1.30pm but numerousshorter options. Leader: Brian FrearSat 10 Dec. River Lea andGunpowder Park. Meet 1.32pm oneast side of level crossing at BrimsdownStation (1.25pm train from TottenhamHale). Alternatively, by 307 or 191buses (both take about 25 mins fromEnfield Town) or 491 bus fromEdmonton Green (also about 25 minsjourney time).

This linear walk of about 2.25 hours,mainly on gravel paths, goes viaMossop’s Creek, the Enfield LockHeritage Trail, nature reserves and therestored meadows of Gunpowder Park,ending at Enfield Island Village for 121& 491 buses (or for trains from EnfieldLock). An interesting route thathighlights recent landscapeimprovements and some new paths, asshown on the 2011 TES map. Details:(020) 8366 2242 or 07948 204 025.Leader: Dave CockleWed 14 Dec. Dollis Valley andTotteridge Countryside. Meet 10.15amTotteridge & Whetstone Station. Accessby Northern Line from either HighBarnet (about 3 mins) or from CentralLondon. 251 bus from Arnos GroveStation (about 15 mins) stops outsidestation and others (e.g. 34 & 125) stopabout 300 yards away. Also station carpark.

An attractive 3 hour walk, initiallyfollowing the Dollis Brook, and thenthrough part of Barnet’s Green Beltfarmland/nature reserves locatedbetween Mill Hill and Totteridge.Shorter option. Details: (020) 83600282. Leader: Roy NichollsWed 28 Dec. Northern Heights. Meet10.21am Alexandra Palace Station(10.10am train from Enfield Chase or184 & W3 buses).

Note: train times assume FCC will runnormal weekday service – if not, and itis a Saturday service, then 9.59am trainfrom Enfield Chase. Please checkbeforehand – either way, it will be a10.21am start.About 7 mile linear walk across some ofthe higher parts of North London, viaAlexandra Palace, remains of the ancientForest of Middlesex and HampsteadHeath. Many shorter options. Lunch stopin Highgate Village – bring lunch orfood available. Leader: Stuart Mills

Wed 4 Jan. Enfield Parks and OpenSpaces. Meet 10.00am Palmers GreenStation (9.50am train from EnfieldChase or 121, 329 & W6 buses) for alinear walk of up to 3 hours. The routeconnects some of Enfield’s greenspaces, including Broomfield Park,Southgate Green, Grovelands, OakwoodPark, Boxers Lake and then besideEnfield Golf Course to end on SladesHill (121, 307 & 377 buses). Manyshorter options. Leader: Norman ColesSat 14 Jan. Capital Ring – Finale.Meet 11.02am South Kenton Station(10.37am London Overground trainfrom Euston mainline station) or travelwith Dave on the 9.29am train fromEnfield Chase.Today will see Dave complete the finalportion of the 72 mile Capital Ring witha 6.75 mile section ending at HendonCentral Station. The route includes theBarn Hill and Gotfords Hill viewpoints,one of the best areas of traditionalcountryside remaining in Middlesex andthe Welsh Harp/Brent Reservoir. Therewill also be an extra to the standardroute to include some architecturaloddities. Shorter options. Bring lunch orfood available. All travel withinFreedom Pass area. Details: (020) 83662242 or 07948 204 025. Leader: DaveCockleWed 18 Jan. Charles Dickens’London. Meet 10.30am Russell SquareStation (Piccadilly Line). 2012 is the200th anniversary of Dickens’ birth, andtoday Monica will link various locationsassociated with him &/or his novels inthis part of London. The route will finishabout 1.15pm in the vicinity of HolbornStation. Leader: Monica SmithSat 28 Jan. From “The BlackestStreets” to Desirable Residences. Meet10.25am Liverpool Street mainlinestation at entrance to Platform 1 (9.52amtrain from Enfield Town). Roy willhighlight changes that have taken placeover the last 200 to 300 years on a routefull of interest from Spitalfields toHoxton, with a lunch stop near theGeffrye Museum. Many shorter options.Details: (020) 8360 0282. Leader: RoyNichollsSat 4 Feb. Enfield’s Countryside. Meet10.15am Forty Hall Mansion – on thehouse side of the lake (at TES copy dateaccess to the toilets was from near thecourtyard). Today’s max 8 mile circularwalk is via the New River, TheobaldsEstate & Whitewebbs Estate. Reflectingthe winter season, much of the routeuses gravel tracks and can be shortened

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Future walks(continued)

in the event of adverse weatherconditions.Option to leave at the lunch stop inCrews Hill (bring lunch or foodavailable). If joining for afternoonsection, be at Crews Hill station by1.54pm (1.49pm train from EnfieldChase). Note: suggest car drivers park inForty Hill, and not in the Forty Hall carpark, to avoid being locked-in (lockingtimes can be haphazard during thewinter). Leader: Stuart MillsSat 11 Feb. Waterways and Parks.Meet 10.45am Warwick Avenue Station(Bakerloo Line) for a linear walkincluding Little Venice, Regent’s Canal,Regent’s Park and nearby places ofinterest, ending at CamdenLock/Market. Many shorter options.Bring lunch or food available. Leader:Brian FrearWed 15 Feb. River Lee Country Park.Meet 10.24am Cheshunt Station(10.14am train from Southbury Stationor 9.55am train from Tottenham Halewhich also stops at Ponders End,Brimsdown & Enfield Lock).About 7.5 mile circular walk in thismajor refuge for birds – consisting of apatchwork of lakes, waterways, openspaces and countryside, the area islinked by a large network of mostly wellsurfaced paths. Possible shorter option.Bring lunch or food available. Leader:Stuart MillsSat 25 Feb. Green Chain Walk. Meet11.03am Erith Station (10.31amDartford train from London Bridgemainline station – usually fromplatforms 1-3). Note: Martin intends tojoin the 9.29am train from Enfield Chaseat Palmers Green, changing at KingsCross onto the Northern Line to LondonBridge. Alternatively, travel by 9.22amtrain from Enfield Town to LiverpoolStreet and either walk to London Bridge(via Bishopsgate & Gracechurch Street–allow about 20 mins), or catch a bus(35, 47, 48, 133 & 149).From the Thames’ riverside at Erith,today’s 7.5 mile linear walk follows theGreen Chain through its greenestsections with parks, ancient woods,heathland, nature reserves & openspaces, ending at Falconwood Station.Shorter options. Bring lunch or foodavailable. All travel within the FreedomPass area. Leader: Martin Langer

Stuart Mills

Rose-sick soilNew roses do not thrive if plantedin a rosebed where roses havebeen grown for two years ormore, as they will almost alwayssuccumb to "rose sickness" (see"Replant disease/soil sickness",p.665): it seems that the finefeeding roots of new roses aremore prone to attack than are theolder, tougher roots of roses thatare already growing in the bed.If replacing only one or two rosesin an established bed, dig a holeat least 45cm (18in) deep by60cm (24in) across andexchange the soil with some froma part of the garden where roseshave not grown for several years.As this is a daunting task to carryout for an entire rosebed, eitherlocate the bed on a different site,or have the soil chemicallysterilized by a qualifiedcontractor.

Where the roses have gone

In our last issue we published a letter from two readers who were dismayedto see that at least six of the beds in the Rose Garden were empty of rosesand that several had been planted with lavenders and similar plants.This provoked a response from the well-known local rose expert, BillBossom, who writes:“To replace with new roses is not a simple operation. It is almost certain thatthe soil in the beds will be suffering from rose sickness. A full report of theprocedure required can be found in the Royal Horticultural Society’sEncyclopedia of gardening, extracts from which are printed below by kindpermission of the RHS.”Doug Shipwright, Enfield Council’s Parks Operations Manager, has repliedto our enquiries as follows:“Some rose beds will remain but as beds get to the end of expected life theseare being replaced with more sustainable drought resistant plants.”

Replant disease / soilsicknessPlants affected Mainly roses,commonly those on R. caninarootstocks, and fruit trees.Symptoms Vigour is reduced;growth and roots are stunted.Cause Several factors may beinvolved, including soil-dwellingnematodes and the viruses theytransmit, soil-borne fungi, andnutrient depletion.Control Do not growreplacement plants in a sitepreviously occupied by thesame or a closely relatedspecies. Change the soil to adepth of at least 45cm (18in)and a width several centimetresgreater than the spread of theroots. There is no suitablechemical sterilant available foramateurs, but the ground canbe treated by a contractor.[From the RHS encyclopedia ofgardening, pages 156 and 665.]

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President: Dr C.J.A. Jephcott

Chairman: Janet McQueen

Hon. Secretary: Richard Stones

Hon. Treasurer: David JamesOffice: 2 Parsonage Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN2 0AJ.Telephone: 020 8363 9495

When there is nobody in the office, messagesleft on the answering machine will be dealtwith as promptly as possible.

Web site: <www.enfieldsociety.org.uk>

Helplines: For information on TESactivities or to report matters you thinkneed investigation or action, please phonethe appropriate number below. Emailaddresses are given on the “Contacts”page on our Web site.

Architecture and Planning020 8363 7707 (John Davies)

Coach Outings020 8367 7374 (Janet McQueen)

Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings,Green Belt020 8245 2758 (Chris Jephcott)

Edmonton Group020 8367 5920 (Monica Smith)

Footpaths and Walks020 8367 5168 (Shirley Cotton)

Historic Buildings Group020 8363 0031 (Stephen Gilburt)

Jubilee Hall Bookings020 8360 3873 (Pat Keeble)

Membership020 8367 3171 (Joyce James)

Press and publicity020 8363 5732 (Bob Fowler)

Records and Research020 8372 0092 (Leonard Will)

Trees020 8245 2758 (Chris Jephcott)

Management CommitteeDave Cockle, Graham Dalling, JohnDavies, Tony Dey, Robert Fowler,Stephen Gilburt, David James, JoyceJames, Janet McQueen, Stuart Mills,Colin Pointer, Monica Smith, RichardStones, Leonard Will.

Vice-PresidentsMrs B. Dorrington, Lord Graham ofEdmonton, Mr P. A. Langston, Mrs P.Lowen, Mr D. Pam, Mr C. Pointer, MrM. Saunders, MBE, Mr A. J. Skilton

Newsletter EditorLeonard Will(newsletter@enfieldsociety.org.uk)

The Enfield Society.Registered in England as a limited companyno. 312134.Registered Charity no. 276451.

Printed by Studio Projects Ltd

ISSN 2042-1419 (Print)ISSN 2042-1427 (Online)

TES Directory Tatem Park and Hollywood GardensOn 3rd September TES member StephenSellick sent a message to the TESdiscussion list asking about Tatem Park,off Hedge Lane – he had seen the plaqueson the gateposts while passing it in a bus.This prompted a number of emailexchanges and enquiries, including onefrom High Wycombe, where a formerMayor, James George Tatem, has beenhonoured by a place in a stained glasswindow installed in 1911 in the RedRoom at High Wycombe Town Hall. Hefeatures in a book entitled Wycombepioneers of progress produced in 2011 tocelebrate the centenary of this project.His son, also called James George Tatem,resided at Weir Hall and owned landknown as the Hedge Lane Gravel Pit,which was inherited by his nieces, theMisses Ellen and Margaret Harman. TheEdmonton Council Minutes of 24th April1934 record the following:“The Misses Harman have decided tomake a gift of this property for the purposeof a permanent open space andRecreation Ground for children. … Theyare also desirous that the family name oftheir uncle, Mr. J. G. Tatem, who was theprevious owner of the property, should beperpetuated in some way. The Tatemfamily resided at Weir Hall for severalcenturies, and were considerablelandowners in the Parishes of Edmontonand Southgate. The name has now diedout, and the Misses Harman would like thename to be in some way associated withthe gift which they propose to make, andare anxious that under no circumstancesshould the land ever be used for any otherpurpose than that of an Open Space orRecreation Ground.”A plaque on one the two brick pillars atthe entrance records that the park is amemorial to J. G. Tatem, “The last of thefamily Huxley-Tatem of Wyer Hall [sic.]1609-1818”. A matching plaque on theother pillar shows that the park wasopened by Councillor Mrs R.A. YoungChairman of the Edmonton Urban DistrictCouncil 1936-7 on the 8th May 1937.Miss Ellen Harman had died by then, butMiss Margaret Harman, 89 years old, waspresent to hand over a silver-gilt key toCouncillor Young. The local paperreports: “A host of children … madestraight for the playgrounds, the cyclingtrack and the paddling and model yachtingpools without waiting for the completionof the ceremony, and the speeches whichfollowed were punctuated by their excitedshouts and happy laughter”.The south-west corner of the park waslater developed as “Hollywood Gardens”,opened in 1958 to honour AldermanA.J.G. Hollywood, ex-Mayor of Edmonton.

The park today forms a pleasant littlepiece of countryside, in which theundulations of level and the woodlandsprovide seclusion from the surroundingbuilt-up areas. It boasts “UK’s No. 1Outdoor Roller-skating Rink” and still hasa well-used children’s play area.Regrettably, though, the toilets are lockedand barred, the paddling and modelyachting pools are full of weeds anddebris, and the gardens are badlyneglected. A notice on the gate from theFriends of Tatem Park says “Sadly ourpresent Gardener will not be replaced afterhe retires due to the financial position ofthe London Borough of Enfield. Largecuts have been made in all departments”.It then appeals for volunteers to “do a bitof gardening”. It would a be a great pity ifit could not be restored to its former glory.I am grateful to Enfield Local StudiesLibrary & Archives for information andfor copies of documents quoted above.

Leonard Will

Sunken garden

Tatem Park

Memorial plaque, Tatem Park