Description
Albany Park opened in 1902, laid out on former farmland and allotments that were purchased by Enfield UDC and Trinity College Cambridge. Further additions of land were made to the park in 1921, 1926 and 1935 when it reached its current size, this last parcel of 4.75 acres procured by Enfield Borough Council with the help of a grant of £1,100 from the King George's Fields Foundation. In WWII, the railings on Bell Lane were removed for the war effort and the park was used for growing vegetables.
Practical Information
| Site location | Connop Road, off Hertford Road, Enfield Highway |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EN3 5PA |
| What3Words | ///noses.fluid.piles |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Enfield |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Sat / 8.30am Sundays to dusk (refer to Council website for seasonal details) |
| Facilities | Albany Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool, playground and paddling pool (summer), football pitches, bowling green, tennis courts, toilets. |
| Events | Numerous events including funfairs, holiday play scheme, guided walks |
| Public Transport | Rail: Enfield Lock, Turkey Street. Bus: 121, 279, 310A, 310B, 363, N279 |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2003 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
6.665 hectares of former farmland and allotments were purchased by Enfield Urban District Council and Trinity College Cambridge and opened as Albany Park in 1902, probably named after Leopold, Duke of Albany, the younger son of Queen Victoria who died in 1884. Further additions of land were made to the park in 1921, 1926 and 1935 when it reached its current size. The 1935 extension was a result of £1,100 of funding from the King George's Fields Foundation and the entrance gates on Hertford Road commemorate this. The Foundation was set up following the King's death in 1936 in order to create a living memorial and provided funding for the creation or improvement of a great many playing fields. College Farm near Albany Swimming Pool was once a farmhouse used by local farmers on their way to the London markets, now used by LB Enfield. In WWII, the railings on Bell Lane were removed for the war effort and the park was used for growing tomatoes and cucumbers.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ360983 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 18.21 |
| Site Ownership | LB Enfield |
| Site Management | Place Shaping and Enterprise, Parks Business Unit |
| Dates | 1902, 1921, 1926, 1935 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Enfield |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Enfield Crematorium was opened by the Tottenham and Wood Green Burial Board in 1938, and the landscaping of its grounds forms a cohesive whole with the main buildings, which include a pair of chapels connected by a triple-arched arcade. An avenue of horse chestnuts leads from the entrance lodge; formal gardens were created to the east of the crematorium, while a more informal Garden of Remembrance to the north west. A yew-lined approach from Great Cambridge Road is flanked by a series of hedged and walled geometrical gardens.
Hertford Road Cemetery opened in 1880 on land acquired by the Enfield Burial Board and was developed as a separate entity from the adjacent churchyard of St James. The C19th Cemetery Lodge is a two-storey brick building, now largely destroyed by fire, having been sold by auction in the late 1990s. After the Burial Board was wound up in the 1920s, the cemetery was later owned by LB Enfield, and the Lodge used by the Parks Superintendent and then as a Parks store.
St James' Church was built in 1831, when a new church was needed to serve the growing parish of Enfield. Originally a Chapel of Ease, St James's became a district church in 1833. It was damaged in a fire in the mid C20th and later restored. The churchyard, which adjoins Durants Park and Hertford Road Cemetery, was extended in 1861 and is now closed to burials. There are a number of good trees, gravestones and tombs, mainly C19th.