Description
Bush Hill Gardens is a small public garden laid out on land purchased by Enfield UDC in 1925. Planting and landscaping were completed in the autumn of 1928 after which the gardens were opened to the public. Near the entrances on Bush Hill Road a rock garden with pond and bridge was laid out. Much of the area was once part of the Old Park Estate, a Royal property pre-dating Enfield Chase, which was eventually broken up in 1871 and subsequently built over.
Practical Information
| Site location | Village Road/Bush Hill Road, Winchmore Hill |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EN1 2HA |
| What3Words | ///value.pots.famed |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Enfield |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Sat / 8.30am Sundays to dusk (refer to Council website for seasonal details) |
| Public Transport | Rail: Bush Hill Park, Edmonton Green then bus. Bus: 329, W8 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2000 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Bush Hill area has evidence of early settlement with Roman remains found where Bush Hill Park Golf Course (q.v.) is now situated. The golf course and surrounding area was formerly part of the Old Park Estate, a Royal property pre-dating Enfield Chase and the Domesday survey of 1086. In 1660, Charles II granted the estate to General George Monck, Duke of Albemarle and it subsequently passed through many owners, until it began to be broken up for building in 1871. Enfield Urban District Council purchased land for a public garden here in 1925 but landscaping did not take place until 1928, the delay probably caused by an unsuccessful attempt to get the landscaping work carried out by local unemployed people, for which grants were available. Planting and landscaping were completed in the autumn of 1928 after which the park was opened to the public. The small park has undulating lawns in which are a few rose beds, bordered by an earthen path, with a perimeter planting of trees and shrubs. Near the entrance on Bush Hill Road a rock garden has been laid out with a pond over which is a small bridge. The low iron entrance gates have the name of the garden in their design.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328949 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.49 |
| Site Ownership | LB Enfield |
| Site Management | Place Shaping and Enterprise, Parks Business Unit |
| Dates | 1925-28 |
| 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 | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space |
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
Bury Lodge Gardens is an ornamental public park laid out by Edmonton UDC between 1935-7 on the grounds of Bury Lodge, a house dating from medieval times, which was demolished in 1936. The Recreation Ground, which also took part of the grounds of the adjacent Salisbury House, was opened on 10 April 1937. The original layout, which is largely intact, had a rose garden planted with 4,700 roses with a central lily pond and pergolas, a sheltered retreat for the elderly, an open-air draughts board, and a pool for paddling and sailing model boats. There were also slides, swings and a merry-go-round, and grass plot for games. Along the southern boundary is Salmon's Brook and to the east, behind Salisbury House, is a bowling green.
Salisbury House is an early C17th timbered manor house, now used as an Arts Centre. The small garden in which it stands and the adjacent Bury Lodge Gardens are all that remain of its former grounds and the countryside that surrounded it, now largely built over by suburban housing. Until the C19th Salisbury House had a moat. It became a boys' school in the 1890s and from 1907 was owned by the Pratley family until 1935 when it was purchased by Edmonton UDC. Its future was most uncertain until 1957, when it was converted for use as an Arts Centre. At that point considerable works were carried out in both house and garden where removal of a large sycamore tree revealed a well that originally supplied water to the old kitchen cisterns; another well was discovered beneath a large beech tree.
The 9 acre site was purchased by Edmonton Borough Council with the help of a grant of £2,000 from King George's Fields Foundation, from which the playing field gets its name. The Foundation was set up in 1936 following the King's death in order to provide a living memorial to him through funding playing fields for young people.