Description
Bush Hill Park was opened as Bush Hill Recreation Ground by Enfield UDC in 1908. It has formal gardens and some rose beds, with avenues of trees and some fine trees including horse chestnuts and oaks. The Bush Hill area was once part of 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 was broken up for building in 1871.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Bush Hill Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | Southbury Road/Lincoln Road, Enfield |
| Postcode | EN1 1PS |
| What3Words | ///store.tuned.hill |
| 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 | basketball & tennis courts, croquet, football pitches, children's playground, toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail: Bush Hill Park; Enfield Town then bus. Bus: 121, 191, 231, 307, 313, 317 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2000 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Bush Hill area was formerly Old Park, a Royal property pre-dating Enfield Chase and the Domesday survey of 1086. Evidence of early settlement has been found, including a Roman coffin, which is now housed at Forty Hall (q.v). In 1660, on his restoration to the throne, Charles II granted the Old Park Estate to General George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, in recognition of his support. Since that time the then-225 hectare estate passed through many owners, sometimes expanding in size, sometimes diminishing. In the C19th land at Bush Hill was owned by William Mellish (d.1838), a Tory MP for Grimsby and later Middlesex who was Director of the Bank of England. He is buried at All Saints Edmonton (q.v.). The Bush Hill estate was sold in 1871 and broken up for building, part of the estate land became Bush Hill Park Golf Course and Town Park (q.v.). The suburban development of the area accelerated as a result of the Great Eastern Railway opening Bush Hill Park station in 1880. By the mid 1930s the area was fully built up. Bush Hill Park originated as Bush Hill Recreation Ground, which was opened for public recreation by Enfield UDC in 1908. It has formal gardens and some rose beds, with avenues of trees and some fine horse chestnuts and oaks. The main area is a flat open space.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ336962 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 11.01 |
| Site Ownership | LB Enfield |
| Site Management | Place Shaping and Enterprise, Parks Business Unit; Friends of Bush Hill Park |
| Dates | 1908 |
| 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 |
Gallery
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 Playing Fields were provided as recreational space in 1939. The large area of land, some 128.5 acres formerly Bury Farm, was purchased by Enfield Borough Council with the help of a grant of £3,500 from King George's Fields Foundation, as a result of which the site is also known as King George's Playing Fields. Within the park is the Art Deco Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, a brick building with a round turret. A line of horse chestnut trees runs through the playing fields.
St Andrew's Church dates from at least the C12th and Enfield was one of the largest medieval parishes in Middlesex. The church dates largely from the C14th and C15th and contains fine monuments, such as the Tiptoft and Raynton memorials. The large well-planted churchyard was enlarged in 1778 and 1846. It has some interesting C18th monuments among the tombs. A complex of paved walks runs between the church, the walled garden of the Vicarage and the ancient Grammar School, which was at one time run by the celebrated naturalist Dr Robert Uvedale (1642-1722).
Town Park is a surviving fragment along with Bush Hill Park Golf Course of the pre-Elizabethan Old Park estate of Enfield Manor. Part of the estate later became the estates of Chase Side House, which in the C19th had fine pleasure gardens, and Chase Park. In 1894 Enfield UDC purchased some of the estate lands and Town Park was laid out and opened in 1902, a bathing lake opened in 1905. Along the southern boundary runs part of the New River Loop, separating the public park from the private golf course.
