Description
The north part of the parish of Enfield remained rural into the C20th. Keen to ensure that some areas remained public open space, in 1907 Enfield UDC purchased land known as Tucker's Field, which had been used as the home ground for Enfield Spartans football club from 1896-1900. It was laid out and opened as North Enfield Recreation Ground. Later a grant was received from the King George's Fields Foundation, established in 1936 to encourage provision of playing fields as a memorial to George V.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Tucker's Field |
|---|---|
| Site location | Clay Hill/Hawthorn Grove |
| Postcode | EN2 0DS |
| What3Words | ///keen.clots.slate |
| 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 | Playground, toilets, football pitches, tennis courts |
| Public Transport | Rail: Gordon Hill then bus. Bus: 610, W10 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The north part of the parish of Enfield remained rural into the C20th, with suburban development taking place particularly after Gordon Hill and Crews Hill stations opened in 1910. By the 1860s there were a number of houses along the roadway of Baker Street, which led from Enfield Town in the south to Forty Hill where there was a post office and a cluster of houses, including large mansions such as Gough Park and Adelaide House. By the late 1890s, streets to the west of the field that later became the recreation ground were being laid out and Hawthorn, Violet, Myrtle and Woodbine Groves are shown as partly developed on the OS map of 1896. In 1907, keen to ensure that some areas remained public open space, Enfield UDC purchased land to the south of Clay Hill that was known as Tucker's Field, which was laid out as a public park and opened as North Enfield Recreation Ground.
From 1896 to 1900 Tucker's Field had been the home ground for Enfield Spartans Football Club, which had been founded in August 1893. The club in its initial season played friendlies and entered the Tottenham & District Junior Alliance for the 1894-95 season, playing at Baileys Field. It was when the club joined the North Middlesex League in 1896 that it moved to the larger Tucker's Field. In 1900 the club changed its name to Enfield Football Club and it was also decided that a larger ground was necessary and a ground was found at Cherry Orchard Lane.
By 1913, the area to the west and south of North Enfield Recreation Ground was largely covered by new streets, their names also evoking the earlier landscape, Rosemary Avenue, Primrose Avenue, Lavender and Acadia Roads. Land to the north remained unbuilt on and later was added to the recreation ground. On adjoining land to the east there were allotment gardens until the 1960s, with a long established footpath running north /south along the recreation ground's eastern edge. By 1938, the recreation ground extended north as far as Clay Hill and tennis grounds were provided in the west of the original ground. A grant was received from the King George's Fields Foundation, which had been established in 1936 as a memorial to George V who had died in 1935, specifically to provide funds for playing fields. By 1969 the allotments to the east are marked as playing fields, north of Chace Girls School. Friends of Tucker's Field have undertaken tree planting and hedge replacement in the park in recent years, often assisted by Enfield Conservation Volunteers.
From 1896 to 1900 Tucker's Field had been the home ground for Enfield Spartans Football Club, which had been founded in August 1893. The club in its initial season played friendlies and entered the Tottenham & District Junior Alliance for the 1894-95 season, playing at Baileys Field. It was when the club joined the North Middlesex League in 1896 that it moved to the larger Tucker's Field. In 1900 the club changed its name to Enfield Football Club and it was also decided that a larger ground was necessary and a ground was found at Cherry Orchard Lane.
By 1913, the area to the west and south of North Enfield Recreation Ground was largely covered by new streets, their names also evoking the earlier landscape, Rosemary Avenue, Primrose Avenue, Lavender and Acadia Roads. Land to the north remained unbuilt on and later was added to the recreation ground. On adjoining land to the east there were allotment gardens until the 1960s, with a long established footpath running north /south along the recreation ground's eastern edge. By 1938, the recreation ground extended north as far as Clay Hill and tennis grounds were provided in the west of the original ground. A grant was received from the King George's Fields Foundation, which had been established in 1936 as a memorial to George V who had died in 1935, specifically to provide funds for playing fields. By 1969 the allotments to the east are marked as playing fields, north of Chace Girls School. Friends of Tucker's Field have undertaken tree planting and hedge replacement in the park in recent years, often assisted by Enfield Conservation Volunteers.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ330982 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.59 |
| Site Ownership | LB Enfield |
| Site Management | Place Shaping and Enterprise, Parks Business Unit. Friends of Tucker's Field |
| Dates | 1907 |
| 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 | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Enfield UDC purchased 62 acres of farmland owned by Archdeacon Potter and opened Hilly Fields as a public park in 1911. In 1921 a wooden bandstand was built and was a popular attraction but later became derelict. It was restored in 2001 by the Friends of Hillyfields. There are many mature trees in the park, including large pollarded trees and numerous oaks scattered over rough grassland, mainly old field boundary trees and the northern boundary is formed by the Turkey Brook. Since 1952 North Enfield Cricket Club, which was first established in 1886, has leased land on Strayfield Road within the boundaries of Hilly Fields from Enfield Council.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Forty Hall was built by Sir Nicholas Raynton between 1629-36, at the top of the hill south of Elsyng Palace, which existed here by the C14th. The Palace become the property of the Crown in 1539, popular due to its proximity to the royal deer park of Enfield Chase. Elizabeth and Edward stayed here as children. Known as Little or New Park, the estate was eventually sold by Charles I and became part of the Forty Hall Estate in 1656 when Raynton's great-nephew purchased the land that held the remains of the Palace, laid out the park and extended the grounds. The estate changed hands many times and in 1895 was sold to H Carrington Bowles for his eldest son who owned Myddelton House. It remained in that family until 1951 when it was purchased by Enfield UDC who subsequently opened the grounds to the public and in 1962 began restoring the Hall and outbuildings. The house is surrounded by 4 hectares of ornamental grounds, the fragmentary remains of the C17th garden overlaid with C18th and later developments. There is a small pet cemetery in the shrubbery near the lake, where pets belonging to the Bowles family were buried.
Forty Hall was built by Sir Nicholas Raynton between 1629-36, at the top of the hill south of Elsyng Palace, which existed here by the C14th. The Palace become the property of the Crown in 1539, popular due to its proximity to the royal deer park of Enfield Chase. Elizabeth and Edward stayed here as children. Known as Little or New Park, the estate was eventually sold by Charles I and became part of the Forty Hall Estate in 1656 when Raynton's great-nephew purchased the land that held the remains of the Palace, laid out the park and extended the grounds. The estate changed hands many times and in 1895 was sold to H Carrington Bowles for his eldest son who owned Myddelton House. It remained in that family until 1951 when it was purchased by Enfield UDC who subsequently opened the grounds to the public and in 1962 began restoring the Hall and outbuildings. The house is surrounded by 4 hectares of ornamental grounds, the fragmentary remains of the C17th garden overlaid with C18th and later developments. There is a small pet cemetery in the shrubbery near the lake, where pets belonging to the Bowles family were buried.
Whitewebbs Park is situated on former parkland laid out after the 1803 enclosure of the Enfield commonland. In 1570 a mansion called White Webbs was owned by Henry VIII's physician Dr Robert Huicke, to whom Queen Elizabeth I granted leave to obtain water from Enfield Chase to supply his mansion and grounds; the C16th Conduit House remains in the park. The old house was demolished in 1790 and the present house was built in 1791 on a different site. The New River originally ran through Whitewebbs estate and later became an ornamental lake after this section of the River was abandoned. In 1931 the estate was purchased by Enfield UDC and Middlesex County Council and made into a public golf course. In 2020 the golf course was initially closed at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but in 2021 Enfield Council announced its permanent closure, and in late 2022 plans to lease part of the land to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club were announced.
