Description
Winchmore Hill Green is the remains of the old village green, once twice the size before encroachment by the 5 roads that converge here. The Edmonton enclosure map of 1801 shows a well-established settlement, many inhabitants engaged in work associated with the surrounding coppiced woodland. It remained rural into the 1920s and despite suburban development it retains a village atmosphere. Around the Green are a number of C18th and C19th buildings including the former village bakery at the south east corner. The village pond was filled in in 1908, although it was replaced by an artificial one. Today the Green consists of two open areas of grass with some trees and seats, and a cattle trough at one end.
Practical Information
| Site location | The Green, Winchmore Hill |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N21 1AY |
| What3Words | ///soils.media.drums |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Enfield |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Winchmore Hill. Bus: W9 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Winchmore Hill Green is the remains of the old village green and once had a circular pond. The Edmonton enclosure map of 1801 shows that there was a well-established settlement at Winchmore Hill by that time, although the nearest church was All Saints Edmonton (q.v.) until 1828. However there had been a Quaker community here since 1688 with a congregation of Independents. Although Winchmore Hill Station opened in 1872, the area remained quite rural until the late 1920s, a 1909 plan for developing a large part of Winchmore Hill Wood as 'Woodland City' never materialising. Despite building development that took place from the late 1920s, there have been relatively few changes since the 1930s and Winchmore Hill retains its village atmosphere around the Green, and has a number of C18th and C19th buildings including the former village bakery at the south east corner. Five roads converge at the Green, and the widening of these and provision of pavements has reduced the size of the Green to half its original size. The village pond used to be to the east but as a result of pollution it was filled in in 1908 and a smaller artificial pond was created to the south. Today the Green consists of two open areas of grass one of which is surrounded by low railings - both have some trees and seats. A cattle trough is at one end.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ314945 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.1 |
| Site Ownership | LB Enfield |
| Site Management | Highways Maintenance Services |
| Listed Structures | LBII: No 35 The Green (Rowantree House); No 37 The Green (Woodside House). K6 telephone kiosk at junction of The Green and Station Road |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Green (TVG14) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Enfield |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Winchmore Hill Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| 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
There were Quakers in Winchmore Hill from the 1650s, soon after the formation of the movement, and meetings are known to have taken place here from 1662. The current Friends Meeting House was built in 1790 to replace the original meeting house on the site, which dated from 1688. The burial ground to the west of the Meeting House is on the site of the property's 300 year-old walled garden. The main burial area is behind the building, with simple headstones set in the grass.
St Paul's Church was built in 1827/28 on a site donated by Walker Gray, the owner of Southgate Grove, later named Grovelands, whose remaining grounds are now a public park. It was originally a chapel of ease to All Saints Edmonton, and became a separate parish of Winchmore Hill from 1851. The small Garden of Rest alongside the church was set up in memory of George William Lewis by his family and the Hayward Memorial Garden was provided by the family of Roland Hayward who died in 1987.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Grovelands Park was a late C18th landscape park. In the C18th the estate was owned by the 3rd Duke of Chandos, whose son-in-law sold it in c.1796 to Walker Gray. Gray had a new house built, Southgate Grove, and was advised by landscape gardener Humphry Repton on the layout of the grounds, whose designs included the lake and probably the ha-ha. Gray's nephew, John Donnithorne Taylor, inherited the property and retired here, renamed the house and proceeded to expand and improve the estate. His son later put up the estate for sale and the southern extension was sold in 1902 but the Lot containing the house and 314 acres of land failed to reach the reserve price. In 1911 26 hectares of grounds were purchased by Southgate UDC, opening as a public park in 1913. Grovelands House was purchased for a hospital in 1921 and is now a private psychiatric hospital.
Grovelands Park was a late C18th landscape park. In the C18th the estate was owned by the 3rd Duke of Chandos, whose son-in-law sold it in c.1796 to Walker Gray. Gray had a new house built, Southgate Grove, and was advised by landscape gardener Humphry Repton on the layout of the grounds, whose designs included the lake and probably the ha-ha. Gray's nephew, John Donnithorne Taylor, inherited the property and retired here, renamed the house and proceeded to expand and improve the estate. His son later put up the estate for sale and the southern extension was sold in 1902 but the Lot containing the house and 314 acres of land failed to reach the reserve price. In 1911 26 hectares of grounds were purchased by Southgate UDC, opening as a public park in 1913. Grovelands House was purchased for a hospital in 1921 and is now a private psychiatric hospital.
