Enfield (Middlesex) History
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Enfield has been a bustling market town since 1303 when the market charter was granted, with the cobbled market square, St Andrews Church and the New River winding its way through the centre it retains the feeling of a traditional country town

Within a short walk of the town centre you step back in time to the Georgian era at Gentleman's Row, famous for it's connections with the Essayist and Poet Charles Lamb who stayed at Clarenden Cottage with his sister Mary in 1825 and 1827.

Enfield is a place of contrast where the city meets the countryside. London's northern most Borough is only a short journey from the heart of the City and offers visitors the tranquillity of parks and open spaces as well as bustling markets and shopping centres.

The former hunting grounds of Kings of England is as rich in history as it is in present day entertainment with a choice of theatres, cinemas and sports facilities.

New businesses are being attracted to Enfield's suburbs, building on the rich heritage which made it one of the innovative centres of trade and brought the world it's first colour television.

Visitors can discover Enfield's past following the footsteps of John Keats, Thomas Hardy and John Betjeman and enjoy the present in the shape of Capel Manor splendid gardens and the majesty of Trent Park.

Enfield is one of the capitals greenest Boroughs set amid more than 2,000 acres of parkland and open spaces. You can explore some of London's oldest countryside and imagine when most of the Borough was covered by the wooded reaches of Enfield Chase, Royal hunting ground to the Kings of England. You can wonder through the majestic sweep of Trent Park with it's rolling grassland and broad avenues of Oak and Sycamore or even visit the stately 17th Century Manor House, Forty Hall. Alternatively, you may enjoy the wonderful public gardens of Capel Manor, home to the country's leading horticultural college and Myddelton House, full of exotic plants collected by well known botanist E.A. Bowles.

Enfield has a rich industrial heritage and for more than 200 years the eastern perimeter of the Borough was the hub of the capital's manufacturing industry. The area was dominated by the bulk of the Royal Small Arms Factory which mass produced the Lee Enfield Rifle. The area also ushered in the electronic age with the invention of the Diode valve which gave birth to radio, television and computers.

Not all of Enfield's inhabitants of the past have been so welcome. Notorious Highwayman Dick Turpin found the once great forests of Enfield Chase a perfect hiding ground for his criminal activities. His ghost is said to still haunt the area.

Other places of historical interest in Enfield are Whitewebbs Museum of Transport which has a public display of motor vehicles dating back to the early years of motoring. Smaller towns within the Enfield district include Southgate, Palmers Green and Edmonton and all these towns have their own unique historical interest.

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