London Borough of Enfield

About the London Borough of Enfield

The London Borough of Enfield is a London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of Barnet to the west, Haringey to the south, and Waltham Forest to the southeast. Hertsmere, Welwyn Hatfield, and Broxbourne (in Hertfordshire) are in the north, and Epping Forest District is in Essex. The local authority is the London Borough Council of Enfield. 

Edmonton, Enfield, Southgate, and Palmers Green are the main towns in the borough, which is the northernmost of London's boroughs. Enfield's population is estimated at 333,794 people.

History

The current borough was created in 1965 from the former areas of the Municipal Borough of Southgate, the Municipal Borough of Enfield and the Municipal Borough of Edmonton. The armorial bearings of these boroughs were also merged. As a logo representing Enfield, particularly by the borough council, the heraldic beast on the shield of the Enfield coat of arms is known in heraldry as an "Enfield" (or colloquially as the Enfield beast).

During Roman times, Enfield was linked to Londinium by Ermine Street, a great Roman road that connected all the way to York. Artefacts found in the early 1900s reveal Roman settlements in Edmonton and Bush Hill Park.

It was recorded in 790 that King Offa of Mercia gave Edmonton to St Albans Abbey. The area became strategically important as East Anglia was taken over by the Danes. To keep the Danes east of the River Lea, men loyal to King Alfred the Great built strongholds.

Both Enfield and Edmonton are mentioned in Domesday Book after the Norman Conquest. Both have churches, and Enfield has 400 people, Edmonton 300, and Enfield also has a park. Enfield's existence in the Middle Ages was largely determined by this parc (a heavily forested hunting area). Enfield's lush, wooded surroundings attracted wealthy Londoners first to hunt and then to build houses. 

During the 13th century, Edward I granted Enfield a charter for holding a weekly market, which has continued to this day. As part of the new monument to King Edward VII, the old market cross was removed in the early 20th century, but was preserved for the garden of E. A. Bowles at nearby Myddelton House.

Sport & Leisure

In Enfield, King George's Field includes the Queen Elizabeth II athletics stadium, the Enfield Ignatians Rugby Club, and numerous football fields, rugby pitches and baseball diamonds. During the Second World War, Italian POWs were housed there.

There are over a dozen football pitches as well as rugby pitches at Firs Farm on Firs Lane, the second largest playing field. In addition to Winchmore Hill Football Club, Mayfield Athletic FC and Southgate County FC, there are several other amateur football clubs that use the pitches. There are old, rusted goalposts on the pitches, but the pitches drain reasonably well. 

In Enfield, there are numerous sports teams and clubs, including Winchmore Hill Sports Club, Winchmore Hill Football Club, Enfield Town FC, Enfield 1893 FC, Cockfosters FC, Enfield Borough FC and Futsal Club Enfield. The once successful football club, Enfield FC, were forced into a nomadic existence after the sale of their Southbury Road ground and became defunct at the end of the 2006/2007 season after years of ground sharing at many Hertfordshire based clubs.

Following Enfield FC's demise, Enfield 1893 shared a ground with Ware FC and Broxbourne Borough FC before finding a ground in the borough by merging with Brimsdown Rovers for the 2011/2012 season. Saracens Rugby Football Club used to play in Enfield and still train at Bramley Road Sports Ground near Cockfosters. Enfield Ignatians RFC are the area's most successful rugby club at the moment.

Want to read about another London borough? Check out the Royal Borough of Greenwich.