Communications.
Ermine Street, mentioned in
the reign of Edward 1, (fn. 47) apparently entered the
parish south of Enfield Town and passed east of
Forty Hill and Bull's Cross. (fn. 48) Together with the
other main roads it formed a rough grid pattern of
highways from London crossed by routes leading
westward from the Lea. The main north-south route,
later known as Hertford Road, may have been the
high street of Enfield mentioned in 1260. (fn. 49) It
bisected the land between the Chase and the Lea,
running slightly west of the marshes along the river.
The road was placed under the new Stamford Hill
turnpike trust in 1713 (fn. 50) and taken over by the
commissioners for the metropolitan turnpike roads
in 1826. (fn. 51) A short realignment north of Enfield
Highway had taken place by 1830, (fn. 52) the new stretch
passing east of what was henceforth known as Old
Road. Hertford Road crossed Maiden's brook by a
ford at Enfield Wash, (fn. 53) where a footbridge existed
by 1675. (fn. 54) In 1772 another wooden bridge was built
by the turnpike trustees but in 1814 the state of both
bridge and road was very bad (fn. 55) and in 1820 the
bridge, which was intended to take carriages when
the brook was in flood, fell down. (fn. 56) A new wooden
footbridge was built by the county in 1821 (fn. 57) and a
carriage bridge by the parish soon after 1827. (fn. 58)
A less important north-south route ran farther
west, entering the parish at Bush Hill, passing east of
Enfield church and market-place, and proceeding
north-eastward over Forty Hill to Bull's Cross near
the Hertfordshire boundary. It was called the
highway from Bull's Cross to Enfield church in
1512 (fn. 59) but sections of the road later acquired
separate names; south of Enfield Town it was
London Road and from the town to Forty Hill it
formed Silver Street and Baker Street, the latter
name occurring in 1572. (fn. 60) North of Forty Hill the
road dipped to cross Maiden's brook by Maiden's
bridge, mentioned in 1572 (fn. 61) but impassable by
1759. (fn. 62) A new single-arched bridge was built in
1795 (fn. 63) and was repaired in the early 1970s. (fn. 64) A
northern continuation of the road from Bull's Cross
into Cheshunt was called Hillocks Lane in 1754 (fn. 65)
but in 1972 was only a private drive to Theobalds
Park. In the 18th century the Stamford Hill turnpike
trust took over London Road as far north as Enfield
Town. (fn. 66) The entrance to the town from the south
was said to be very narrow and dangerous in 1823,
when improvements were proposed. (fn. 67)
A third northerly route, through the western part
of the parish, crossed the Chase from Cockfosters to
Potters Bar. In 1656 it apparently ended abruptly a
little beyond West Lodge (fn. 68) but its northward
continuation was shown in 1777. (fn. 69) The southern
stretch was known as Cockfosters Road and the
northern part as Southgate Road in 1972.
Several roads ran from east to west on either side
of Hertford Road. The southernmost, from the Lea
to London Road, crossed Hertford Road at Ponders
End and formed the main link between Ponders End
and Enfield Town until c. 1800. (fn. 70) Its western section
was known in 1572 (fn. 71) as Bungeys or Bungers Lane
but by 1823 was more generally called Brick or
Red Lane; it was said to have been nearly impassable
in the later 18th century and in 1823 to have been a
private road of William Mellish. (fn. 72) It was renamed
Lincoln Road between 1868 and 1897. (fn. 73) South
Street, the stretch east of Hertford Road, was
mentioned in 1548. (fn. 74) In 1868 it ended by the mill
later known as Wright's flour mill (fn. 75) but by 1897 it
had been extended, as Valley Road, to cross the Lea
at Ponders End lock. (fn. 76)
North of Bungeys Lane Farm Road ran westward
from Ponders End and continued as a footpath to
Enfield Town, until in 1803 it was extended west
across Southbury field to the town as a public road. (fn. 77)
It became known as Nags Head Road but by 1896
had been renamed Southbury Road, the name Nags
Head Road being transferred to a new road running
eastward from the junction of Southbury and
Hertford roads toward the Lea. (fn. 78) Southbury Road
was widened to take trams in 1909-10. (fn. 79) By 1972
Nags Head Road had been extended on a bridge
over the Lea Navigation to meet Lea Valley Road,
forming part of a major east-west arterial route.
Green Street, farther north, was so named in
1471. (fn. 80) At its eastern end it split into Stockingswater
and Millmarsh lanes, both of which led to the Lea.
Millmarsh Lane crossed the mill river by a bridge,
mentioned in 1472, (fn. 81) which came to be identified
with Raddington bridge, whose profits had been
used by Baldwin Raddington, lord of the manor, to
endow a charity in 1397. (fn. 82) The bridge was ruinous
in 1655 (fn. 83) and after collapsing in 1801 (fn. 84) it was not
rebuilt, the vestry having decided that it was the
responsibility of the trustees of the Lea Navigation.
Carterhatch and Hoe lanes, north of Green Street,
ran westward from Hertford Road to Forty Hill.
One of them may have been the king's highway from
Horsepool (Enfield Highway) to the Chase mentioned in 1366; (fn. 85) both were recorded in 1572. (fn. 86)
Turkey Street, farther north, was recorded in 1427 (fn. 87)
and ran from Enfield Wash to a point south of Bull's
Cross. Its eastern part skirted Maiden's brook,
which it crossed by a bridge near the site of Turkey
Street railway station. A bridge existed in 1759 (fn. 88) and
was replaced in 1791 by one of three arches, of brick
and stone, which was repaired in 1809 but was said
to be dilapidated in 1826. (fn. 89) A lane running eastward
from Enfield Wash to the Lea was called Norris
Lane in 1577, (fn. 90) Marsh Lane in 1754, (fn. 91) Welches Lane
in 1823, (fn. 92) and Ordnance Road by 1897. (fn. 93) The
building of the Royal Small Arms factory c. 1804 (fn. 94)
led to an increase of traffic and in 1818 the Board of
Ordnance unsuccessfully indicted the parish for
failing to repair the road. (fn. 95) Part of the road was
diverted in 1865. (fn. 96) The northernmost of the eastwest cross routes, Bullsmoor (or Belsmoor) and
Painters lanes, were both recorded in 1572. (fn. 97)
Painters Lane in 1972 was a path leading to the Lea.
ENFIELD c. 1750
The chief road running west from the route
linking Bull's Cross to Enfield Town was that which
led from the town to Enfield Chase. Later known as
Church Street, it entered the Chase at Park Gate,
which in 1658 stood slightly east of the bridge over
the New River. (fn. 98) Thence in 1658 a track ran north
alongside the modern Chase Green, its southernmost
portion forming the path which came to be called
Gentleman's Row. Having crossed the New River,
it ran north-west across the Chase to the top of
Holtwhite's Hill where it met Parsonage Lane, so
called in 1572, (fn. 99) which later stopped at Chase Side.
The western part of the road, with the other major
roads through those parts of the Chase allotted to
Enfield, was made public in 1803 (fn. 1) and renamed
Holtwhite's Hill between 1868 and 1897. (fn. 2) Another
road ran westward from Baker Street to join
Holtwhite's Hill at the summit. The road was simply
New Road in 1754 (fn. 3) but its western part had become
Lavender Hill by 1868, presumably after the
lavender formerly grown there; (fn. 4) the eastern part was
called New Lane in 1867 and Lancaster Road by
1898. (fn. 5) Chase Side, running northward from Chase
Green to New Lane (Lavender Hill), probably
existed as Woodside in 1572 (fn. 6) and received its
modern name after 1803. (fn. 7)
From the junction at the top of Holtwhite's Hill
the Ridgeway ran north-west across the Chase in
1658. (fn. 8) Near the western boundary it joined the road
running north from Cockfosters and as Camlet Way,
mentioned in 1658 and named after an ancient site
called Camlet Moat, (fn. 9) continued westward into
Monken Hadley. The stretch of the Ridgeway east
of Cockfosters Road had been renamed Hadley Road
by 1803, at which date the Ridgeway itself continued
north-westward to Potters Bar. (fn. 10) The Act of 1777
ordered that the Ridgeway be extended southeastward to Enfield Town (fn. 11) and in 1778 work was in
progress. (fn. 12) A committee of the vestry reported in
1807 that the roads built under the inclosure Acts
were unusable (fn. 13) and in the mid 19th century the
Ridgeway was said to be a muddy track; (fn. 14) later,
however, it became part of the busiest east-west
route in the parish. At the top of Windmill Hill, so
called in 1868, (fn. 15) the extended Ridgeway met a road
running from Enfield to East Barnet, known as
Merryhill Way in 1658 (fn. 16) and East Barnet Road in
1803. (fn. 17) From east to west it was called Slades Hill,
Enfield Road, and Bramley Road in 1974.
From Forty Hill a road which ran westward was
known as Bridge Street in 1572 (fn. 18) and Clay Hill Lane
in 1754. (fn. 19) It crossed Maiden's brook by a bridge
which needed repair in 1759 (fn. 20) and was rebuilt, with
one arch, in 1803. (fn. 21) Beyond Clay Hill it continued
north as Theobalds Park Road, first mentioned in
1803, (fn. 22) to the former park in Cheshunt (Herts.), (fn. 23)
near whose boundary it met a road from Bull's
Cross. In 1572 the eastern part of the road from
Bull's Cross was called Rome Street and the rest
White Webbs Lane, (fn. 24) a name later extended to the
whole length. West of the junction with Theobalds
Park Road, White Webbs Lane continued as Cattle
Gate Lane to the boundary with Northaw (Herts.).
Like East Lodge Lane, which ran south-westward to
connect it with the Ridgeway near East Lodge, it was
made into a public road at inclosure in 1803. (fn. 25) The
most northerly of the east-west routes in Enfield,
Coopers Lane, which followed the boundary from
Cattle Gate to Potters Bar, also became a public way
in 1803.
The most important addition to the early-19thcentury road-pattern was Great Cambridge Road,
built in 1923-4 and widened in the 1960s. (fn. 26) It
follows a straight line from south to north, bisecting
the area between Hertford Road and the route
through Enfield Town to Bull's Cross.
A coach called the Enfield Fly left Enfield for
London on weekdays in 1783, returning in the
afternoons, (fn. 27) and by 1791 coaches ran twice daily to
Holborn, Bishopsgate Street, and Aldersgate Street. (fn. 28)
In 1832 there were four coaches a day from Enfield
Town to London, as well as coaches from Enfield
Highway to Ware and Hertford. (fn. 29) Omnibuses served
Forty Hill and Clay Hill in 1862 (fn. 30) and a horse tram
service from Stamford Hill through Tottenham and
Edmonton was extended to Ponders End in 1882.
Horses were replaced by steam locomotives in 1885
but in 1891 horse traction was resumed. (fn. 31) In 1890
trams ran every quarter hour from Ponders End to
Finsbury Park. (fn. 32) The service was electrified in 1905
and in 1908 was extended along Hertford Road to
Waltham Cross (Herts.). In 1909 a service along
London Road to Enfield Town was introduced and
about two years later trams began running to the
town along Southbury Road. From 1912 they ran
through from Enfield Town to Tottenham Court
Road and a year or so later from Ponders End,
Enfield Highway, and Waltham Cross to Smithfield. (fn. 33) They were replaced by trolley-buses in 1938
and they in turn by motor-buses in 1961. (fn. 34)
The Northern and Eastern (later the Great
Eastern) Railway opened its main line along the Lea
valley in 1840 (fn. 35) and a station was built in South
Street to serve Ponders End. (fn. 36) Ordnance Factory
station in Ordnance Road was opened in 1855 and in
1886 was renamed Enfield Lock. (fn. 37) A third station,
Brimsdown, was opened at the end of Green Street
in 1884. (fn. 38) Services at first were infrequent and the
distance of the stations from the largest centre of
population, Enfield Town, prompted the promotion
of a branch line from Water Lane, Edmonton (later
Angel Road). An Act was passed in 1846 (fn. 39) and in
1849 the line was opened to a terminus in Nags Head
Lane (near Southbury Road). (fn. 40) In 1859 there were
ten trains a day in each direction, the journey from
Enfield Town to London taking 45 minutes, while
on the Cambridge main line ten trains called at
Ponders End in each direction, of which four stopped
additionally at Ordnance Factory station. (fn. 41) The
service to Enfield Town greatly improved after the
opening of a line from Bethnal Green to Lower
Edmonton in 1872, although some trains continued
to use the longer route via Angel Road until 1939. (fn. 42)
The first Enfield Town station, a 17th-century
house which had served as a private school, (fn. 43) was
replaced in 1872. Workmen's trains ran from 1874,
with a return fare to London of 2d., and in 1891 five
left Enfield Town daily before 6.30 a.m. (fn. 44) By 1901
trains from Enfield Town to London were halfhourly, except at rush hours, and in 1920 a faster
service was introduced. (fn. 45)
In 1891 the G.E.R. opened a new line through the
parish from Lower Edmonton to Cheshunt, with
stations in Southbury Road and Turkey Street, the
second of which was called Forty Hill. (fn. 46) Trains ran
to White Hart Lane (Tottenham), where passengers
had to change. The expected suburban growth did
not take place, partly because of the lack of through
trains to London, and the line was closed to
passengers in 1909 after the introduction of electric
trams along Hertford Road. It was reopened from
1915 to 1919 for workers in local munitions factories,
with an extra station in Carterhatch Lane, but
thereafter until 1961 was used only by a daily freight
train. When suburban services to Liverpool Street
were electrified in 1961, however, the line was again
opened with half-hourly electric trains to Bishops
Stortford (Herts.) calling at the two older stations,
which were renamed Southbury and Turkey Street.
The branch to Enfield Town was also electrified in
1961, a new station was built, and the journey to
London reduced to 29 minutes with trains leaving
every 20 minutes except at rush hours. (fn. 47) Electric
trains also ran along the main line through Ponders
End at half-hourly intervals from 1970.
The Great Northern Railway built its main line
north from London through the western part of the
parish in 1850, but Enfield had no station when the
line which later ran from King's Cross was opened
from a temporary station in Maiden Lane in 1852. (fn. 48)
In 1885, however, a station was opened in Camlet
Way to serve the new Hadley Wood estate, with
twelve trains a day to London. (fn. 49) In 1972 there was a
half hourly service, with extra trains at rush hours.
A branch from the main line at Wood Green through
Enfield to rejoin the main line at Hertford was
approved in 1865 but the line was not opened until
1871 and did not proceed farther north than the
Enfield terminus in Windmill Hill. (fn. 50) In 1887 37
trains a day left Enfield for King's Cross, (fn. 51) while
some ran to Broad Street and others until 1907 to
Woolwich and Victoria. (fn. 52) The plan to extend the
railway to Hertford was revived in 1897 and the line
was opened in 1910 as far as Cuffley (Herts.), with
new stations at Grange Park, Gordon Hill, and
Crews Hill; the old terminus was turned into a goods
depot and a new station (called Enfield Chase) was
built to the east, at the foot of Windmill Hill. (fn. 53) The
extension involved the building of a fourteen-arched
brick viaduct, called Rendlesham viaduct, over the
valley of Maiden's brook between Gordon Hill and
Crews Hill stations. (fn. 54) Trains ran at half-hourly
intervals and more frequently at rush hours in 1972,
although for some time several of them terminated
at Gordon Hill. (fn. 55)
The last railway to be built was the Cockfosters
extension of London Transport's Piccadilly line,
opened in 1933. (fn. 56) It penetrated only the southwestern corner of the old parish, where its terminus
was constructed in Cockfosters Road. The station,
an impressive building of reinforced concrete and
glass by Charles Holden, (fn. 57) served as a railhead for
motor-bus services to expanding suburban districts.