Category: History

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History Palmers Green Uncategorized

Fingers crossed for Broomfield House

Broomfield House waits for better times

Could today be the day that Broomfield House’s fortunes finally begin to turn around?

Earlier today Enfield Council, in partnership with the Broomfield House Trust and Friends of Broomfield Park, formally submitted their four million pound bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to  restore the house to its former glory. The aim is to restore the House as faithfully as possible to its nineteenth century appearance, without the mock Tudor facade which was added in the 1930s.

A new website, www.broomfieldhouse.org, has been set up to support the bid and tell the story of the house.

A decision on the bid is expected in February 2013.

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Art and Culture History Palmers Green

Curious about Palmers Green’s history?

Joe Studman in action

This weekend there is another chance to tramp the streets in the fine and very entertaining company of Jaywalks’ tourguide Joe Studman.

Joe will be regaling fellow walkers with tales  of Billy Biscuit of Cullands Grove (the alleged coiner of the phrase ‘readin, riting and rithmatic’), John Donnithorne Taylor’s one man green belt policy, and Palmers Green’s links with the Spencer family of Cannonbury Tower including a touching story of kindness from Elizabeth 1.

The walk is being run in conjunction with Southgate District Civic Trust. Tickets are £5 (£3 concessions). Meet at Palmers Green station on Sunday 28 October at 2.30

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Art and Culture Bowes Park Community History Palmers Green Planning and open spaces Uncategorized Winchmore Hill

Competition generates fresh ideas for the New River

A competition run by the Mayor of London, the Garden Museum and the Landscape Institute has generated some new ideas about a possible future for the New River.

The New River runs from Amwell in Hertfordshire right down into Stoke Newington, with a further now non flowing sections running all the way to its original destination at Saddlers Wells. Though easily one of the oldest remnants of Palmers Green’s past, the New River (neither new, nor a river) is often forgotten as it meanders past hundreds of back garden fences and snakes along its ancient – though oft amended – path.

London Landscape architecture practice Place Design and Planning’s idea was to  reveal, re-connect and diversify the historic waterway as a way of drawing communities along the route together, stimulating business in the area and managing water in a sustainable way.

One of the images from Place Design + Planning’s shortlisted entry for the New River Image Place Design + Planning

The competition was inspired by New York’s High Line, the aim to generate new ideas for bringing hidden, forgotten and abandoned places into public use. While the ideas may perhaps never be implemented, the aim is to stimulate new thinking.

The winner from Fletcher Priest | Pop Down was to create an urban mushroom garden lit by sculptural glass-fibre mushrooms in the old ‘Mail Rail’ tunnels beneath Oxford Street.

Other entries closer to home included an idea from Andres Briones for a Lea Valley Rain farm to store run-off and rainwater to serve the local neighbourhood. Our recent summer suggests that that idea could be very successful.

To view the entries, visit http://www.landscapeinstitute.org/events/competitions/highline.php

 

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Art and Culture Community History Palmers Green Planning and open spaces Uncategorized

£4 million bid to restore Broomfield House

Following our story a few weeks ago, Enfield Council has now formally announced its intention to submit a £4million bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to save Broomfield House.

Cllr Del Goddard, Cabinet Member for Regeneration said in a press release on Enfield Council’s website on Monday, “A tremendous amount of effort has gone into producing this HLF bid, particularly from the Broomfield Trust and Friends, but it has been worth it because working together we have produced an exciting vision that we think can work in practice.”

The house has been derelict too long, say the Broomfield House Trust and the Friends of Broomfield Park, who have been working together on the bid with Enfield.

“The current plans represent a real opportunity to save one of Palmers Green’s few remaining heritage properties, and restore it as a much needed community asset for the enjoyment of future generations. Many people have already expressed a wish to become actively involved with the project, and the approach to the HLF is taking this into account.

“If the HLF bid is successful and we are able to deliver the House restoration, then we would want to turn our attention to a Parks for People bid to improve the Park at some point in the future ”

If you are interested in hearing more about the plans, a reminder that the next open meeting of the Friends of Broomfield Park is on Wednesday 17 October at the Ruth Winston Centre. The meeting starts at 7.30.

 

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Art and Culture History

Town Hall of many disguises

First its Sheldrake Hospital

Over the summer it was the Sheldrake Hospital…and now its Cowley Police Station…

Southgate Town Hall in Green Lanes Palmers Green is becoming firmly established as a film location of choice.

Now its Cowley Police Station

The current Cowley Police Station incarnation is part of the filming for Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour (a programme title which forever ends the pub quiz favourite “What was Inspector Morse’s first name”). Starring Shaun Evans, Endeavour is set in 1965, and  follows the early career of the temperamental classical music and real ale loving Morse, originally created by Colin Dexter. A pilot episode was shown on TV in January.

About Sheldrake Hospital, I can regretfully tell you no more. Does anyone know?

Unfortunately yesterday the town hall was in the press for another reason, when confidential social services papers were found on full show in the building. According to the Evening Standard, these included papers from the Climbie child abuse investigation and details of adoption applications. David Burrowes MP has made a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner. For more information see http://www.standard.co.uk/news/secret-council-files-containing-private-personal-data-found-on-morse-set-8195506.html

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History Palmers Green Uncategorized

New air terminal for Palmers Green?

Jean de Manio on the roof of 75 Derwent Road in his Bleriot monoplane. Image by kind permission of James Birtwistle

This was the scene in a recently built Palmers Green street on 6 December 1912.

Pilot Jean de Manio had been on his way from the aerodrome at Balls Park (on the outskirts of Hertford, now part of the university campus) to Hendon in his Bleriot monoplane when he lost his way before getting into engine touble. He aimed for Broomfield Park, but fell short and crashed into the roof of no 75 Derwent Road, at that time the residence of a Mr Andow. Sustaining only cuts and bruises, he was thence rescued by two schoolboys, who went and got a ladder from Southgate County School while de Manio calmly puffed on a cigarette. Those, indeed, were the days of aviation.

The spectacle was reported on by the Recorder on 19 December 1912

All ways led to Derwent Road, and the inevitable crowd gathered. I think it may he said that the majority of the inhabitants of this usually peaceful suburb felt the importance of the occasion, and I verily believe that they were even imbued with a feeling akin to pride that the first aeroplane to fall—I beg pardon, to fly—on to a house-roof should have performed that feat in their own neighbourhood.

Sadly, de Manio died in a further accident a year later, before the birth of a baby son, also called Jean. As Jack de Manio, Jean Jnr became one of the most famous and controversial radio presenters of the 50s and 60s.