If you are in Palmers Green for Open Studios weekend, why not make some time to pop along to the Hazelwood Schools Animal Fair for animal themed festive fun, face painting, a few bargains and an ice cream? I do hope that there really will be meercats!
Today until 7.
At 2pm on 12 April 1913 the gates of Grovelands Park were opened to admit the public for the first time. Before long the park was full of people, with a liberal smattering of police, there to prevent possible attempts at disruption from the suffragettes – Mrs Pankhurst had been released from prison that very morning. What if they got up to their ‘old tricks’?
The weather wasn’t entirely kind. Though the sun broke through the clouds from time to time, the opening ceremony was greeted with a brief sleet shower. The Lord Mayor, Sir David Burnett, and the vast entourage of guests invited by the Parks Committee (and those who had paid two shillings for the honour of joining them) were unaffected however – they were in the marquee in front of the mansion, which was decorated for the occasion with flags and artificial flowers.
The Lord Mayor’s progress to the ceremony was accompanied a guard of honour of boy scouts, playing, according to The Recorder, an ‘alarming rattle of drum and bugle’. Gratitude should be expressed to the Chairman of the Committee and Council for acquiring the land, said the Lord Mayor, who remembered Southgate and Winchmore Hill from when he was a boy. The park would prove ‘a boon to present as well as to future generations who would praise [their] wisdom in acquiring it for all time’.
At least, that is the rather dignified account given in The Recorder. An account from a local resident in the same issue tells a rather different story, reading more like the script of a Carry On film.
Virtually no one had paid for the tickets, which were locally thought to be very overpriced. There were a number of false alarms when the Lord Mayor’s footmen, and then the city sword bearer, appeared to check that everything was in order for his entrance, and were mistaken for the man himself. Later, as the marquee was on private property, the Lord Mayor had to process through a gap in the iron railings mid ceremony and into the park. Instead of returning for a vote of thanks, he then disappeared into the house for tea and cake. He had to be retrieved by embarrassed local dignitaries to complete the ceremony, all the time the crowd dashing in and out of the marquee as they second guessed what was actually supposed to be happening.
But the purchase of the park, for the local people, for all time, had been a great triumph for the area.
Originally heavily wooded, the lands which came to be called Grovelands had once been part of the great Middlesex Forest. Later, under the name Lords Grove, it is believed to have been owned by Lord Burghley, and then by James Brydges, the 3rd Duke of Chandos.
In 1796, the estate was sold to brewing magnate Walker Gray who commissioned the famous architect John Nash to design the house, and Humphrey Repton, to advise on the surrounding landscape. Repton believed that house and landscape should be a unity, and is thought to have been responsible for the lake and the ha-ha, though sadly Repton’s Red Book for Grovelands, which he set out his designs for the park, appears to have been lost.
Between 1835 and 1885, the estate became the property of John Donnithorne Taylor, before passing on his death to his son and then his grandson, Captain Taylor of the Welsh Guards. In 1902, the whole of the Taylor estate was put on the market.
Alan Dumayne in Southgate, a glimpse into the past tells us that a consortium planned to transform Grovelands estate into an ambitious garden city, with wide boulevards and substantial houses dotted among the trees, but somehow these plans never materialised, and in 1911, Southgate District Council went ahead with a purchase of 64 acres of the estate, later extending it to 91 acres. The refashioning of the park for the public was conducted to the design of landscape architect Thomas Mawson, also responsible for Tatum Park, and the very first president of the Landscape Institute.
As with Broomfield Park, the purchase wasn’t supported by everyone in the area. Was a second park in the area needed? Broomfield Park had opened only 10 years before. Some feared that the purchase would bring an unwelcome rise in the rates. But nevertheless, go ahead it did, and we have Southgate District Council to thank for Palmers Green, Southgate and Winchmore Hill being among the greenest areas in London.
The foresight of those counsellors 100 years ago, and the important part Grovelands plays in all our lives will be celebrated this weekend in an event packed two day festival in the park.
Organised by the Friends of Grovelands Park, The festival includes music on two stages, boats on the lake for the first time in over 30 years, a dog show, dance, film, poetry, photography, and a fair with a variety of stalls.
Celebrations kicks off on Saturday with an Edwardian themed historical pageant involving local schools and community groups. Civic dignitaries will officially open the proceedings to replicate the original 1913 opening by the Lord Mayor of London – though hopefully without the sleet and the mishaps of 1913. For full details click here
It looks set to be a great weekend. Go!
All images by kind permission of the Friends of Grovelands Park except where otherwise stated.
It was all rush rush rush in Palmers Green April.
Latest data published by the Office of the Rail Regulator revealed what we always knew – Palmers Green station is a tad busy. Roger Preston from FCC kindly furnished us with some additional data on some other stations on the Great Northern route. Some of them were even busier. But most were on the wider part of the route and all were interchanges. Looks like we are the busiest station that isn’t.
Palmers Green residents were distraught to be deprived of their burger fix in April when local Scottish brasserie MacDonald’s was closed for a number of days. Meanwhile, the gym on Green Lanes suffered from water damage, also briefly closing Westlakes below.
There was much local debate over the suspended coffee scheme. Enfield Chase’s Karen Mercer, owner of My Coffee Stop on the platform, suggested that there might be better ways of helping the homeless than handing over money to Starbucks and other chains. The story was first covered in the local papers, and then went London-wide in the Londonist. In addition to running the coffee shop, Karen is the mastermind behind the Ideas Station, which provides training and support on social media. Sign up to her Facebook group to find out more.
Over in Westminster, our local MP David Burrowes campaigned for longer sentences for Chris Huhne and Vicky Price and opposed amendments to planning legislation which would have allowed individual councils to opt out of plans to relax controls on permitted development, in particular domestic extensions. However, Eric Pickles is understood to have given the red light to a compromise whereby neighbours are required to be consulted over extensions.
Mr Burrowes was back on Palmers Green’s streets in April opposing plans to open yet another betting shop, this time on the ground floor of Trios Banqueting Suite, an issue which is attracting attention on all sides of the political spectrum. Let’s hope the protest is successful in the way that it has been here in the past and more recently in Lewisham. Unfortunately fruit machines make huge amounts of money and betting shops and their ilk can move in because traditional shops are closing. If you don’t want them here, then that’s a big argument for making a resolution to use your local high street.
We unearthed a little more local history this month, including a fantastic piece of footage of a carnival in 1931 celebrating 50 years of Southgate as an independent borough from Edmonton, all shot in Palmers Green. We shone more light on the mysterious history of Truro House, Southgate Station turned 80, and we heard Chas n Dave sing about old Edmonton Green, and learned that the horsemeat scandal that rocked the country was nothing new – we had our own. Meanwhile, Grange Park was rocked by anarchist direct action, and a new local debating society was launched.
As we approach summer, the build-up is beginning for a number of local festivals. The first is next weekend when we celebrate 100 years since the opening of Grovelands Park. It looks set to be a fantastic event, with a pageant evoking the original opening ceremony, boats on the lake, music, food and a host of other activities. June 8-9 sees the return of Open Studios, now in its second year and bigger and even better than in 2012. June 15 is the date for this year’s annual Palmers Green Shopping Festival, organised by local businesses, and 1 September the Palmers Green Festival, with a week’s festival events building up to the big day. Meanwhile, Talkies continues at the Dugdale Centre, with its First Thursday series and some exciting additional events promised. More soon.
If you are at a loose end this weekend, why not pop along to Arnos Park Lodge to view Elizabeth Dobbie’s beautiful gardens? The event is a fundraiser for Broomfield Park Conservatory, and there will be refreshments and the chance to buy plants from the local area. The entrance is beside 41 Brookdale N11, and the gardens are open from 2-5 on Sunday. You could perhaps combine it with a trip to see the new exhibitions by Reinhard Stammer, Marina Gruzer and Jasper Jones at the Space Art Gallery.
Finally, our thanks to Tony Ourris of Anthony Webb estate agents, who have kindly agreed to support this website. Thanks Tony!
And so we march on into Spring….
Sue from Palmers Green
All through May Space Art Gallery Southgate presents work by Reinhard Stammer, Marina Gruzer and Jasper Jones
Friday 10 May Hill Street Blues Band and Blue Patch at St Harmonicas Blues Club
Saturday 11 May St Paul’s Church May Fair 11am-2pm
Tuesday 14 May Buskers Night at the Step, Myddleton Road
Thursday to Saturday 16-18 May St John’s Players present Hobsons Choice at the St John’s Hall
Friday 17 May St Harmonicas Blues Club
Saturday and Sunday 18-19 May Grovelands Park Festival
Thursday 23 May The New River – a Discover London talk by Peter Berthoud at the Step, Myddleton Road
Friday 24 May St Harmonics Blues Club
Sunday 26 May Plant swap at the Broomfield Conservatory 2.40 to 4.30
30 May to 1 June Acorn Theatre Group present Grease at the Intimate Theatre
Sunday 2 June Live celtic music from Maurice Judge at Broomfield Conservatory 2.30-4.30
Sunday 2 June New River Walk – Hertford to Enfield led by John Polley of the New River Action Group. More walks planned over the summer.
Saturday and Sunday 8-9 June Open Studios and Art Trail
Sunday 9 June Art workshop in Broomfield Conservatory
Saturday 15 June Palmers Green Shopping Festival
Sunday 1 September Palmers Green Community Festival
….it meant a lot to the locals of Edmonton Green. A little Chas and Dave to take us into Easter weekend.
Chas Hodges was born in Edmonton in December 1943 and Rockney partner in crime Dave Peacock in Enfield in 1945, growing up in Ponders End and Freezywater.
In Edmonton Green, Hodges pays tribute to the old shopkeepers and characters long gone – Tubby Isaacs’ takeaway, ‘the old boy sellin’ taters in old newspapers…for a penny’. It finishes with a rather risqué and non pc bit at the end about picking up old bags, which I regret to inform you are not references to Keep Britain Tidy.
Still, its Chas & Dave innit.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAeGjPHGJR8[/youtube]
Thanks to the Enfield Society for sharing this link.
Christmas may be over, the leftovers becoming a public health risk, and your Christmas tree droopy, but there is a whole New Year ahead….
2013 sees the 400th anniversary of the opening of the New River. Discovering London’s Peter Berthoud will be leading a two-day walk along the full length of the river (which isn’t a river and isn’t new) in September. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the opening of Grovelands Park – celebrations are planned in May – watch this space!
The Palmers Greenery café in Broomfield Park is hopefully due to open soon (check their Facebook page for updates) and we shouldn’t have to wait too long either to find out the result of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid for Broomfield House.
The SPACE Art Gallery has its launch night this weekend, and looks set to be amazing. The programme of exhibitions and events already reaches into early 2014, and includes Ross Ashmore (currently on a quest to paint every London Underground Station), Russian painter Alexander Bessanov, Ann Lunden Jakoby, and Conrad Mecheski . In February there is a group exhibition of more local artists including Annabelle Dawson, Samantha Lesley and Helen M Ryan. Meanwhile, the wonderful Southgate and Palmers Green Open Studios and art trail event runs again on the weekend of 8-9 June.
The Talkies Community Cinema is going from strength to strength. The next event, a showing of Strictly Ballroom, is sold out, but there are tickets on sale for the next event, Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi in The Blues Brothers at the Fox on 20 February. Give them some lovin’….
Peter Brown of the Broomfield Museum Trust will be giving a talk on Broomfield Park at Trinity at Bowes on 24 January at 2pm. Peter is a really fascinating man – go along if you can.
If you are feeling energetic, or indeed sluggish, why not join the Grovelands park run every Saturday at 9. Its free, and a mixed ability group – just join them next to the lake opposite Grovelands House. More information (and registration for your bar code so you can track you times) at www.parkrun.org/uk.
Poetry in Palmers Green will meet again on 27 April with a line up that includes Grevel Lindop, Martha Kapos, Nancy Mattson, Graham High and Lynda How. The venue is St John’s Church and tickets are £5(£3.50 concs).Further details from myrarschneider@gmail.com mail@katherine-gallagher.com
Finally, for you theatre goers, Finchley and Friern Barnet Operatic Society will be returning to the Intimate Theatre on 5- 9 March to perform Anything Goes.