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Enfield
Enfield maps
Historic maps of Enfield and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Enfield maps
Enfield area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Enfield and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Enfield
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memories of Enfield.
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Hilly Fields
Situated at the top of our road, as young children Hilly Fields was something quite magical. During winter time we would trek our home made sledges over to toboggan hill and hurtle down to the brook at the bottom of the hill at breakneck speeds. Summer time, climbing trees, fishing for stickle backs in the brook. The game known to us as "jumping dags" which entailed jumping over the brook without getting your feet wet, but many a time falling in and getting soaked. The park keepers hut next to the putting green where you could play 18 holes for 3d, followed by an ice lolly for 1d from "Gaylers" the shop then attached to The Rose and Crown. The glorious long summer evenings where we, as very young children, would play over Hilly Fields until it was to dark to see. There was never anything to be afraid of in those days. When the grass cutter mowed the huge expanses of grass and we would collect huge piles of... Read more
Lancaster Road.
Henry Waits the butchers, small shops that sold sweets from a jar and fireworks. Penny for the guy, small children waiting at bus stops with the 128, 231 and 144B to try and pry a penny towards fireworks. Girlfriend (Rose Gritty) down Drake Street. Rag and Bone merchant towards 'The Hop Poles' pub. Doing the weekly shopping on my bicycle and taking everything home in a couple of shopping bags hanging on the handlebars. Going down early in the morning to collect the papers from Wilmotts to do my morning paper round when I was only 10 years old. The oil shop at the bottom of Browning Road and next door the 'Seed Shop' for flower pots and garden plants. Gosetts, the haberdashery shop. Garetts the pharmacy close to 'The Hollybush' public house. The doctors' waiting room, Dr. Dalzeil (pronounced DL), Dr Ben Ridge and his brother. Boy, was that waiting room cold, and everyone seemed to be coughing and sneezing, but nobody talked. Collecting old newspapers and taking them... Read more
Sat Morning Shopping Trips.
I spent my childhood living in Hillside Crescent, and will always remember doing my mum's shopping in Lancaster Rd on a Sat morning. Down Browning Rd to Lyons the grocer, then often for a hair cut next door but one, from the Oil shop in Lancaster Rd, next door to the Seed & Pet shop, then Henry Waits the butcher, sometimes to the grocer next door. Across the road to the cake shop, then along the road to McFisheries for cat pieces, I sometimes took my neighbour's accumalater next door to the fish shop for a re charge. Off home then along Birkbeck Rd to the Stumps, up to Hilly Fields and home. Very fond memories. I also belonged to the Life Boys at Armingale Rd, 60 years have gone, but those days I'll always remember - especially my friends at the time, Ron Arrowsmith/Brian Ryder/Alfie & Duncan Wooten & Gerald Turner.
Local Shops Even in The 1990's
I moved to Enfield in 1990, and lived just oppostie the Hop poles in Baker Street. Lancaster Road had a wide variety of shops even then. Three Greengrocers and a Butchers to start with, as well as several bakers. Next to the Co-op, an old lady sold eggs from a half barn door...nothing else, just eggs. I thought I had gone back in time. Chaplins video shop, The Art shop, dress shops and photographic studios....and of course A to Z, who sold everything. You could get many things without ever having to go in to Enfield town. Apart from Budgens and the Co-op and A to Z of course, many of those shops have gone in twenty two years. Mainly fast food shops, now. Four supermarkets in the area have opened in that time!
St Andrew's Church.
My parents Phyllis Bramley of Falmer Road and William Davis of 1st Avenue Bush Hill Park were married in St. Andrew's Church in the 1930s and both I and my sisters were Christened in St. Andrew's Church in the late 30s and early 40s. My parents, once married, purchased a house in Hillside Crescent, close to Hilly Fields for the sum of 400 pounds.
It is quite frightening that coming from two large Enfield families, not one of their offspring has remained, the last being my cousin Betty Clayton of Windmill Gardens who died some years back.
What a pity that families move on and leave their home towns. Even though I left England in 1966, I still regard Enfield as my home as they say - home is where your heart is and my heart is in Hilly Fields and Whitewebbs Park.
St Andrews Parish Church
I was christened in the parish church around 1955/56. They used to send you a postcard every year until you were 5 years old to remind you of the event - unfortunately having moved several times during my life I no longer have them. My brother also got married there in 1959 and I was a pageboy!! I used to walk through the graveyard every day on my way to work in the Post Office in Church Street or the sorting office in Southbury Road in the 1970s.
When I Was A Lad
I was at Suffolks School during the Second World War and after, from about 1939 until 1947, when we endured the worst that Hitler could throw at us. We had many, many air raids that interrupted our schooling and much of our time was spent in the air raid shelter. I recall the rocket that fell on the infant school and destroyed most of the school, the Head Mistress asked some of us to help salvage the merchandise, I was one of them. Oh, so many happy times.
Growing up in Enfield
I remember the pool very well, I attended Suffolks Secondary Modern School in Brick Lane, just off the Great Cambridge Road, we walked to the pool for swimming lessons but if you could not swim the teachers did not bother to try teach you. One day my friend Doreen Banks told our parents we were going swimming but in reality we went to see a Mario Lanza film at the Savoy. The boys we went with wet our swimming costumes under the tap for us on the way home! I wrote a critique of the film for an English lesson, this was displayed on the wall for parents' day, luckily my stepmother did not come. I also remember playing in Hilly Fields, also going to the 'Bughutch'. I lived near Enfield Wash, not in the town, Hoe Lane was where I lived, right next to the railway line. I was mad about dancing, went 3 times a week, first learned to dance at 'Dinah's dance class, she lived in Crest... Read more
