Auction House London’s Area Guide to Enfield
Auction House London’s Area Guide to Enfield
Auction House London has several interesting properties listed for auction throughout the City and surrounding areas. Our property auction experts are knowledgeable about the different areas of London such as Enfield, and are sharing a series of London area guides to help investors make more informed decisions.
This latest addition to the Auction House London series takes us to the large town of Enfield and the wider London borough of Enfield in North London. Enfield is renowned for its shopping centre and market, as well as its historical significance to horticulture and poetry. Investment opportunities in this part of London can be interesting indeed, so it’s worth keeping an eye on what properties are available.
Where is Enfield?
Located over 10 miles north of Charing Cross, Enfield is just south of the Hertfordshire border and the M25 motorway. To Enfield’s immediate north is Waltham Cross, with Winchmore Hill and Edmonton to the south. Chingford lies across the River Lea to the east, with Cockfosters, Monken Hadley and Oakwood to the west.
Enfield Town railway station is serviced by a London Overground train that runs directly to Liverpool Street station. You can also catch trains run by West Anglia Main Line and Thameslink, and there are around 20 London bus routes, including two night buses, as well as a few bus routes that serve Enfield only.
The history of Enfield
Historians note that Enfield was a manor originally belonging to a high-ranking nobleman during King Edward the Confessor’s reign in the 11th century, with the Old English name likely meaning ‘open land belonging to a man called Eana’. The area first became a market town in the 14th century and was eventually engulfed by London’s expansion in between the two World Wars of the 20th century.
The renowned poet John Keats attended school in Enfield, while the town was the setting for the second instalment of the spooky film franchise The Conjuring. The Enfield branch of Barclays Bank was also the site of the world’s first ever ATM machine in 1967.
What does the architecture and property look like in Enfield?
Enfield still features some very old historical buildings, though many of the more famous ones have been demolished to make way for more modern buildings. One example is today’s Palace Gardens Shopping Centre, which was built on the site previously held by Enfield Palace, home to some of the world’s leading horticultural hothouses of the 17th century.
Enfield is a popular area to live and thus opportunities for investment can be limited, but always worth investigating. There is currently a four room semi detached bungalow on Bullsmoor Lane coming up for auction. There are also some intriguing opportunities like this vacant ground floor commercial unit, offered with planning permission to convert into two flats.
What are the amenities like in Enfield?
Enfield market remains popular to this day, plus the town has a wide variety of amenities serving the local community, this includes multiple supermarkets and mini-markets, fast food, restaurants and pubs. There are also plenty of cultural activities to enjoy, such as theatres, museums and an arts centre, as well as regular pop-up events and food festivals for locals and visitors both.
Open spaces in Enfield
Enfield serves as something of an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of central London, with over 900 hectares of green space available. There are old woodlands to explore, as well as plenty of green open spaces for activities such as horse riding and golf, jogging and cycling, as well as fishing and all manner of sports.
There is an extensive network of public footpaths and permissive ways throughout Enfield, and there are even guided walks available for those seeking to learn even more about the interesting history of the local area. Broomfield Park, Grovelands Park, and Capel Manor and Gardens, are just a few of the excellent nearby green spaces to enjoy, plus there are several farms and vineyards that accept visitors too.
What are the schools like in Enfield?
There are a lot of excellent primary and secondary educational facilities throughout the borough of Enfield and in Enfield Town itself. There’s Enfield County School and Enfield Grammar School, as well as the Ark John Keats Academy and the Enfield Heights Academy, to name but a few. There are several independent schools, while further education is provided by Capel Manor College and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London. There are also multiple special and alternative schools.