Inventory Site Record

The area was once part of Enfield Chase, a deer park established in the C12th, owned by royalty from 1421. In 1777 the Chase was enclosed and the land divided up, with allocation made to neighbouring parishes for the loss of common rights, and much of it was farmed. The land that is now Oakwood Park was then part of two estates. In 1870 Samuel Sugden purchased the estate to the south and renovated the farmhouse, renaming it Oak Lodge and adding a walled garden, orchard and ice well. In 1927 Southgate UDC purchased land for a public park and Oakwood Park opened in 1929, named after Oak Lodge, which had been demolished. Amenities included a square pond for model yachts, now being converted into a wildlife area. A poplar avenue commemorates the coronation of George VI and from 1945 an avenue of scarlet oaks was gradually planted by successive mayors of Edmonton.

Previous / Other name:

Enfield Chase

Site location:

Saxon Way/Oakwood Park Road/Prince George Avenue/Sheringham Avenue, Southgate

Postcode:

N14 6QB

What 3 Words:

jump.ends.hunt

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Enfield

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

8am Mon-Sat / 8.30am Sundays to dusk (refer to Council website for seasonal details)

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Café, children's playground, tennis courts, toilets, multi-use games area.

Events:

Guided walks and other activities

Public transport:

Tube: Oakwood, Southgate (Piccadilly). Bus: 307, 377, 121, 517

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/02/2011

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.

From the C12th the area was part of Enfield Chase, where parishioners of Enfield, Edmonton, Mimms and Hadley had commoner's rights for fuel, timber and pasture. The Manors of Enfield and Edmonton Manors surrounding woodland had been given to Geoffrey de Mandeville by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest and he is thought to have converted the woodland into a deer hunting park c.1136-40. He became Earl of Essex in the C12th. The de Bohun family, Earls of Hereford, became Lords of the Manor of Enfield and owners of the Chase when the granddaughter of the 1st Earl of Essex married Humphrey de Bohun. In 1419 ownership passed to Henry V, whose father Henry Bolingbroke - the Earl of Derby and son of John of Gaunt who later became Henry IV - had married Mary, younger daughter and co-heir of the late Humphry de Bohun. The land remained royal property of the Duchy of Lancaster for some 400 years.

In 1777 Enfield Chase, 8,351 acres, was enclosed and divided by Act of Parliament with the consent of George III; the fringes of the Chase were assigned to neighbouring parishes and farms and the remaining area divided into lots and leased as farmland. The King retained 3,218 acres and the rest distributed to freeholders of neighbouring parishes. The Parish of Edmonton was allocated 1,231 acres part of which remains as Oakwood Park. The northern part of what is now the public park became property of William Tash, who lived at Broomfield House, Lord of the Manors of Bowes and Dernsford until 1816. The southern part became the property of Mrs Mary Bowles, nee Galliard, a prominent citizen of Edmonton whose name is recalled in a local street. In 1870 Samuel Sugden, a homeopathic chemist, purchased the land and renovated the farmhouse within the estate, renaming it Oak Lodge and added a walled garden, orchard and ice well. Oak Lodge was demolished after WWI.

In 1927 Southgate Urban District Council purchased c.26 hectares at a cost of £17,134 to create a public park here, naming it Oakwood after the Lodge. Facilities provided at the time included a square pond for model yachts, with an island and four corner 'beds', which until recently was one of the park's facilities. Overlooking this is the brick half-timbered pavilion that bears a plaque for the opening of the park in 1929. Tennis courts and a large children's playground were provided, and a pitch and putt course opened in 1964. From 1945, an avenue of scarlet oak trees was gradually planted, added to annually. It was intended that each successive mayor of the borough would add a tree over the years, a practice that continued until recent years. An avenue of poplars was planted to commemorate the coronation of King George VI and a replacement planting programme commenced with funding from the Association of Enfield Rotary Clubs to celebrate its 95th anniversary.

The former yachting pond is now being gradually transformed into a wildlife area by the Friends of Oakwood Park. Original field boundaries can still be seen from when the area was farmland. A single Multi Use Games Area was completed in 2008. Oakwood Park is on undulating land with good views of the surrounding area and includes a pleasant mix of open grassland with wooded areas, including a semi-wild strip that separates the golf course and the recreation ground.

Sources consulted:

Revd George Hodson (Church History) and Edward Ford (General History), 'A History of Enfield in the County of Middlesex including its Royal and Ancient Manors, the Chase and the Duchy of Lancaster, with Notices of its Worthies, and its Natural History, Etc. Also an account of The Church and the Charities, and a History of the New River' (Enfield Press, printed by J H Meyers, 1873); Victoria County History; Arthur Mee 'The King's England: London North of the Thames except the City and Westminster' (Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 1972); Oakwood Park leaflet, LB Enfield Parks Business Unit (2001/2)

Grid ref:

TQ300954 (530140,195260)

Size in hectares:

25.85

Site ownership:

LB Enfield

Site management:

Place Shaping and Enterprise, Parks Business Unit. Friends of Oakwood Park

Date(s):

1929

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

Yes

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Oakwood Park - avenue of poplars - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 24/06/21 14:54

Click a photo to enlarge.

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