Upper lake
Long border
Upper lake
Long border
Broomfield Park, N13, is in Palmers Green (Southgate). It is bounded by Aldermans Hill, Powys Lane, and Broomfield Lane, on its northern, western and southern sides, and by private houses on its eastern side.
It is one of the many urban parks derived from an historic house - Broomfield House in this case. It includes parts of the original grounds of the house, including lakes, lawns, and many gardens. The park today is one of the principal parks of the borough of Enfield.The inner part of the estate was walled, and much of this walling survives. Behind the house to the east is a formal lawn, with bedding to its north. To the front of the house, facing west, are a series of four lakes, one now only a model-boat pond, the others more naturalistic. Beyond the ponds is a long herbaceous border, planted along the western boundary wall. There is also a conservatory.
To the west of the inner estate or gardens, an avenue of elm trees used to provide a vista leading away from the house towards Southgate town. The elms died in the 1970s, and have been replaced with lime trees; however, this is patchy and seems to be in urgent need of more replacement planting.A more recent garden of remembrance and war memorial has been built on the south boundary of the park. A sensory garden has been built by the aviary and the garden of remembrance.
The house is the main existing building feature. Unfortunately, it is now gutted, fenced off, and forms an ugly eyesore within what is otherwise a beautiful park. The council and local resident groups have had difficulty in agreeing a way forward. Appeals for funding for the restoration of the house have been made on TV in recent years.
There is a conservatory with a display of tended plants, with limited opening hours. There is also an aviary.There are some other interesting monumental and architectural features. The garden walls date from the 18th century. The main entrance from the east (Powys Lane) is an archway, possibly dating from the 16th century. It was refurbished for the coronation in 1953, and there is a memorial to mark this.
A number of recreational and sports facilities have been added since Broomfield Park became a public park. This includes a stadium and running track to the east of the house. Only the outline of this remains now, but it is still partly usable. There is a large playground.
The house and its surrounds date from the 16th century, when a hunting lodge was built for James I. A large house is known to have been on the site from 1624, though it had been rebuilt and improved since.
Much of the original estate was sold for building, but 21 hectares survived and were acquired by the borough of Southgate as a park in 1902. In its early years, one of the lakes was used as a public bathing pond, though this use was stopped and new baths were built in the borough.The house was made a local museum; it has also had other uses. It suffered a series of fires at intervals, the latest including multiple fires in the 1980's and 1990's. It is now almost totally gutted, and has since remained boarded up and unused for many years
The park is managed by the London Borough of Enfield. Telephone 020 8379 1000. It is closed at night. There is a website about the restoration of the house at http://www.broomfieldhouse.org.uk.