Enfield Town

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
population=
official_name= Enfield Town
latitude= 51.6516
longitude= -0.0837
os_grid_reference= TQ325965
constituency_westminster= Enfield North
constituency_westminster1= Enfield Southgate
constituency_westminster2= Edmonton
post_town= ENFIELD
postcode_area= EN
postcode_district= EN1, EN2
london_borough= Enfield
dial_code= 020

Enfield Town is a location in the London Borough of Enfield. It is convert|15.1|mi north north-east of Charing Cross. Although the area now has none of the official attributes of a town, 'Town' remains the name of one of the wards of the borough.

History

Historically, Enfield was a collection of small communities spread around the royal hunting grounds of Enfield Chase. At the time of the Domesday Book the area was spelt 'Enefelde', and had a priest who almost certainly resided in St. Andrews Church. By 1572 most of the basic street layout had been completed. The village green later became the historic marketplace between the church and where the fountain now stands. A market is still operated in this area, which is owned by the parish charity.Its name likeliest came from Anglo-Saxon "Ēanafeld" or similar, meaning "open land belonging to a man called Ēana" or "open land for lambs".

During the Elizabethan period the royal Palace of Enfield stood on the site of the present-day Palace Gardens Shopping Centre; nothing of this now remains, except for a carved stone fireplace presently located in one of the houses of Gentleman's Row, a street of fine sixteenth to eighteenth century houses adjacent to Enfield Town centre.

The New River, built to supply water to London from Hertfordshire, runs immediately behind the town centre through the Town Park, which is the last remaining public open space of Enfield Old Park.

In 1840 the first section of the Northern and Eastern Railway was opened from Stratford to Broxbourne.A branch line from Water Lane to Enfield Town was opened in 1849.

Enfield Town is famous for having the world's first ever cash machine or ATM, which was installed at the branch of Barclays Bank on June 27 1967 and opened by Reg Varney. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6230194.stm BBC NEWS | Business | The man who invented the cash machine ] ]

The Town also houses the borough's Civic Centre, the headquarters of the borough administration at which Council and committee meetings are also held.

Recent developments

Recent boundary changes in 2004 mean that the Enfield Town area will be split between three Parliamentary constituencies (see panel) as from the next General Election.

Enfield Town centre has recently undergone major redevelopment work, completed in Autumn 2006. A large extension to the existing shopping centre was built, under the name PalaceXchange. [ [http://www.palacexchange.com Palace Exchange | Enfield ] ] Many branches of chain stores already existing in Enfield Town centre were relocated to the new extension, and there are some completely new stores.

A disused section of the New River runs through the centre of Enfield Town, where it is called the New River Loop. Water levels are still maintained in it, and it survives as an important local amenity.

Enfield Town Football Club

Enfield Town F.C. is (as of May 2007) in Division 1 (North) of the Isthmian League. The club plays at Goldsdown Road, Enfield. [ [http://www.etfc.co.uk/index.php Enfield Town Football Club ] ]

Nearby places

* See London Borough of Enfield for overview of local history and topics.
* Enfield Chase
* Edmonton
* Winchmore Hill
* World's End
* Oakwood, London
* Forty Hill
* Clay Hill, London
* Crews Hill

References

External links

* [http://www.enfield-observatory.org.uk/enfieldobservatory/ Enfield Observatory] - Statistics for London Borough of Enfield
* [http://www.palacegardensenfield.co.uk/ Palace Gardens Shopping Centre Enfield]