| Bush Hill Park | |
|---|---|
 Abbey Road | |
  Bush Hill Park Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ333955 |
| • Charing Cross | 12.9 mi (20.8 km) |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ENFIELD |
| Postcode district | EN1 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°38′34″N0°04′25″W / 51.6429°N 0.0736°W /51.6429; -0.0736 | |
Bush Hill Park is an area ofEnfield, located to the south-east of Enfield Town, on the outskirts ofnorthLondon, and historically inMiddlesex. Much of the district is a plannedsuburbanestate, developed mainly in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and designated aconservation area in 1986.[1]
Bush Hill Park was farmland that was part of an estate centred on Bush Hill Park House, a country house. The estate changed hands several times in the 18th century before coming under the ownership ofWilliam Mellish, a merchant andMP forMiddlesex. By this time the estate covered 438 acres (177 ha) – one of the largest in the parish. The estate was broken up in 1875 with the North London Estates Company NLEC, a speculative development company buying 373 acres (151 ha) acres. Bush Hill Park House was sold separately and demolished in 1929.[1]
Initially, the estate was slow to develop. However, with the building ofBush Hill Park station in 1880 the first phase of houses were built between 1880 and 1886. The houses were divided into a prestige development in Village Road and other substantial homes were completed in Wellington Road, Queen Anne's Place and Dryden Road. Most of these earlier houses were designed by architect, R Tayler Smith for the NLEC. By 1887, following a housing boom a ten-year decline began with NLEC going bankrupt in 1887. Demand for housing picked up due to the expansion of theRoyal Small Arms Factory during theBoer War and the present form of the estate was completed by 1914. Between 1914 and 1960 development was restricted to infilling existing plots. After 1960 larger properties were demolished and replaced by blocks of flats. In 1987, much of the estate was designated as a conservation area and halted such redevelopment.[1]
On 27 November 1975,Ross McWhirter was murdered by twoProvisional IRA terrorists at his home in Village Road in Bush Hill Park.
Bush Hill Park Library (later renamed John Jackson Library) has a notable copper-clad roof. It underwent redevelopment in 2019.
TheUnited Reformed Church on Main Avenue was built in 1910. It has a Lombard Romanesque front, round headed windows and a gabled clerestory. The adjacent hall, added in 1932, has anArts and Crafts feel.[2]
A former bank is adjacent to the southern exit ofBush Hill Park station which has since been repurposed as anursery, retaining the characteristic dome and pillared entrance of the building.
The aforementioned bank is adjacent to The Old Coach House, a redevelopedcoach house withGothic architecture, such as gargoyles, atop its roofs.
Bush Hill Park is one of sevenwards which form the Edmonton parliamentary constituency. The three ward councilors elected inMay 2018 were Will Coleshill, Jon Daniels and Clare De Silva. This was one gain for theConservatives, who progressed from two to all three councillors. Enfield Council remains in Labour Control, as it has been since 2010.
In September 2018, William Coleshill was suspended from the Conservatives after being accused of making racist comments.[3] Later the same month, another Conservative councillor for Bush Hill Park, Jon Daniels, resigned.[4] A by-election to replace him was held in November 2018, which was won by the Conservative candidate, James Hockney.[5] Coleshill, who had continued to sit as an independent councillor after being suspended from the Conservative Party, lost his seat in June 2021 after failing to attend council meetings for six months.[6] A by-election to replace him was held in July 2021, which was won by the Conservative Peter Fallart.[7]
TheMP forEdmonton isKate Osamor,Labour Co-op who polled 25,388 votes (61.4%) at the2015 United Kingdom general election.
Bush Hill Park is a popular residential suburb due to its good transport links and wide mix of quality housing. Amenities include twoprimary schools, severalplaces of worship, apublic house,doctor anddentist surgeries and a selection of essential retail outlets and services. Adjacent to the railway station is aparade ofshops, and a small commercial area which includes the formerbank now used as anursery.[1]
The conservation area can be divided into three distinct areas. Firstly, the main core of the estate to include Wellington Road (between Park Avenue and Illingworth Way), Queen Anne's Place, Queen Anne's Gardens, Dryden Road and Abbey Road. The second area, Private Road, was added to the conservation area in 1994. Bush Hill Park railway station and its immediate environs make up the third area. Two buildings of note in this area are the former bank and theBush Hill Park Hotel, which now serves as apub.[1]
Contained within the area there is a wide variety of building styles from 1880 to 1960 including examples ofBaroque revival,Arts and Crafts and twoGrade II listed houses. Open spaces include Bush Hill Park Recreation Ground, the Enfield Cricket Club and Bush Hill Park Tennis and Bowls Club.[1][8] Also, of interest are the many mature trees, hedges and well-stocked front gardens that can be found throughout the neighbourhood.
Saddlers Mill Stream flows mostly underground before merging withSalmons Brook. However, the stream is visible at Village Road and Wellington Road.[9]
The locality has several large areas of open space; The Bush Hill Park Recreation Ground is bounded by Lincoln and Southbury Road and was officially opened on 18 April 1911,[10] Bush Hill Park golf club was established in 1895 on the fringe of Bush Hill Park and extends into Enfield.[11] Enfield Cricket club and the Bush Hill Park Tennis, Bowls and Social Club are both located in the conservation area. The cricket club founded in 1856 plays in theMiddlesex County Cricket League[12] while the Bush Hill Park Bowls, Tennis & Social club was founded in its current form in 1912.[13] Riverside Park is an informal public open space off Park Avenue.[1]Croquet was introduced to Bush Hill Park Recreation Ground by Enfield Council in 1991 and theEnfield Croquet Club was founded in 1993.[14]
Bush Hill Park is served byBush Hill Park railway station and London bus routes192 and377.
