| Southgate | |
|---|---|
 Southgate underground station | |
  Southgate Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 14,454 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ296942 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | N14 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°37′54″N0°07′35″W / 51.6316°N 0.1265°W /51.6316; -0.1265 | |
Southgate is a suburban area ofnorth London, England, in theLondon Borough of Enfield, 8 miles (13 km) north ofCharing Cross.
Southgate was originally the south gate ofEnfield Chase, the King's hunting grounds. This is reflected in the street names Chase Road (which leads due north from the station toOakwood, and was formerly the avenue into the Chase) andChase Side. There is a blue plaque on a building on the site of the south gate. A little further to the south was another small medieval settlement called South Street which had grown up around a village green; by 1829 the two settlements had merged and the village green became today's Southgate Green.[2]
Southgate was predominantly developed in the 1930s: largish semi-detached houses were built on the hilly former estates (Walker, Osidge, Monkfrith, etc.) following increased transport development. In 1933, theNorth Circular Road was completed through Edmonton and Southgate, and also in 1933, theLondon Underground Piccadilly line was extended from Arnos Grove (where it had reached the previous year), throughSouthgate tube station, on to Enfield West (now known asOakwood). This unleashed a building boom, and by 1939 the area had become almost fully developed.
In 1894 anurban district ofMiddlesex, called Southgate, was created by theLocal Government Act 1894. In 1933 theMunicipal Borough of Southgate was created. The borough, which had its headquarters atSouthgate Town Hall, was abolished in 1965 by theLondon Government Act 1963. Its area then came within the newly createdLondon Borough of Enfield, which also included the areas that had been within theMunicipal Borough of Enfield and theMunicipal Borough of Edmonton.[4]
Theparliamentary constituency covering the part of Southgate in the London Borough of Enfield isSouthgate and Wood Green. Until his death in theBrighton bombing in 1984, the constituency was represented bySir Anthony Berry. In1997,Michael Portillo, who succeeded Sir Anthony,lost the seat toStephen Twigg, who after two terms lost in his turn toDavid Burrowes in May 2005. In the 2017 general election,Bambos Charalambous defeated Burrowes and became the new representative of the constituency.
Within the area is the art deco Grade II*Southgate tube station designed byCharles Holden. The area has several large green parks such asGrovelands Park which covers ninety-two acres and contains the seven-acre former boating lake and adjoining woodland of the adjacent Grade I listed Grovelands House (formerly 'Southgate Grove').[5] In Waterfall Road isChrist Church, built in 1862 bySir Gilbert Scott; adjacent to its grounds, inMinchenden Oak Garden, stands the Minchenden Oak. Across the road from the church lies theWalker Cricket Ground; a regular Middlesex venue which was first used in 1859 and is named after the cricketerJohn Walker.
The Southgate Green conservation area contains several notable Grade II listed buildings such asArnoside House and Essex House,Sandford House & Norbury House,Old House & Essex Coach House,40 The Green and theValentine Poole houses. The adjoining Cannon Hill features the early-18th centuryArnos Grove House and the High Street featuresSouthgate House.
Southgate station on thePiccadilly line is the nearest tube stop to most of Southgate's residential area. Other stations are atOakwood (to the north) andArnos Grove (to the south west).
Southgate is acosmopolitan district. There has been a prominentJewish community since the early 20th century. There are also manyGreek,Greek Cypriot,Japanese, andTurkish families living in the district.[6] As of the 2011 census, White British makes up 45% of the population, followed by Other White at 20%.[7]
There are four synagogues with Southgate in their name: Cockfosters and North Southgate,[26] Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue[27] (both part of theUnited Synagogue), Southgate Progressive Synagogue[28] inOakwood, andChabad Southgate.[29] The former Southgate and District Reform Synagogue has now moved toWhetstone, and changed its name in February 2010 to Sha'arei Tsedek: North London Reform Synagogue.
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Christ Church stands near Southgate Green. This was built on the site ofWeld Chapel,[30] which was built in 1615 and demolished in 1863. The clock on the church was placed there to celebrateQueen Victoria's diamond jubilee. The church contains London's largest collection of pre-raphaelite stained glass byMorris, Marshall Faulkner & Co (laterMorris & Co).[31] The parish church ofSt Andrew is on Chase Side. Emmanuel Evangelical Church meets inAshmole School.[32]Southgate Methodist Church is on The Bourne, near Southgate Underground station. It was built in 1929, replacing a building on Chase Side. It is an active community hub.
The Southgate Masonic Centre is home to 160 Lodges of which 15 are from Middlesex, along with 5 Chapters. The Centre, a converted church hall, was opened in 1968. The Middlesex Lodges that joined had been meeting in pubs and similar venues and welcomed the opportunity to have their own Centre.
Oak Hill College is a theological college located on Chase Side. It trains both Anglican and Independent students for Church ministry in the UK and overseas.
Southgate Mosque is located at Southgate House, Southgate High Street. It was founded in 2021 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing prayer facilities to the local Muslim community.
Because of the age of the former village and its position in a ring of villages one day's travel by coach from London, Southgate had many pubs: within the village centre there were six local licensed premises.[33]
Many were located on Chase Side but some, such asThe Bell,The Crown and theChase Gate Tavern, were demolished as part of 20th Century redevelopment and others have closed more recently;The Waggon (formerlyWaggon and Horses) became an Anatolian restaurant in 2013.The Rising Sun was the terminus for a local horsebus service to Colney Hatch (and there to Kings Cross) before the arrival of the railways, whereupon the service switched to the new station inPalmers Green.[33] It was rebuilt in 1932, and substantially renovated in 2008, changing its name toThe Sun and laterThe Maze Inn but was subsequently closed in 2016 and demolished in 2019.[34]The Crown is commemorated in the name ofThe New Crown on Chase Side.[35]The Hart (formerlyThe White Hart) is the last long-standing pub in the immediate area, located on the adjoining Chase Road, near Southgate Circus roundabout.
Other notable local pubs areYe Olde Cherry Tree which overlooks Southgate Green, andThe Woodman on Bourne Hill. Former public houseThe Woolpack on the nearby High Street is now a restaurant.
The local newspapers are, as of 2018:
| Newspaper | Link |
|---|---|
| Enfield Independent | [36] |
Neighbouring areas | |
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Media related toSouthgate, London at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
