Brimsdown is a neighbourhood of eastern

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

in the

London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of Barnet to the west, Haringey to the south, and Waltham Forest to the southeast. To the north are the districts of Hertsmere, Welwyn Hat ...

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, on the west side of the mid-to-lower

Lea Valley The Lea Valley, the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics were based in Stratford, in ...

Geography

The east of Brimsdown, that is, east of the eastern Lea Valley line is one of the borough's main commercial centres. It divides into the Brimsdown Industrial Estate comprising Watermill, Sovereign, Leeside Business Centres, Riverwalk Business Park and storage. Its far north is the Enfield Power Station built on part of the former Brimsdown Power Station and an electricity sub-station. Residential Brimsdown is south of

Turkey Brook Turkey Brook is a river in the northern outskirts of London. It rises in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, and flows broadly eastwards to merge with the River Lea Navigation near Enfield Lock. Etymology The brook is named from the hamlet Turkey S ...

, extending as far south as Jeffreys Road by the two blocks of the Trafalgar and Centenary Trading Estate units. It is home to the Brimsdown Industrial Estate and also includes a residential area just west of the Lea Valley railway line. The western boundary is half way to the other Lea Valley line for this station-centric neighbourhood, where used as a term. This area was the easternmost part of the old parish of Enfield which ecclesiastically is today divided into six, the present relevant parish being

Enfield Highway Enfield Highway is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is roughly located in the area either side of Hertford Road (Enfield Highway) between Hoe Lane and The Ride. Etymology Enfield Highway is marked thus on the Ordnance ...

a secular division of Enfield which competes with the west of the area for its identity, particularly around the irregular

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

of Durants Park, a large park, which is shared between both areas. The area east of the Lea Valley Lines railway is almost exclusively industrial use, whereas west is a residential area primarily built up from the 1930s which blends into

to the west,

Ponders End Ponders End is the southeasternmost part of Enfield, north London, centred on the Hertford Road. Situated to the west of the River Lee Navigation, it became industrialised through the 19th century, similar to the Lea Valley in neighbouring Ed ...

to the south and to the north

Enfield Wash Enfield Wash is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It is approximately located in the area either side of Hertford Road between Ordnance Road/Turkey Street and Bell Lane/Hoe Lane. History Enfield Wash was where Elizabeth ...

and

Enfield Lock Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, and extends to the River Lee Navigation, including the Enfi ...

. This residential area around Brimsdown Avenue, Brimsdown railway station and Brimsdown School is at the heart of a Brimsdown neighbourhood, within Enfield, identity.

History

Brimsdown was recorded as ''Grymesdoun'' in 1420, ''Grymesdoune'' 1441, ''Grymes downe, Brymesdowne'' 1610, ''Grymsdown, Brimsdown'' 1686. The first element may be a surname ''Gryme''. The second is the early and

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

''doun or down'' though unusually low for a down here referring to slightly raised ground in an area no more than 19 metres above sea level and 5 metres above the Lea, more than most of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

to the south. ''Grīm'' as with

Grim's Dyke Grim's Dyke (sometimes called Graeme's Dyke until late 1891)How, Harry ''The Strand Magazine'', Vol. 2, October 1891, pp. 330–41, reprinted at ''The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive'', 20 November 2011 is a house and estate in Harrow Weald, in nort ...

to the west being linked to Woden. In the 19th century the parish of Enfield had the second largest area north of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in the two closest home counties for smallholdings run by families growing salads for the London market, with to a lesser degree fruit:

Nearest railway stations

* Brimsdown railway station

Watercourses

River Lee Navigation The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee along the sections that are navigable). It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and its ...

* Mossops Creek was dug in the 1890s by Mosses and Co Gravel Extraction Company. The creek can be reached from Mossops Bridge (completed 1999) which spans the River Lee Navigation. Mossops Creek Bridge (completed 2006) forms part of the Mossops Creek permissive path which links the Lee Navigation to the Brimsdown Industrial Estate and Brimsdown railway station.

Politics

* Brimsdown is part of the Enfield North constituency in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

Schools and colleges

Primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s *Brimsdown Primary School, attended by academic Professor

Philip Tew Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, cartoonist and illustrator Ian West, and actor

Ray Winstone Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

* Enfield College

Sport

Football * Brimsdown Rovers: David Beckham joined the club as a 14-year-old where he played in the youth side. * Enfield Town FC : Goldsdown Park, Brimsdown is shared with Brimsdown Rovers AFC. Angling *

Angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

is allowed on the River Lee Navigation towpath between

and Ponder's End Lock. Information from the River Lea Anglers Club.

In popular culture

Between 1977 and 1980 a

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

in the Green Street area of Brimsdown was the scene of alleged poltergeist activity. The incidents were the subject of a

Sky Living Sky Living was a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky. The channel's programming was aimed mainly at women and young adults. It originally launched as UK Living in 1993 and closed 25 years later, being replaced by Sky Witnes ...

television series ''

The Enfield Haunting ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' which was screened in May, 2015. Released in June 2016 ''

The Conjuring 2 ''The Conjuring 2'' (known in the United Kingdom as ''The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case'') is a 2016 American supernatural horror film, directed by James Wan. The screenplay is by Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes, Wan, and David Leslie Johnson. It i ...

'' an American film also investigates the incidents.

References

External links

Hidden London
Retrieved 13 November 2009 {{LB Enfield Areas of London Places in Enfield, London Districts of the London Borough of Enfield Places formerly in Middlesex