Enfield Wash is an area 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 Ha ...

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 ...

. It is approximately located in the area either side of

Hertford Road Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

between Ordnance Road/Turkey Street and Bell Lane/Hoe Lane.

History

Enfield Wash was where Elizabeth Canning (later married name Treat; 17 September 1734 – June 1773), an English maidservant claimed to have been kidnapped, held in a hayloft for almost a month and threatened with prostitution. These events became one of the most celebrated English criminal mysteries of the 18th century, and a

cause célèbre A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...

at the time. Magistrate and author

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

was consulted on the matter. Mother Well's house was opposite the Sun and Woolpack public house, formerly the Sun and Punchbowl. The United society, the first

friendly society A friendly society (sometimes called a benefit society, mutual aid society, benevolent society, fraternal organization or ROSCA) is a mutual association for the purposes of insurance, pensions, savings or cooperative banking. It is a mutua ...

, began to meet in the Sun and Woolpack inn, Enfield Wash, in 1794. The road crosses Turkey Brook at the Woolpack Bridge, where there was a footbridge from the 17th century, but it was not until 1821 that a proper bridge for carts was provided by the Turnpike Trust that managed Enfield Highway. The road at Enfield Wash, and the settlement, was known as '‘Horsepoolstones’ until the 18th century. Turkey Brook was also known as Maiden Brook and sometimes Wash Brook. According to legend, Bell Lane is haunted by a phantom

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. It is reputed to appear on moonless nights before Christmas, and to travel several feet above the road.

Etymology

Enfield Wash was first recorded in 1675 and on the

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was ...

map of 1822, from Old English 'a place that floods': historically there was probably a ford here where

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas ...

crossed Turkey Brook.Mills. A. D. ''Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names'' (2001) pp3,77

Transport and locale

Nearest places

* Enfield Lock * Enfield Highway * Freezywater *

Bulls Cross Bulls Cross is a road and hamlet in Enfield, England, on the outskirts of north London, forming part of the Metropolitan Green Belt. Although it now lies within the ceremonial county of Greater London, prior to 1965 it was in the historic ...

Nearest railway stations

* Enfield Lock railway station *

Turkey Street railway station Turkey Street is a London Overground station on the Southbury Loop section of the Lea Valley lines, located in the Bullsmoor area to the north of Enfield in north London. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated betwe ...

Parks and open spaces

On what had been College Farm, Albany Park, Enfield, the park was created circa 1902, probably so named to commemorate

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, (Leopold George Duncan Albert; 7 April 185328 March 1884) was the eighth child and youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Leopold was later created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow. ...

, the youngest son of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

, who died in 1884. The London Outer Orbital Path (Section 17) follows the course of Turkey Brook which flows west–east through the park.

Schools

Albany School, which was in Bell Lane, adjacent to Albany Park, was opened as a coeducational

secondary modern school A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...

in 1939, and was converted to a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is r ...

in 1967. It closed in 2009 and a new

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, Oasis Academy Hadley, was opened by the Oasis Trust on the site. However, the academy relocated to Ponders End in 2013. In 2015 Ark John Keats Academy, an all through school for pupils aged 4–18 opened on the site.Oasis Academy in NE Enfield
Retrieved 5 February 2009

Politics

Enfield Wash is part of the Enfield North parliamentary constituency. The current MP is the Labour politician Feryal Clark.

References

{{LB Enfield Places in Enfield, London Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Enfield