Located within Greater London, and around 10 miles directly north of Tower Bridge, is the town of Enfield.
The name 'Enfield' is derived from Old English 'Ēanafeld', meaning 'open land belonging to a man named Ēana. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Enfelde', at which point it was a manor belonging to Geoffrey de Mandeville - a high-ranking Norman. During this time the area was primarily wooded and well stocked with deer.
Records of a parish church existing in Enfield date back to as early as 1136, possibly in relation to St Andrew's Church. Much of the building that stands today dates from the 14th century. In 1303 Enfield was granted a royal charter by Edward I to hold a weekly market. This was in essence the beginning of what is today referred to as Enfield Town.
In 1816 the Royal Small Arms Factory opened. It was situated at Enfield Lock to the northeast of the town centre, on a marshy island surrounded by the River Lea and the Lee Navigation (a canalised river). The factory produced swords, muskets and rifles, including the famous Lee-Enfield rifles which were standard issue for the British Army during both the First and Second World Wars, and remained so until 1957. The factory closed in 1988. In its place is a housing development now known as Enfield Island Village.
Enfield's first rail connection came in 1840 with a line between Stratford and Ponders End station opened by the Northern & Eastern Railway. Today there are two stations in the town centre - Enfield Town on the London Overground network, and Enfield Chase, linking to Stevenage to the north and various London stations to the south via National Rail.
In 1967 Britain's first ever cash machine was introduced in Enfield. The actor Reg Varney of On the Buses fame was the first person to use it.
Historically, Enfield was a part of the county of Middlesex up until 1965 at which point the ceremonial county of Greater London was formed. The town's name is shared with the borough to which it belongs - the London Borough of Enfield, which is the most northerly of all the London Boroughs.
Famous people raised (but not born) in Enfield include actor Ray Winstone and comedian Paul Whitehouse. By a bizarre coincidence, Whitehouse, from the age of four, was brought up in Enfield. He would later meet and form a successful comedic partnership with Harry Enfield. Harry Enfield is from... West Sussex.
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Filmed: 7th February 2022
Link to the walk on Google Maps: goo.gl/maps/topZwfS3r71dKFmj7
Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 London Road
2:05 Southbury Road
2:55 Enfield Town Station
3:02 Southbury Road
6:57 Silver Street
11:36 The Town
12:44 Enfield Market
12:56 St Andrew's Church
13:02 Enfield Market
13:29 Church Street
17:36 River Walk
18:20 The Millennium Fountain
18:28 River Walk
19:25 New River
19:35 River Walk
20:21 Chase Side
21:07 Enfield Cenotaph
21:19 Windmill Hill
22:56 Enfield Chase Station
23:02 Windmill Hill