Southgate, London


Southgate is a suburban area of north London, England in the London Borough of Enfield. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase.

History

Southgate was originally the South Gate of Enfield Chase, the King's hunting grounds. This is reflected in the street names Chase Road and Chase 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.
Becoming separate from Edmonton in 1881, Southgate had a population in 1891 of just 10,970. By 1901 the figure had moved up to 14,993, and by 1911 the figure had ballooned to 33,612, aided by the nearby railway station in Palmers Green.
Southgate was predominantly developed in the 1930s: largish semi-detached houses were built on the hilly former estates following increased transport development. In 1933, the North Circular Road was completed through Edmonton and Southgate, and also in 1933, the London Underground Piccadilly line was extended from Arnos Grove, through Southgate tube station, on to Enfield West. This unleashed a building boom, and by 1939 the area had become almost fully developed.
By 1951, the population had grown to 73,377 – falling by about 1,000 ten years later as many moved to new towns nearby.

Status

In 1894 an urban district of Middlesex, called Southgate, was created by the Local Government Act 1894. In 1933 the Municipal Borough of Southgate was created. The borough was abolished in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963, and incorporated within the new London Borough of Enfield, also including the areas that had been within the Municipal Borough of Enfield and the Municipal Borough of Edmonton.

Local features

Within the area is the art deco Grade II* Southgate tube station designed by Charles Holden. The area has several large green parks such as Grovelands 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. In Waterfall Road is Christ Church, built in 1862 by Sir Gilbert Scott; adjacent to its grounds, in Minchenden Oak Garden, stands the Minchenden Oak. Across the road from the church lies the Walker Cricket Ground; a regular Middlesex venue which was first used in 1859 and is named after the cricketer John Walker.
The Southgate Green conservation area contains several notable Grade II listed buildings such as Arnoside House and Essex House, Sandford House & Norbury House, Old House & Essex Coach House, 40 The Green and the Valentine Poole houses. The adjoining Cannon Hill features the early-18th century Arnos Grove House and the High Street features Southgate House.
Southgate station on the Piccadilly line is the nearest tube stop to most of Southgate's residential area. Other stations are at Oakwood and Arnos Grove.

Demography

Southgate is a cosmopolitan district. There has been a prominent Jewish community since the early 20th century. There are also many Greek, Greek Cypriot, Japanese, and Turkish families living in the district. As of the 2011 census, White British makes up 45% of the population, followed by Other White at 20%.

Notable residents

The parliamentary constituency covering the part of Southgate in the London Borough of Enfield is Enfield Southgate. Until his death in the Brighton bombing in 1984, the constituency was represented by Sir Anthony Berry. In 1997, Michael Portillo, who succeeded Sir Anthony, lost the seat to Stephen Twigg, who after two terms lost in his turn to David Burrowes in May 2005. In the 2017 general election, Bambos Charalambous defeated Burrowes and became the new representative of the constituency.

Education

College

Primary

Synagogues

There are four synagogues with Southgate in their name: Cockfosters and North Southgate, Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue, Southgate Progressive Synagogue in Oakwood, and Chabad Southgate. The former Southgate and District Reform Synagogue has now moved to Whetstone, and changed its name in February 2010 to Sha'arei Tsedek: North London Reform Synagogue.
stained glass at Christ Church, Waterfall Road

Churches

stands near Southgate Green. This was built on the site of Weld Chapel, which was built in 1615 and demolished in 1863. The clock on the church was placed there to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. The church contains London's largest collection of pre-raphaelite stained glass by Morris, Marshall Faulkner & Co. The parish church of St Andrew is on Chase Side. Emmanuel Evangelical Church meets in Ashmole School. 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.

Southgate Masonic Centre

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

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.

Taverns, inns and public houses

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.
Many were located on Chase Side but some, such as The Bell, The Crown and the Chase Gate Tavern, were demolished as part of 20th Century redevelopment and others have closed more recently; The Waggon became an Anatolian restaurant in 2013. The Rising Sun was the terminus for a local horsebus service to Colney Hatch before the arrival of the railways, whereupon the service switched to the new station in Palmers Green. It was rebuilt in 1932, and substantially renovated in 2008, changing its name to The Sun and later The Maze Inn but was subsequently closed in 2016 and demolished in 2019. The Crown is commemorated in the name of The New Crown on Chase Side. The 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 are Ye Olde Cherry Tree which overlooks Southgate Green, and The Woodman on Bourne Hill. Former public house The Woolpack on the nearby High Street is now a restaurant.

Local newspapers

The local newspapers are, as of 2018: