Ponders End

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Ponders End
Ponders End.jpg
Tower blocks at Alma Road
The Navigation Inn - geograph.org.uk - 748231.jpg
The Harvester Navigation Inn, seen from the towpath of the River Lee Navigation
Greater London UK location map 2.svg
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Ponders End
Location within Greater London
Population15,664 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference TQ 353 959
London borough
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ENFIELD
Postcode district EN1, EN3
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°38′46″N0°02′46″W / 51.646°N 0.046°W / 51.646; -0.046

Ponders End is the southeasternmost part of Enfield, north London, England, around Hertford Road west of the River Lee Navigation. It became industrialised through the 19th century, similar to the Lea Valley in neighbouring Edmonton and Brimsdown, with manufacturing giving way to warehousing in the late-20th century. The area features much social housing, with streets also lined with suburban terraced housing from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Contents

As a result of immigration, the area has become the most ethnically diverse part of Enfield, with the majority of the population having an ethnic minority background at the 2011 census. As of 2021 the area was experiencing large-scale regeneration, with the high-rise Alma Road Estate undergoing demolition and redevelopment. [1] Ponders End had a population of 15,664 as of 2011.

Geography

Elevations range from 21 metres (69 ft) to 13 metres (43 ft) above sea level, uniformly dropping from west to east. Two north-south railway lines enclose the residential parts of the area, bounded east and west by estates of warehousing, industrial and commercial use

Its northern and southern limits are along Hertford Road at The Ride and The Boundary pubs (north to south). Its loosely defined east and west limits coalesce around Wharf Road in the east and the Southbury station or Kingsway in the west. [2]

Etymology

Ponders End is marked on the Ordnance Survey map of 1822. It was recorded in 1593 as Ponders ende meaning the "end or quarter of the parish associated with the Ponder family" from the Middle English ende. John Ponder is mentioned in a document of 1373; the surname is believed to mean a "keeper of, or dweller by, a fish-pond or mill-pond". [3]

History

Ponders End once was rural Middlesex, but in 1840 the Northern and Eastern Railway (Now part of Greater Anglia National Rail) Station opened, bringing the area gradually alive. The Station is planned to be part of the new Crossrail 2, but this is very unlikely to be built any time soon.

All but a southern belt of the district was in Enfield, as the south lay in Edmonton, the parishes becoming a civil and ecclesiastical after a split of functions in the 1860s, which saw the final secularisation of government, the disestablishment of the vestries following the increase in Poor Law Unions in the hundred years before. [4]

Through the 19th century the area became industrialised, due to its straight road and waterway network up and down the Lea Valley including the 17th century River Lee Navigation. [4] The first major firm to arrive was Grout, Baylis & Co, who were established in Norwich in 1807 as crape manufacturers, the material being used for widows' weeds. They opened a dyeing and finishing plant in Ponders End two years later. Crape went out of fashion by late Victorian times, and the factory closed in 1894. The buildings were taken over by the United Flexible Tubing Company.

In 1866 the London Jute Works Company established a factory on the Navigation in a desolate area known locally as Spike Island. Many of the new employees came from Dundee, the traditional centre of the jute industry in Scotland. The jute works closed in 1882, to be replaced by the Ediswan factory. Over the years the factory was enlarged, eventually covering 11.50 acres (4.65 ha), and employing many people, notably girls, from the area. Ediswan produced electric lamps, and the factory was colloquially known as The Lamp. They also manufactured appliances for the shipping and aviation industries, mechanical pianos and butter makers.

To the south of Ponders End Lock a factory making white lead was built in 1893. Further south of that factory, the Cortecine works produced floor-cloth and carpet backing. By 1906 over 2000 people were employed in local factories. Another major industry in the latter years of the 19th century was horticulture. Tomatoes and cucumbers were the principal produce but flowers and fruit were also grown in the many orchards and greenhouses to the north of the locality. [5] During World War I, a huge munitions factory, the Ponders End Shell Works was built in Wharf Road. The factory building was sold after the war. Further factories were built in the 1930s alongside the newly built Great Cambridge Road. [6]

Today (2009) little remains of manufacturing and much of the area has given way to warehousing and residential developments. Aesica pharmaceutical manufacturers (formerly Thomas Morson Ltd) [7] closed its plant in 2011. [8] Wright's Flour Mill, the oldest working industrial building in the borough remains, some of its buildings having been constructed in the 18th century. [6]

On 7 August 2011 Ponders End was the scene of copy-cat riots which spread from Tottenham to neighbouring districts. [9]

In Spring 2017, Camden Town Brewery completed a new facility in Ponders End on the western bank of the Lee Navigation. [10]

In August 2020, Beavertown Brewery opened "Beaverworld", a new brewery on a six-acre plot on the western bank of the Lee Navigation, creating up to 150 jobs. [11]

Critchley & Simmons released an album titled Ponders End in 2017 - inspired by the area where they first met. [12]

Musician Jah Wobble was inspired to write his (2005) album Mu by his experiences in the Lea Valley and Ponders End. [13] [14]

It's as close as London gets to New Jersey. But it's one of my favourite places for walking, through the Lee Valley. It gets beautiful in that urban way, but then you go through soap factories up near Ponders End. It's got a wonderful, dislocated, alienated feeling

Jah Wobble

Ponders End Allotments Club is a track from the (1975) Chas and Dave album One Fing 'n' Annuver. [15]

Historic buildings

Wright's Flour Mill and the mill stream Wrights Flour Mill2.JPG
Wright's Flour Mill and the mill stream

Nearest places

Watercourses

South Marsh, Overflow Channel and the grassed embankment of the King George V Reservoir Ponders End.JPG
South Marsh, Overflow Channel and the grassed embankment of the King George V Reservoir

Sport

Transport

London Bus Routes 191, 279, 349, 491, 377, 121, 307, 313 and N279 serve the area.

The 191 Bus stop Oasis Academy Hadley used to be called Falcon Road, but when Oasis Academy was built, the bus stop's name changed. Similar to Ponders End Stn/Oasis Academy Hadley which was just called Ponders End Station.

Local rail services

Demography

The 2011 census showed that 45% of the population was white (26% British, 17% Other, 2% Irish), 16% Black African and 8% Bangladeshi. [20]

Notable people

Local newspapers

The local newspapers are as of 2011:

Politics

After boundary changes in 2010 - Ponders End became one of seven wards which form the Edmonton parliamentary constituency. [22] The MP for constituency is Kate Osamor.

Schools

Higher education

Places of worship

Open spaces

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Enfield</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Enfield is a London borough in Greater London, England. The main communities in the borough are Edmonton, Enfield, Southgate and Palmers Green. Enfield is an Outer London borough and forms part of North London, being the northernmost borough and bordering Hertfordshire to the north and Essex to the northeast. The local authority is Enfield London Borough Council, based at Enfield Civic Centre. The borough's population is estimated to be 333,794.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enfield, London</span> Town in northern Greater London

Enfield is a large town in north London, England, 10.1 miles (16.3 km) north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 333,587 in 2021. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, Crews Hill, Enfield Highway, Enfield Lock, Enfield Town, Enfield Wash, Forty Hill, Freezywater, Gordon Hill, Grange Park, Hadley Wood, Ponders End, and World's End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Lea</span> River in the south east of England

The River Lea is in the East of England and Greater London. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of the largest rivers in London and the easternmost major tributary of the Thames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Navigation</span> Canalised river in Hertfordshire and London, England

The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea. It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and its last Bow Locks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of London</span>

London is the largest urban area and the capital city of the United Kingdom. It lies in the southeastern part of the island of Great Britain. The London region covers 1,579 square kilometres (610 sq mi), and had a population of 8.982 million in 2019 and a population density of 5,596 people per square km in 2021. A larger area—the London Metropolitan Region or the London Metropolitan Agglomeration—covers 8,382 square kilometres (3,236 sq mi) and had 12,653,500 people, at a density of 1,510 per square kilometre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lea Valley lines</span> Commuter railway lines in London, England

The Lea Valley lines are two commuter lines and three branches in East London, North London and Hertfordshire, so named because they run along the valley of the River Lea. They were part of the Great Eastern Railway, now part of the Anglia Route of Network Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enfield North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Enfield North is a peripheral Greater London constituency created in 1974 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Feryal Clark of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton, London</span> Town and District of London, England

Edmonton is a town in north London, England within the London Borough of Enfield, a local government district of Greater London. The northern part of the town is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, and the southern part as Upper Edmonton. Situated 8.4 miles (13.5 km) north-northeast of Charing Cross, it borders Enfield to the north, Chingford to the east, and Tottenham to the south, with Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill to the west. The population of Edmonton was 82,472 as of 2011.

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 Enfield Island Village. The locality gains its name from the lock on the River Lee Navigation. Today's Enfield Lock was rebuilt in 1922. The area forms part of the Lee Valley Park and the Enfield Lock Conservation Area. On its eastern boundary Enfield Lock has marshland formerly used as a testing site between the Royal Small Arms Factory and the Gunpowder Mills, beyond this is the village of Sewardstone and the Epping forest boundary. To the south is Brimsdown, the north Waltham Cross and to the west Bullsmoor and Freezywater. Enfield Lock forms part of the London boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Enfield</span>

The London Borough of Enfield is the northernmost of the Outer London boroughs. The borough lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt, and several of its 123 or more parks and open spaces are part of it. The ancient Enfield Chase, remnants of which still exist, occupied much of the area. In addition to many playgrounds and sports facilities, the main areas of public open space are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enfield Wash</span> Human settlement in England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brimsdown</span> Human settlement in England

Brimsdown is a neighbourhood of eastern Enfield in the London Borough of Enfield, north London, on the west side of the mid-to-lower Lea Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enfield Highway</span> Human settlement in England

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 between Hoe Lane and The Ride.

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 the Lower Lea Valley. It is important for London's water supply, as the source of the water transported by the New River aqueduct, but also as the location for the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain, stretching from Enfield through Tottenham and Walthamstow.

Picketts Lock or Pickett's Lock is an area of Edmonton, in the London Borough of Enfield. It is bordered by River Lee Navigation to the east, Pickett's Lock Lane to the south, Meridian Way A1055 to the west and the Ponders End industrial area to the north. The area takes its name from Pickett's Lock, a lock on the nearby River Lee Navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pymmes Brook Trail</span>

The Pymmes Brook Trail is located in the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey and is just under 13 miles (21 km) long. The brook is named after William Pymme, a local landowner.

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The Lea Valley Walk is a 50-mile (80 km) long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows the towpath of the River Lee Navigation, and it becomes increasingly urbanised as it approaches London. The walk was opened in 1993 and is waymarked throughout using a swan logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickett's Lock (lock)</span>

Pickett's Lock is a lock on the River Lee Navigation in the London Borough of Enfield, England and is located near Edmonton, London. It gives its name to the surrounding area of Picketts Lock. In common with other locks as far upstream as Ponder's End Lock it is large enough to take barges of up to 130 tons. However it has not been upgraded to power operation and so it must be manually operated. It has gate paddles but these do not have gate baffles to mitigate the rush of water into the lock.

Lower Edmonton railway station was a station in Edmonton, London opened in 1849 by the Eastern Counties Railway as part of the original Enfield Town branch line. Originally named Edmonton it was renamed as Lower Edmonton low level to distinguish it from neighbouring Lower Edmonton high level. It closed to passengers in 1939 although the line on which it stood lasted until 1964.

References

  1. "Next phases of Countryside's Alma estate regeneration in Enfield receive planning consent". Housebuilder & Developer. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2023. [...] Countryside's [...] regeneration scheme [...] is transforming the Alma estate in Ponders End with over 1,000 new homes and over 71,000 sq ft of new community facilities over 10 years. To date, three phases of the Alma regeneration project have been completed with 310 homes (97 of which are Council homes) handed over.
  2. Local Government Map of Ponders End Boundaries [ permanent dead link ] Retrieved 28 February 2008
  3. Mills, A, D, Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names (2004) p180 ISBN   0-19-860957-4 Retrieved 17 October 2008
  4. 1 2 Map of the Edmonton Hundred of Middlesex Victoria County History of Middlesex, Volume 5, A P Baggs, Diane K Bolton, Eileen P Scarff and G C Tyack (1976). Retrieved 2015-02-20
  5. Godfrey A (notes to) Old Ordnance Survey Maps: Ponders End 1895 Alan Godfrey Maps, ISBN   1-84151-043-2 Retrieved 7 September 2009
  6. 1 2 Ponders End history Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 19 February 2011
  7. Thomas Morson Retrieved 8 September 2009
  8. Plant closure Retrieved 18 April 2011
  9. News report 8 August 2011
  10. "Big Brewery - Camden Town Brewery". www.camdentownbrewery.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  11. "Beavertown Brewery opens 'London's largest' new brewery". Imbibe. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  12. "Ponders End". Spotify. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  13. Hatts, Leigh The Lea Valley Walk p99 ISBN   1-85284-522-8 Retrieved 14 March 2008
  14. Lea valley walk Retrieved 15 May 2008
  15. Chas and Dave Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 May 2008
  16. History of Enfield Archived 3 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 22 November 2007
  17. Buildings of England London 4:North by Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner pg 451 ISBN   0-14-071049-3
  18. "Harvester: The Navigation". Harvester.co.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  19. River Lea Anglers Club Retrieved 2 December 2014
  20. "Ponders End - UK Census Data 2011".
  21. "News, sport and local information for Enfield and surrounding areas". Enfieldindependent.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  22. Electoral boundaries Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 15 April 2011
  23. St Matthew's Ponders End Archived 3 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 25 May 2011
  24. Mary Mother of God RC church Archived 6 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 15 December 2010
  25. Ponders End mosque Retrieved 27 June 2009
  26. Lincoln Road chapel Retrieved 9 January 2013
  27. Ponders End Methodist church Retrieved 9 January 2013
  28. Ponders End United Reformed church Archived 26 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 9 January 2013
  29. London Borough of Enfield parks Retrieved 23 July 2014