Green Dragon Lane, an old thoroughfare, started to be urbanised in 1907.
The ’Green Dragon’ inn is reputed to have opened in 1726 on the junction of Green Lanes and Green Dragon Lane, with the latter road named after it. That pub moved to its current location at the bottom of Vicars Moor Lane near the end of the eighteenth century. In 2017, a micropub called the Little Green Dragon was opened near to the site of the original eighteenth century Green Dragon at the end of Green Dragon Lane.
In 1754 the Lane was called Filcaps Lane after Filcaps Farm which stood on its north side. Cary’s Map of Middlesex from 1789 shows it as Chace Lane, and the Edmonton Enclosure Award of 1801 calls it Old Park Road since it formed the southern boundary of Old Park. Henrietta Cresswell in 1912 called it Dog Kennel Lane - a document of 1721 refers to the cutting down of an oak tree near the dog kennel on the Chase.
A builder Richard Metherell arrived in London from Devon to London in the 1870s. He formed a company - R. Metherell and Son - and began buying up land to became one of the first speculative builders in the area. In 1906 he bought the Old Park Grange Estate from Lord Currie.
About 1900, Metherell had straightened and widened the lower end of Green Dragon Lane, building between Bush Hill and Old Park Ridings. In conjunction with his son, constructed the roads Old Park Ridings, The Chine and The Grangeway, including two bridges over Salmons Brook.
The portion of Green Dragon Lane between Old Park Ridings and Green Lanes was known earlier in the twentieth century as Grange Drive.
In 1909 ’The Recorder for Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill and Southgate’ reported that "The old lane has been transformed from a narrow picturesque avenue of trees and high hedges into a fine wide road, flanked on one side by an artistic row of high-class houses. Those who know this part of Winchmore Hill are aware of its charm, its high altitude, gently undulating contour, the fine woodland and its close proximity to some of the finest scenery in the neighbourhood of Enfield."
It was reported in the Middlesex Gazette in 1910: “…there is no lovelier part of the district than that stretching northwards from Green Dragon Lane towards Enfield.”
| CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY |
None so far :(
| LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT |
 
Michael Added: 20 Sep 2023 21:10 GMT |
Momentous Birth!
I was born in the upstairs front room of 28 Tyrrell Avenue in August 1938. I was a breach birth and quite heavy ( poor Mum!). My parents moved to that end of terrace house from another rental in St Mary Cray where my three year older brother had been born in 1935. The estate was quite new in 1938 and all the properties were rented. My Father was a Postman. I grew up at no 28 all through WWII and later went to Little Dansington School
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Mike Levy Added: 19 Sep 2023 18:10 GMT |
Bombing of Arbour Square in the Blitz
On the night of September 7, 1940. Hyman Lubosky (age 35), his wife Fay (or Fanny)(age 32) and their son Martin (age 17 months) died at 11 Arbour Square. They are buried together in Rainham Jewish Cemetery. Their grave stones read: "Killed by enemy action"
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Lady Townshend Added: 8 Sep 2023 16:02 GMT |
Tenant at Westbourne (1807 - 1811)
I think that the 3rd Marquess Townshend - at that time Lord Chartley - was a tenant living either at Westbourne Manor or at Bridge House. He undertook considerable building work there as well as creating gardens. I am trying to trace which house it was. Any ideas gratefully received
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Alex Britton Added: 30 Aug 2023 10:43 GMT |
Late opening
The tracks through Roding Valley were opened on 1 May 1903 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) on its Woodford to Ilford line (the Fairlop Loop).
But the station was not opened until 3 February 1936 by the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER, successor to the GER).
Source: Roding Valley tube station - Wikipedia
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Kevin Pont Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:52 GMT |
Shhh....
Roding Valley is the quietest tube station, each year transporting the same number of passengers as Waterloo does in one day.
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Kevin Pont Added: 30 Aug 2023 09:47 GMT |
The connection with Bletchley Park
The code-breaking computer used at Bletchley Park was built in Dollis Hill.
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Kevin Pont Added: 29 Aug 2023 15:25 GMT |
The deepest station
At 58m below ground, Hampstead is as deep as Nelson’s Column is tall.
Source: Hampstead tube station - Wikipedia
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Kevin Pont Added: 29 Aug 2023 15:15 GMT |
Not as Central as advertised...
Hendon Central was by no means the centre of Hendon when built, being a green field site. It was built at the same time as both the North Circular Road and the A41 were built as major truck roads �’ an early example of joined up London transport planning.
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Hadley Way, N21 Hadley Way is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area. Merridene, N21 Merridene is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area. Park Drive, N21 Park Drive is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area. Parkdrive, N21 Parkdrive is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area. The Chine, N21 The Chine, including its bridge over Salmons Brook, was laid out in 1907.
The Grangeway, N21 The Grangeway was one of three local roads constructed by Richard Metherell. The Spinney, N21 The Spinney is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area. Vera Avenue, N21 Vera Avenue is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area. Wades Hill, N21 Wades Hill is one of the streets of London in the N21 postal area.
Winchmore Hill is a district in the London Borough of Enfield bounded on the east by Green Lanes (the A105) and on the west by Grovelands Park. Once a small village hamlet in the parish of Edmonton, Winchmore Hill borders Palmers Green, Southgate, Edmonton, Enfield Chase and Bush Hill Park. At the heart is Winchmore Hill Green, a village green surrounded by shops and restaurants. The nearest Underground station is at Southgate which is on the Piccadilly Line.
Of particular note in Winchmore Hill is Grovelands Park which originated as a private estate before being partly being sold to the council in 1913. What remained in private hands, is the famous Priory Clinic.
Prior to occupation by the Romans, the area was occupied by the Catuvellauni tribe. It is believed that this tribe built an ancient hill fort on the mound where the Bush Hill Park Golf clubhouse now stands.
The earliest recorded mention of Winchmore Hill is in a deed dated 1319 in which it is spelt
Wynsemerhull. By 1565 the village was known as
Wynsmorehyll, becoming Winchmore Hill by the time it was mentioned in state papers in 1586.
There are many buildings of historical note in Winchmore Hill including St Paul’s Church, being built as a Waterloo Church on land donated from the Grovelands estate. The church ceiling was the largest unsupported expanse of plasterwork in Europe until its renovation in the 1960s introduced concealed supports. The original wooden clapperboard St Paul’s School building can be seen a little further down
Church Hill.
The oldest pub in the district is probably the Green Dragon on Green Lanes. It is reputed to have started in 1726 on the junction of Green Lanes and Green Dragon Lane. Then, highwaymen were hanged near to where they were caught. The original Green Dragon was pulled down in 1892 and the new one was extensively remodelled in 1935. Victorian County History reveals that by 1752 The Orange Tree, The Green Dragon and The Kings Head were all established, although not in their present form.
In 1865 the Great Northern Railway Company obtained permission to build a new line to run from Wood Green to Hertford through Palmers Green and Enfield. Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill were to be the intervening rural stations. The branch opened on 1 April 1871. An electric tramway along Green Lanes from Palmers Green was developed in 1907 helping to further develop the area.
