Enfield Lock
Encyclopedia
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, 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 re-built in 1922. The area forms part of the Lee Valley Park
.
lok.
The area was first developed from about 1812 when a UK government-owned rifle factory, which was to be later known as the Royal Small Arms Factory
(RSAF), Enfield, was built. The factory was built towards the end of the Napoleonic War on the instructions of the Board of Ordnance
on marsh land at Enfield Lock on the banks of both the River Lea and the River Lee Navigation
. The site was close the old River Lea where it joined the River Lee Navigation.
The RSAF was closed shortly after privatisation, in about 1987 and the majority of the former site has now been redeveloped into a large housing development: Enfield Island Village
. The original machine shop frontage and the older part of the rear structure has been retained and was converted into workshops and retail units by the Enfield Enterprise Agency, making use of European Union
(ERDF) funding.
had spread from neighbouring Tottenham on 8 August 2011, the Sony DADC
distribution centre on the Innova Business Park was looted and destroyed by fire.
Home Secretary
, Theresa May
was shown the destroyed distribution centre by chief police officers
and firefighters
on 12 August 2011.
In the United Kingdom general election held on May 6, 2010 de Bois ousted the previous MP, Labour
politician Joan Ryan
who had been caught up in the parliamentary expenses scandal.
, a long distance footpath can be accessed at Enfield Lock railway station. The path connects with the Lea Valley Walk
above Enfield Lock
at Ordnance Road.
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
overpass, to the River Lee Navigation
River Lee Navigation
The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea . Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. The first lock of the navigation is Hertford Lock the last being Bow Locks....
, including the Enfield Island Village
Enfield Island Village
Enfield Island Village is a modern village in the outskirts of the London Borough of Enfield, North London, home to a large housing development. Before 1998, Enfield Island Village formed part of the Epping Forest district of Essex, but was transferred to the borough of Enfield in Greater London...
. The locality gains its name from the lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
on the River Lee Navigation. Today's Enfield Lock
Enfield Lock (lock)
Enfield Lock is a lock on the River Lee Navigation, in the London Borough of Enfield. It gives its name to the surrounding area of Enfield Lock. The lock is situated close to the former Royal Small Arms Factory now known as Enfield Island Village...
was re-built in 1922. The area forms part of the Lee Valley Park
Lee Valley Park
Lee Valley Regional Park is a long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of London, Essex and Hertfordshire from the River Thames to Ware in Hertfordshire, England through areas such as Hackney, Tottenham, Enfield, Stratford, Tower Hamlets, Walthamstow, Cheshunt,...
.
Etymology
Enfield Lock is recorded thus in 1710, earlier as Norhtlok 1355, The Locke 1657, 'the (northern) lock or river barrier (near Enfield)', from Middle EnglishMiddle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
lok.
History
Royal Small Arms Factory
The Royal Small Arms Factory was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816...
(RSAF), Enfield, was built. The factory was built towards the end of the Napoleonic War on the instructions of the Board of Ordnance
Board of Ordnance
The Board of Ordnance was a British government body responsible for the supply of armaments and munitions to the Royal Navy and British Army. It was also responsible for providing artillery trains for armies and maintaining coastal fortresses and, later, management of the artillery and engineer...
on marsh land at Enfield Lock on the banks of both the River Lea and the River Lee Navigation
River Lee Navigation
The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea . Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. The first lock of the navigation is Hertford Lock the last being Bow Locks....
. The site was close the old River Lea where it joined the River Lee Navigation.
The RSAF was closed shortly after privatisation, in about 1987 and the majority of the former site has now been redeveloped into a large housing development: Enfield Island Village
Enfield Island Village
Enfield Island Village is a modern village in the outskirts of the London Borough of Enfield, North London, home to a large housing development. Before 1998, Enfield Island Village formed part of the Epping Forest district of Essex, but was transferred to the borough of Enfield in Greater London...
. The original machine shop frontage and the older part of the rear structure has been retained and was converted into workshops and retail units by the Enfield Enterprise Agency, making use of European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(ERDF) funding.
Today
After rioting2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
had spread from neighbouring Tottenham on 8 August 2011, the Sony DADC
Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation
Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation is a manufacturer of Compact Discs, DVDs, UMDs, and Blu-ray Discs. The company has many plants worldwide...
distribution centre on the Innova Business Park was looted and destroyed by fire.
Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
was shown the destroyed distribution centre by chief police officers
Chief police officer
Chief police officer is a phrase used in the United Kingdom to describe the position held by the most senior police officer in a police force. It refers to either one of the 53 Chief Constables, the Commissioner of the City of London Police or the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Such...
and firefighters
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
on 12 August 2011.
Nearest places
- FreezywaterFreezywaterFreezywater is a place in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It is roughly located in an area either side of Hertford Road between its junction with Ordnance Road and further north that with Bullsmoor Lane and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, including an area westwards towards the railway...
- BrimsdownBrimsdownBrimsdown is a place in the London Borough of Enfield, North London generally known as the Lea Valley. The Brimsdown area is roughly located in the area either side of Mollison Avenue, to Bilton Way, just south of Ordnance Road, extending as far south as the Mollison Avenue/Jeffreys Road roundabout...
- Enfield WashEnfield WashEnfield 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 Turkey Street and Albany Road.- Etymology :...
- Enfield Island VillageEnfield Island VillageEnfield Island Village is a modern village in the outskirts of the London Borough of Enfield, North London, home to a large housing development. Before 1998, Enfield Island Village formed part of the Epping Forest district of Essex, but was transferred to the borough of Enfield in Greater London...
Nearest railway stations
- Enfield Lock railway stationEnfield Lock railway stationEnfield Lock railway station is in the London Borough of Enfield in north east London, and is in Travelcard Zone 6, on the Tottenham Hale branch of the Lea Valley Lines, on the West Anglian Railway...
- Turkey Street railway stationTurkey Street railway stationTurkey Street railway station is located in the Bullsmoor area of Enfield in the London Borough of Enfield, North London.The station is in Travelcard Zone 6 and is served by Lea Valley Lines services...
- Brimsdown railway stationBrimsdown railway stationBrimsdown railway station is in the London Borough of Enfield in north east London. The station is in Travelcard Zone 5, on the Tottenham Hale branch of the Lea Valley Lines, 17 km north of London Liverpool Street...
Politics
- The local MP is ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician Nick de BoisNick de BoisGeoffrey Nicholas "Nick" de Bois is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Enfield North, defeating the Labour incumbent MP Joan Ryan....
(his full constituency is Enfield NorthEnfield NorthEnfield North is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Constituency Profile:...
).
In the United Kingdom general election held on May 6, 2010 de Bois ousted the previous MP, Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician Joan Ryan
Joan Ryan
Joan Marie Ryan is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was member of Parliament for Enfield North between 1997 and 2010, and is a member of the Labour Party. She had previously been deputy leader of Barnet Council....
who had been caught up in the parliamentary expenses scandal.
Schools
- Primary schools: Chesterfield Infant School, Chesterfield Junior School, Keys Meadow Primary, Prince of Wales Primary School
- Oasis Academy Enfield, recently built at a cost of £21 million.
Recreation
Section 18 of the London LOOPLondon Outer Orbital Path
The London Outer Orbital Path — more usually the "London LOOP" — is a signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M25 for walkers"...
, a long distance footpath can be accessed at Enfield Lock railway station. The path connects with the Lea Valley Walk
Lea Valley Walk
The Lea Valley Walk is a 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...
above Enfield Lock
Enfield Lock (lock)
Enfield Lock is a lock on the River Lee Navigation, in the London Borough of Enfield. It gives its name to the surrounding area of Enfield Lock. The lock is situated close to the former Royal Small Arms Factory now known as Enfield Island Village...
at Ordnance Road.