Southgate Green Association Presents:
Southgate Village guided walk
1 Southgate Village Gates
These gates are a token erected by Southgate Borough Council in 1953 at the Southern boundary of Southgate. The actual gates to the south gate of Enfield Chase were located at what is now the junction of Chase Road and Chase Side, now Southpoint House. The gates to Broomfield House were located on the opposite side of the road, these gates were known as The Village Gates, the iron gates were removed as WW2 war salvage and replaced with wooden ones. In 1953 Southgate Borough Council erected The Village Gates on Cannon Hill and later demolished the Broomfield Park gates and reconfigured the road . Broomfield Cottages stood on the opposite corner and this marks the boundary of the Arnos Estate.
2 Cannon Hill, Pedoulas and the Barn
The name Cannon Hill [probably relates to Canons Park, Whitchurch Lane at Little Stanmore, Edgware, The seat of The Dukes of Chandos. The road was previously known as South Street.
Roger Moore is reputed to have lived in the house on the corner in 1961, during his early acting career whilst performing with the Intimate theatre, repertory company of Palmers Green
The Arnos Estate barn, received the timber tower and weather vane from the Weld Chapel of 1615 when it was demolished in 1862, and rested there until the barn was demolished in 1920 when it was moved to the the Old Forge site on the North Circular at Palmers Green in 1920. Stephens Engineering took over The Old Forge and developed a garage in 1968 the business relocated to the Thundridge Business Park, at Sundridge Hertfordshire in 2014 and took the Weld Chapel Weathervane where it rests today. Number 1 Cannon Hill, Pendoulas was built to a Butterfly plan in 1930 typical of its time and modified in 2020 the Billiards Room and chauffeur’s annex demolished to make way for a 7 bed roomed detached house.
3 The Hermitage
The Hermitage the only thatched home in London still in residence, Once home to one of the Walker Brothers, re-thatched in 2019.
The timber clad coach house next door to the left once served the House next door
4 Cullands Grove
Also known as Cannons Stood at the corner of Alderman’s Hill on high ground behind, built in 1754 and later home to Sir William Curtis who lived there from 1801 until he died in 1829. Friend of George 4th, Tory MP for the City of London close supporter of William Pitt. Alderman, Lord Mayor of London, founder of City Bank, banker to The Prince of Wales, Shipping owner famous for transporting convicts to Australia , South Sea Whaling, and Ships biscuit manufacturing, being the main supplier to the Royal Navy and earning him the nick name Billy Biscuit. On his death the 30 acre estate was purchased by John Donnithorne Taylor in 1840 and demolished as part of his Open View policy. Alderman’s Hill was built in 1804 along the boundary of the Cullands Grove Estate by William Curtis to give good access to Green Lanes and the City.
5 Peppa Pig
Peppa Pig was born in Southgate. A cartoon character created by three out of work Channel 4 film animators, Phil Davies. Nevil Astley and Mark Baker in The Cherry Tree Pub in 2001. Developed as a TV Show in 2004, developed into a global phenomenon including books, toys and theme parks. Winning 4 Bafta awards. Sold in 180 countries and translated into 40 languages. Phil Davies studied film animation at Middlesex Polytechnic moved from Oakfield Avenue to this house on Cannon Hill. The rights were sold to in 2019 to US Toy Giant Hasbro in a £2.8billion deal. Phil has since moved on.
6 Arnos House
Known as “Arnolds”, a name derived from the landowner Margery Arnold who owned the land in 1344. and was occupied by Sir John Weld and his family in 1610.He is best remembered for building The Weld Chapel on Waterfall Road, the first place of worship in Southgate. In 1720 James Colebrooke bought the estate from Thomas Wolstenholme and demolished the earlier house. The house has an impressive entrance hall and staircase, the walls and ceiling are decorated with Murals by Italian Artist Lanscroon who had earlier completed work at Broomfield House.
Isaac Walker bought the estate in 1777 and enlarged its holding to 300 acres by incorporating the adjoining Minchenden Hall Estate and the Beaver Hall Estate on Waterfall Road.
The Estate was sold to Andrew Weir, titled Baron Iverforth of Southgate in 1918 shipping magnet, owner of The Bank Shipping Line, Director of Lloyds Bank, Member of the Liberal party under Lloyd George acting as Surveyor general of supplies 1917 to 1919 then Minister of Munitions 1919 to 1921 succeeding Winston Churchill. Lord Iverforth lived there until 1928 he then moved to Bishops Avenue Hampstead selling 44 acres to Southgate Urban District Council in 1928 to form Arnos Park and the rest was sold to housing developers.
7 Selborne Road
On the corner of Selborne Road and Cannon Hill stood a house built in the early 1930s similar in size and style to the house on the opposite corner at Cannon Grove, that house was home to Radio and Music Hall comedian Ted Ray. Works in the 1950s to 1960s included Radio show “Rays a Laugh” with Peter Sellars. Percy Edwards and Kenneth Connor and the film “Carry on Teacher”. The house was sold in 1960 demolished, and three houses built on its site. Ted relocated to The Broadwalk where he was doorstepped by Eamon Andrews for an episode of “This is your Life”.
On the opposite corner stood The Bakery and cake shop established on the site since 1745 rebuilt in
The land to the rear was farmland forming part of the Grovelands Estate sold in 1905 to The British Land Corporation which developed the area for housing. British Land Plc is now a major UK development Company.
8 Cannon Hill
Previously known as South Street, the parade of shops replaces earlier homes which formed the heart of Southgate adjacent to the Green. The buildings have been developed over a number of years and the shops have evolved and adapted to suit the needs of the local community.
9 Minchenden House
Minchenden House built in 1664 by Sir Thomas Wolstenholme was the largest house in Southgate, of three-storeys, brick built, with a lower basement and 35 rooms. The front elevation facing the Green was formed in 3 bays, each having 3 large windows in the Georgian style. There was a stable block and coach house adjacent to the house all enclosed by a high brick wall to the front boundary.
The house was bought by John Nichol in 1736 ,he died shortly after and the estate passed to his only daughter Margaret Nichol at the age of 18 and a wealthy heiress of marriageable status she married James Brydges the 3rd Duke of Chandos aged 22 on 22nd May 1753 at St Georges Hanover Square.
The Duchess of Chandos died on 14th August 1768 aged 33 and is interred in a marble sarcophagus in the family mausoleum at the Church of St Lawrence, Little Stanmore on The Dukes former Canons Estate.
The Duke remarried on 21st June 1777 and the couple had two daughters, he died aged 58 in 1789 his wife the dowager duchess continued to live at Minchenden house until her death on 20th January 1813 aged 78.
The Minchenden estate then passed to daughter Anna Eliza Brydges. She married the Marquess of Buckingham, (son of Prime Minister George Grenville) in April 1796 aged 17. The family owned a sugar plantation in Jamaica, country estates at Stowe, Wooton, Gosfield, Avington as well as Chandos House and Buckingham House in London.
Through poor management and profligate spending debts mounted and properties fell into disrepair, and the house was rented out. After the Marquess’s death in 1839 the estate passed to his son Richard the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.
Richard was declared bankrupt in 1847 with debts of over £1miillion pounds. All assets were sold.
In 1853 Isacc Walker purchased The Minchenden Estate including Chapel Fields. The land was absorbed into The Arnos Grove Estate and the house demolished.
10 Weld Chapel
In 1615 Sir John Weld of Arnolds bought 150 acres from the Minchenden Estate and built a small chapel on Waterfall Road to ease the journey to the nearest Church at Edmonton. The chapel was built for use of the Weld family and their servants. The outline of the chapel is marked in the graveyard and the only remaining part to survive today is its weathervane. The weathervane and timber tower was reused by the Walkers on their barn located near the corner of Cannon Hill and Forestdale. The barn was demolished when the Arnos Grove Estate was sold and redeveloped but it was relocated on the old forge in Palmers Green which subsequently became Stephens Engineering. Southgate became a separate parish from Edmonton and ten years later was superseded by Christchurch funded by the Walker family he Weld chapel was demolished In 1859.
11 The Cherry Tree
The Cherry Tree is thought to date back to the late 16th Century and has undergone many changes to its form and appearance since then. The site was once owned by the charitable trust of Valentine Poole which was established for the benefit of the poor of Barnet dating back to 1721 more recently it was a Taylor Walker pub. The Inn was a post coaching Inn on the road to the North. The arched entrance to the left leads into a courtyard where passengers dismounted and were accommodated with food and lodgings. Horses would be stabled and groomed on site and the archway still has the recesses where the central horse shafts were stored. There used to be a skittles alley on site, today Selborne Bowling Club occupies a secluded space at the rear.