Forthcoming Events and Visits

BRUCE CASTLE, TOTTENHAM and FORTY HALL, ENFIELD Wednesday 22 September 2010

Both of these properties are examples of a 'suburban' house: either the second home of a City family, or the near-London home of a landed family whose country house might be far away. The houses we will be visiting belonged to one or two families for unusually long stretches, helping to preserve them.

Bruce Castle was (and remains) close to one of the main routes out of London, the A10, and was the most important of several large houses in Tottenham. There have been a number of properties on the site, which got its name from its 13th century owners, the Scottish Bruce family. After rebuilding in the 16th century, the house and estate were sold in 1626 to Hugh Hare, later Lord Coleraine, and his family kept the property until 1792. A painting dated 1686, still on view in one of the rooms, records changes to enlarge and modernise the house; further alterations carried out around 1773 gave it roughly the appearance it has today. In 1827 it became a progressive school and, when this closed, was bought by Tottenham UDC in 1892 so that the grounds could be opened as public open space. The house, which is Grade I listed, became a local museum, as it still is today, run by the London Borough of Haringey.

Forty Hall was built between 1629 and 1632 in the grounds of the Elsyng Palace (a base for hunting in Enfield Chase). It was built for Sir Nicholas Rainton, a City merchant and Alderman, who became Lord Mayor of London in 1632 and his portrait is on show in the house. It is an early example of the compact brick houses going up in London in the 17th century, and is a triple-pile house giving a lot of space in a neat design. A service wing has been added to the north, otherwise the outline of the house is unaltered. The property remained in the Rainton family until 1787 when the house and its land (in 65 lots) were sold. It then changed hands a number of times until 1951 when it was sold, by the Parker-Bowles family, to Enfield Urban District Council who bought the house and 273 acres and opened the grounds to the public. Forty Hall (also Grade I listed) retains fine period rooms with richly moulded plaster ceilings. It became a museum in 1955 and is run by the London Borough of Enfield, housing local history displays and holding art and photography exhibitions. The grounds are mostly informal in character, and there is an original walled garden which was formerly a kitchen garden.

We will be travelling by coach to the two venues, leaving the East Lodge Gate of Kenwood promptly at 10.15am, to arrive at Bruce Castle in Tottenham by about 11.15. We will be given a private guided tour of the house by the Curator, followed by a sandwich lunch in the Old Kitchen. After lunch we leave Tottenham and travel to Forty Hall, Enfield, for a private tour of the property. If time permits, members can enjoy a stroll in the grounds or purchase a drink/snack in the adjoining cafe before the coach leaves at 4.00, to return us to Kenwood by about 5.15pm. Cost (including coach travel, coffee & biscuits on arrival, guided tour and tea & cakes) £20.

Please note that all trips are for members only.