Is the rebuilding of Broomfield House on the horizon?

27th July 2015

Over the last six months a team of consultants employed by Enfield Council has been preparing a major study on Broomfield House, its stableyard and the wider Park. This has been done on the recommendation of Historic England (the new name for English Heritage). This process has proven useful in dealing with complex issues over the future of other London Parks.

The study will now feed in to an extensive public consultation programme to be held over the next few months. This will in turn lead to the selection of a limited number of options for the future, which could include making an application to the Heritage Lottery Enterprise Fund (HLF) to assist in rebuilding Broomfield House. Unlike bids under the earlier system, this relatively new fund starts with a business plan to demonstrate sources of capital for rebuilding and longer term income, with the HLF making up the “heritage deficit”. In the process all options for the future will be considered.

The management of all this is under the Broomfield House Partnership Board which is chaired by Councillor Bambos Charalambous. The Broomfield House Trust and Friends of Broomfield Park are the main local community groups represented on the Board. Critical for all involved will be the balance between the necessary “commercial” element and community use.

Over the next few months we will be spreading awareness of the consultation programme. In the process we hope to be able to display this model, made in 1950 by a local resident, of Broomfield House as it was in 1903. This date is significant because this was when the Park was bought by the Southgate Urban District Council to preserve it from the building boom then beginning to eat up open space.

Find out more by keeping in touch with the Broomfield House Trust website at www.broomfieldhouse.org

In other news: July saw the first season of the Friends of Broomfield Park’s new ‘Proms in the Park’ series. The music spanned opera, indie pop, folk, a brass band, flute, drumming and a choir. It proved popular with the audiences, who called for a repeat in 2016. These events continued in August with ‘Broomfield Blues’ concerts, the ‘Palmers Green Festival’ in September and in October the ‘Palmers Scream’.

Have you wondered what happened to the toilet railings at the Triangle? They are now an attractive frontage to the Conservatory. They were rescued from a Council yard by the FoBP and adapted a local craftsman (Dave Plummer of Triangle Metal Works) and installed with the benefit of grants from the Enfield Society and the Enfield Residents Priority Fund.

The Orchard received the 'Community Tree Award' at the London Tree and Woodland Awards 2015, organised by the Forestry Commission and supported by the Mayor of London "to celebrate the work of individuals, communities and professionals to protect, improve and expand the capital’s tree and woodland cover."

Future events in the Orchard and Community Growing Space include: Edible Open Garden Day on 19th September, participation in the North London Pumpkin Festival this Halloween and Apple Day on 18th October.