This almost entirely residential neighbourhood sits in the ward of Bowes, sandwiched between the North Circular Road to the north and White Hart Lane to the south. Typical of a north London suburb, the quiet, leafy streets are lined with a combination of Edwardian and interwar buildings, plus a number of newer builds to accommodate the growing population priced out of the inner city. With barely a corner shop, conveniences are hard to come by in the immediate area, but Bounds Green, with its quaint-but-bustling parades and convenient Piccadilly line tube station is just a short walk to the west. What the area lacks in amenities it makes up for in schools, with two primaries and a secondary located within just a couple of streets of each other, and with green spaces to the north and the south, there are plenty of opportunities for the kids to get out of the house. With one central pub, The Bird in Hand on the corner of Tottenhall Road and Wolves Lane, there is a convenient community meeting point, which contributes to the local, close-knit village feel that the neighbourhood possesses in abundance.

Roughly following the path of the Roman road, Ermine Street, which was used for carrying goods between York, Lincoln and London, what is now called the Great Cambridge Road, which sits to the east of the area, would have spurred the building of small transient settlements for many centuries. Despite this, the land remained entirely rural until the building of nearby railways in the late-19th century began the development of the nearby areas of Edmonton, New Southgate and Bounds Green into small hamlets, which, over the first part of the 20th century, spread into the surrounding lands connecting the villages together. The completion of the North Circular Road in 1930 brought labourers and commuters with access to cars to the emerging neighbourhood, and attracted factories and warehouses to this now accessible part of north London. As time has passed, these factories and warehouses have been demolished, either by choice or because of the Blitz, and the land converted into the living or retail space that we recognise today.

While this part of north London isn’t much of a draw for the rich and famous, it was once, rather surprisingly, home to Lord Thomas Wilde (1782-1855), who was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1850-1852. While a lawyer, judge and politician, Wilde lived at 2 Kelvin Avenue, just off Green Lanes, and was knighted in 1840.

Tile Kiln Lane Open Space is home to the Edmonton Rangers Football Club, a thriving community-based youth club founded 30 years ago! It is affiliated with the Middlesex FA and hosts teams ranging from the ages of 6 to 17.
Pymmes Brook is a beautiful tributary from the River Lea that runs straight through the neighbourhood to the north and named after a local landowner, William Pymme, who is believed to have given his name to it between 1307 and 1327. While the brook runs through the area, it is part of a highly recommended walking trail that runs down a 10-mile towpath from Cockfosters to Pickett’s Lock.

Like many north London suburbs, the local residents of this neighbourhood complain about the feeling of isolation due to the distinct lack of transport links to or from the area. However as one of the staff at the Bird in Hand pub mentioned, this has driven the community to become tight-knit and friendly with one another.

As the area sits bounded by the busy North Circular Road to its north, there are often problems with noise and pollution in the streets closest to it, as well as inevitable congestion caused by cars wishing to join the road. Enfield council’s North Circular Area Action Plan seeks to remedy this, mandating the separation of residential properties from the road, new pedestrian crossings and green spaces. On the northern side of the road One Fox Lane is currently under construction. The scheme involves the demolition and reconstruction of the historic Fox public house, which has been controversial with many locals. Nextdoor, a new shop and cafe are attached along with a larger 4-storey brick apartment building which contains 54 new homes as well as a private gym.