Edmonton might not have the Victorian charm that other London suburbs boast, but that doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in appeal. The area has attracted many families and North Middlesex Hospital employees throughout the years, who have been drawn to the affordable post-war semis and plethora of council flats. With its location north of the hustle and bustle of central London, locals get to enjoy the fresh air a bit more. Aside from the tree-lined streets, many residents take part in the London Grown Community Garden. For those who don’t quite have their green fingers yet, there’s still a lot going on in the neighbourhood. The area’s well reviewed Millfield Arts Centre hosts plays in its theatre as well as community classes. Just down the road, you can almost always find locals catching up over a pint or two at Talbot’s Freehouse. What the neighbourhood lacks in aesthetic character, it surely makes up for in its down to earth, tight knit community.

Millfield Arts Centre sits in the historic Millfield House. Back in the 18th century, the Millfield House belonged to John Wigston of Trent Park but was leased to the Imperial Ambassador of the German Empire. Later on, in the mid-19th century, the house was sold to the Strand Union Guardians, and converted into a working house for children. The building expanded as it had to house more and more children throughout the following decades. By the First World War, the children’s home and attached school had closed in order to make space for Belgian refugees. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Enfield Council purchased the building in order to renovate it and convert it into an arts centre.

Famous Christian missionary, Gladys Aylward (1902-1970), grew up in the neighbourhood. A film, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, was made about her in 1958. In it, she was portrayed by Ingrid Bergman.

Unfortunately, this part of Edmonton doesn’t have great transport options. While there are bus routes that pass through, there are no rail stations in this part of the neighbourhood. Even so, residents find that the drive or walk to the neighbouring stations tend to be easy enough.

Origin Housing is leading a regeneration project in the neighbourhood. As a part of this project, they recently built a residential scheme on Watermill Lane. Completed a few years ago, the development added over 200 new homes to the neighbourhood. It was unlike many of the luxury developments in London though. This scheme catered to the local residents, ensuring that over 100 of the homes went to hospital staff, with the rest being allocated to social renting and shared ownership schemes. Private development other than this has typically been slow, however, this could change with the introduction of Crossrail 2 which is planned to stop east of here at Angel Road Station. Nonetheless, despite £1.8 billion being invested in the project in 2020 it is unclear when the scheme will materialise as plans have been underconsideration in different forms since the 1970s.