Forty Hall Estate in Enfield

Forty Hall is a beautiful Jacobean Manor House located in Enfield, North London. Set in its own sprawling estate, with a lovely walled garden, lakes and meadows, Forty Hall is Grade 1 listed  building. It was built by former Lord Mayor of London, Sir Nicholas Rainton during the period 1629-1632. He died in 1646 bequeathing his estate, include Forty Hall, to his great-nephew Nicholas Rainton, The Second. Forty Hall then changed ownership several times from the Wolstenholme family to the Breton family to Edmund Armstrong and then the Meyer family and finally being purchased by Mr Carrington Bowles of Myddelton House. The Bowles family (later known as Parker Bowles family) continued to live at Forty Hall until 1951 when it was sold to Enfield Urban District Council and Forty Hall was converted into a local museum.

You can visit Forty Hall on certain days of the week and wander through the beautifully maintained period rooms while also learning more about Forty Hall and its inhabitants. At present, you can visit the hall on Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday in allocated time slots which can be booked here.

Even though the building isn't very big, there is lots to see and explore. You can explore the Great Hall, the Parlour, the Withdrawing Room, the historic kitchen, marvel at the stained glass windows on the Grand Staircase, take a look at the 17th century bedchamber of Sir Nicholas Rainton.

You can also find out about King Henry VIII's Elsyng Palace which once stood in the grounds of the estate.

The Walled Gardens at Forty Hall

Once you are done exploring the main building (the museum) you can head to the Walled Gardens. The garden was built in the mid-17th century and was intially called the Rose Garden as it was largely planted with roses. However, today visitors will find fruits and vegetables and mixed herbaceous planting in the garden. If you visit in Spring, you will be greeted with the fragrant flowers of Wisteria while in Autumn the electric red and orange foliage of the Acers is the main draw.

Walking trails at Forty Hall

There are a number of walking trails at Forty Hall. The shortest trail is called the 'Easy Access Walk'; it is a 0.7 miles trail around the main building, the Pleasure Gardens and the water body. If you want to learn more about the history and wildlife of Forty Hall Estate, then you should try the 'Heritage Trail'. It is a 1.5 miles trail which takes you past the Medieval Water Gardens.

The 'Forty Hall Loop' is a 2.2. miles trail. You can begin this trail from the Walled Garden following a path that takes you past the orchard and vineyard and then follows the Turkey Brook. A section of this trail is also a part of Section 17 of the London Loop.

For those looking for a longer walk, you could try the 'Blue Trail' (3.9 miles). It starts at the estate and takes you across Whitewebbs Wood, past the Flash Lane Aquaduct and ultimately joins the path along the Turkey Brook.

Forty Hall Farm

Also located on the estate is the Forty Hall Farm Orchard and the Forty Hall Vineyard.

The Orchard is located alongside the Walled Garden and is run by a group of volunteers. There are a wide variety of fruit trees including some heritage varieties growing in the Orchard. It is open to visitors on certain days. You can check with the Forty Hall team (Phone: 020 8363 8196) about the open days and timings. Produce from the orchard is available to buy in the Farm Shop.

As you walk around the estate you might spot some animals too. This is because Forty Hall Farm is involved with the conservation and care of many rare breeds of animals including the Manx Loaghtan, the Jacob Sheep, the Lincoln Longwool Sheep, the Red Poll cattle and more.

The Forty Hall Vineyard spread over 10 acres is also a community enterprise looked after largely by volunteers. They grow their grapes naturally without any synthetic herbicides or fertilisers and create great quality, organic English wines. Regular vineyard tours and wine tasting sessions are conducted by the vineyard and you can book yourself into one of these tours to learn more about the vineyard.

Medieval Water Gardens

On the Forty Hall Heritage Trail and the Forty Hall Loop you will walk past a series of fish ponds. Collectively referred to as the Medieval Water Gardens, these ponds are thought to be very first water gardens in England. These ponds would have provided freshwater fish to Forty Hall and also to the Palace of Elsyng.

Once you are done exploring all that the Estate has to offer, head to the Nice Green Cafe, an independent, family run cafe that is located between the main building and the Farm Shop. Alternately you could bring your own picnic and enjoy it on the grounds. There are lots of spaces to sit down and enjoy a picnic.

Overall, the Forty Hall Estate is a lovely place to visit.

How to get to Forty Hall

The nearest overground station to Forty Hall is Turkey Street. It is around a 20-minute walk from the station. For those who prefer the bus, take 191 or W10 to the roundabout at Myddelton Avenue and then walk up to the Estate (around 10 minutes). Free on-site parking is available for those arriving by car/bike.

Forty Hall | Forty Hill, Enfield, EN2 9HA
Phone | 020 8807 6680