About Forty Hall

Green Flag Winner 2008

History
Records for the Forty Hall Estate date back to the medieval period, when a portion of land adjacent to Turkey Brook, became the site of Elsyng Palace.

Elsyng Palace was first mentioned in 1381, as part of the lands belonging to Thomas Elsyng. By the early 16th Century Sir Thomas Lovell, the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Henry VIII occupied the Great House of Elsyng. Fifteen years after the death of Sir Thomas at Elsyng in 1524, the Great House became a Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace was used as a base for hunting in Enfield Chase and it was here that Edward VI learned he was to be king following the death of his father, Henry VIII, in 1547. Elizabeth I visited the Palace four times during her reign between 1558-1603, however, following her death the Palace fell into disrepair.

After a brief spell as a bathhouse the former Palace was demolished shortly after it became part of the Forty Hall Estate. The area is now a scheduled ancient monument.

Forty Hall
Forty Hall was built in the grounds of the Elsyng Palace between 1629 and 1632, It was built for Sir Nicholas Rainton who was an Alderman of the City of London, a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers' who became Lord Mayor of London in 1632. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for five days by Charles I following a dispute over his refusal to supply a list of citizens able to loan money to the King.

Following the death of Sir Nicholas, Forty Hall passed to his nephew, who had the remains of the Royal Palace demolished, the grounds landscaped and an avenue of lime trees planted.

Forty Hall changed hands many times, including by auction in 1787 when the Hall and 159 acres of land were sold for £8,800.The former Enfield Urban District Council purchased the Estate from the Parker-Bowles family in 1951 and opened the grounds to the public.

Forty Hall together with many of the adjacent farm buildings is on the Statutory List of Buildings of Architectural and Historic Interest.

Forty Hall Today
The Grade I listed Jacobean Hall built in 1629 is open to the public Wednesday to Sunday from 11am till 4pm.The hall contains fine period rooms with richly moulded plaster ceilings, local history displays about Enfield and art and photography exhibitions. The Hall organises regular activities throughout the year. For further information on Forty Hall, contact 020 8363 8196/4060. For information on the collections and Enfield Museum Service, contact 020 8379 1468/1469

Useful Information
Forty Hall Management Plan - (3.1mb PDF)
Forty Hall and Estate Heritage Lottery Bid
Forty Hall Leaflet - 1mb PDF)
Forty Hall Map - (3mb PDF)
Green Flag Award

Useful Links
Forty Hall Banqueting Suite
Welcome to Forty Hall

This document was last updated on 2009-03-09 15:19:56 published by the Cultural Services team. Document Reference:LBE_133978