Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Great Garden Discovery near Enfield
Keen to get away from the grittier side of life, we struck out away from the centre of town this afternoon and found a wonderful new (to us) garden. Myddelton House at Bulls Cross, Enfield (now the headquarters of the Lee Valley Park Authority) was built by the father of famous Victorian Gardener E. A. Bowles. It was named after Hugh Myddleton, he who built the new River some 200 years previously.
Any road up, it's a wonderful spot. I think we saw about six other people the whole time we were there. (Excuse the poor quality of the pics. I think I overdid the resizing!)
The house isn't the most impressive in the world, but the grounds are enticing. At this time of year there's heaps of the hard to find but wonderfully fresh and vibrant Smyrnium perfoliatum. It's the bright green & yellow in the foreground above - also below.
I managed to buy one small plant. If you do get hold of some, here's a how to grow it from the DT.
A border display.
The old market cross structure that Bowles rescued from Enfield Town.
A huge wisteria, the like of which I've only seen matched at Hampton Court.
Is that some sort of Erygnium?
This is apparently Purple Toothwort (Lathraea Clandestina), a parasitic plant growing here on the root system of a field maple.
And just nearby different colours of bluebells:
There's even an area they call the alpine meadow:
And, on the way back to the car park, some lovely irises:
There's more about E.A. Bowles & the gardens here.
As we were walking around we got chatting with another visitor who told us the we should go up the road to Fisher's Green in the Lee Valley Park. The sun had come out again, so off we went.
The first thing we came across was a group of twitchers. Apparently they were on the look-out for Savvy's Warbler (must have that a bit wrong; nothing comes up on Google). Now extinct in this country. One has been seen there and heard just this morning, They reckon he got lost on his way back from Africa to his breeding ground on the north of the continental mainland. He'd been calling for a partner. Aaah.
It's a veritable little maze of a waterworld with lakes, ponds, channels and watercourses of very sort - and lots of swans!
Any road up, it's a wonderful spot. I think we saw about six other people the whole time we were there. (Excuse the poor quality of the pics. I think I overdid the resizing!)
The house isn't the most impressive in the world, but the grounds are enticing. At this time of year there's heaps of the hard to find but wonderfully fresh and vibrant Smyrnium perfoliatum. It's the bright green & yellow in the foreground above - also below.
I managed to buy one small plant. If you do get hold of some, here's a how to grow it from the DT.
A border display.
The old market cross structure that Bowles rescued from Enfield Town.
A huge wisteria, the like of which I've only seen matched at Hampton Court.
Is that some sort of Erygnium?
This is apparently Purple Toothwort (Lathraea Clandestina), a parasitic plant growing here on the root system of a field maple.
And just nearby different colours of bluebells:
There's even an area they call the alpine meadow:
And, on the way back to the car park, some lovely irises:
There's more about E.A. Bowles & the gardens here.
As we were walking around we got chatting with another visitor who told us the we should go up the road to Fisher's Green in the Lee Valley Park. The sun had come out again, so off we went.
The first thing we came across was a group of twitchers. Apparently they were on the look-out for Savvy's Warbler (must have that a bit wrong; nothing comes up on Google). Now extinct in this country. One has been seen there and heard just this morning, They reckon he got lost on his way back from Africa to his breeding ground on the north of the continental mainland. He'd been calling for a partner. Aaah.
It's a veritable little maze of a waterworld with lakes, ponds, channels and watercourses of very sort - and lots of swans!
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Comment by John D on May 4, 2009 at 6:15
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Thanks for that Hugh. It's now on my list of things to do.
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Comment by Hugh on May 4, 2009 at 11:13
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Here's a map of the walk we did in Lee Valley Park the circle round from Hooks Marsh Car Park.
And, here's a larger scale map locating Hooks Marsh (on Fishers Green Lane).
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You lived on a boat? Brilliant.
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Comment by Alison P on May 4, 2009 at 20:22
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Thanks for this Hugh - I'd always meant to go and your post jogged us into doing it. We went today - still very quiet, and as lovely as you say, even in the rain. I really loved the Smyrnium and bought the two (very manky looking) remaining plants in the plant shop. Here's hoping!
The only thing I'd add to your post is that it is definately worth visiting the fish pond near the cafe (it isn't staffed - just a coffee machine). You walk down the steps and the water just seethes with huge carp - we fed them fish food (20p in the cafe) and they almost leap out the water to get it. Brilliant!
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Great, glad you enjoyed it. Have you been to the nearby Capel Manor?
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Comment by michael456red on May 8, 2009 at 13:31
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Amazing! Never heard of it before and will certainly be paying a visit! Thanks for sharing.
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Comment by Harringay on May 8, 2009 at 15:12
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Yes and there's also Forty Hall nearby. I did a horticultural course at Capel and we did a day's gardening at Myddleton Hall as part of the course. Also in the vicinity White Webbs - woods and walking - very therapeutic. Will try that Lee Valley Park walk. Many thanks.
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Forty Hall is really pleasant too and in the grounds buried underground are the remains in one of Henry VIII's many palaces.
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Comment by Liz on May 8, 2009 at 16:25
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Forty Hall is also the home of London's first vineyard since medieval times.
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An I noticed today that Whitewebbs has a motor museum too.
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