Grovelands Park originated as a private estate. The house was built in 1797 to the designs of John Nash for Walker Gray, a Quaker brewer. The grounds were landscaped by Humphry Repton. After Gray's death the property was acquired by John Donnithorne Taylor (connected to the Taylor Walker Brewery), whose family continued to live at Grovelands up to World War I. Part of the estate was purchased by Southgate Council in 1913 to become a public park.
Perhaps the heart of the district is the Green, a village green surrounded by shops and restaurants. Amongst the latter the Salisbury Arms and King's Head pubs both provide meals, whilst the Casa Verde and Regatta are Italian restaurants. The oldest pub in the district is probably the Green Dragon on Green Lanes. It is reputed to have started in 1726 although it was extensively remodelled in 1935.
The Winchmore Hill district benefits from having a relatively large amount of open space because much of the land area was owned by a few large wealthy families (several active in the brewing industry) who sought to protect the area against the encroachment of urban sprawl up to and including the arrival of commuter rail lines early in the 20th century.
There is a north-south electric railway line...the local station being Winchmore Hill, and this line connects further south to the Underground system. The nearest Underground station is at Southgate which is on the Piccadilly Line.
Nearest places:
See also: