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Every street in Palmers Green #6: How Palmers Green went round in circles

Rosalie Skating Rink exterior image (c) Enfield Local Studies Archive by kind permission
Rosalie Skating Rink exterior image (c) Enfield Local Studies Archive by kind permission

If you think that nothing about Palmers Green has ever been cutting edge, then think again. Or perhaps not.

In October 1910 John Cathles Hill, a speculative builder who had been responsible for much of the development of the Bowes Manor Estate (and two of north London’s most beautiful pubs, Crouch End’s Queen’s Head and Green Lanes’ The Salisbury), opened  a vast hall to cater for the craze of the age – roller skating.  Named the Rosalie, on its opening day, 700 people thronged to whizz round on the maple floor, to the accompaniment of a military band.

Dignified whizzing around (c) Enfield Local Studies Archive by kind permission
Dignified whizzing around (c) Enfield Local Studies Archive by kind permission

Unfortunately Hill had opened his new amenity just a little too late. After a rousing start, visitor numbers quickly fell off a cliff and by 1912 the building was sold to the London Omnibus Company. The failure of the rink may have been the last straw for Hill, who at one time had been a major builder and owner of the largest brick kiln in the world. In 1912 he was also declared bankrupt  with a deficit of over one million pounds.

The roller rink building is still standing, now the home of rather more enduring wheeled transport in the form of Arriva buses. In 2004 Maurice Cullum, Mike Wormall, Ted Simpson  Arriva employees at the garage, decided to research the history of the bus garage further.  The result was  Palmers Green Bus Station – a comprehensive history, a 140 page tome detailing the history of the building and of London buses in the area. If you see it, grab it, because it now often goes for extortionate prices on the internet.

Nomination for the local list: Palmers Green Bus Station

  • This article has been prepared as part of the process to nominate buildings and landmarks to Enfield’s updated local list. For more information see http://www.palmersgreenn13.com/2015/09/11/every-street-in-palmers-green/. And if you have any suggestions for buildings which aren’t listed but should be included in the local list, please get in touch. But do get in touch soon, as submissions need to be in by the second weeks in November.

 

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Art and Culture Comedy Community Food Green Palmers Green History Music Palmers Green Planning and open spaces Sport Uncategorized

Palmers Green festival week begins this Sunday

The Palmers Green festival kicks off on Sunday with the first in a string of events leading up to our Festival Day in Broomfield Park on Sunday 1 September.

Opening the festivities Sunday lunchtime are the Chicago and Memphis Electric Blues Band, playing from 1-5 at the bandstand in Broomfield Park. At 5.30 there is another opportunity to join Joe Studman on a fascinating walk through the history of Palmers Green. Booking is through Jaywalks.co.uk.

red minies talkiesOn Monday there is a BBQ and live music at the Inn on the Green, and more live music at the Bookafe (Bookafe also have live music on Tuesday). Talkies at the Fox hosts Red Minies on Tuesday evening, featuring short films  from students at Middlesex University.

On Wednesday, Baskervilles hosts a summer tea concert with live cellist at 12 and 2, and the Ruth Winston Centre has a pop up cafe and live music from 11.30 to 2.30.

bishopsgreenlanessmallPalmers Green residents are encouraged to share their memories of the area over the last 50 years with Talkies and friends (including Palmers Green Jewel in the North, Jaywalks and the Southgate Photographic Society) on Thursday at the Ruth Winston Centre, and Thursday evening sees wine and cheese tasting also at Ruth Winston.

On Friday you can try line dancing at Ruth Winston from 11-1.30, or hear some classics at The Vintage, St Harmonica’s Blues Club on Friday evening. Skinners Court hosts a garden party on Saturday, and there will be flashmob song and dance courtesy of Centre Stage Performing Arts at Morrisons at 1. Festival Eve sees Talkies hosting singalonga (and optional dressy-uppy) Wizard of Oz at Burford United Reformed Church.

And of course, Sunday is festival day itself, with music, food, games and over 80 stalls descending on Broomfield Park for an afternoon of neighbourly fun.

For full details of the festival programme, visit http://www.palmersgreenfestival.org.uk/palmersgreenfestival.org.uk/home.html. The festival team still need people to help manage and steward the day, so if you have a few hours and can help, please get in touch via the website.

See you there!

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Art and Culture Community Music Palmers Green Sport

Get ready for the Palmers Green Festival!

The Palmers Green Festival is just a week away and the festival website is now live for you to plan your day.

Running from 12-7 on Sunday 2 September in Broomfield Park, the festival aims to offer something for everyone – food, music, dancing, crafts……. and our very own community games.

The aim of the Community Games is to bring the inspiration of London 2012 to Palmers Green –activities will include a chance to climb the world’s tallest climbing wall, 7 hours of nonstop dancing and dance lessons, children’s 5 a side football, girls rugby, tennis lessons and bowls. Many of the local sports groups will be welcoming new members – there is more information on how to get involved on the website.

If you don’t fancy getting hot and sweaty, there will be music from 20 performers during the day, including rock, folk, indie, Americana, rap and hard groove. Live performances will also be streamed on Tropical FM at http://www.tropicalfm.com/ (so being on holiday is no excuse!).

Funds raised by the festival will go to the on-going work of the Friends of Broomfield House and the new Improvement Opportunity Fund, which aims to help local people develop projects which will benefit the community (see last week’s post).

The organising committee have put a huge amount of work into the event. All they need now is for you to go along and make it all worthwhile!

Visit the Palmers Green Festival Website at http://www.palmersgreenfestival.org.uk.

 

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Art and Culture Community Music Palmers Green Sport

Palmers Green festival celebrates a new beginning

The sun may have taken an age to come, but it feels like time for a party. 

The Palmers Green Festival is just two weeks away, and this year is set to be the biggest and best event ever. Set in the historic Broomfield Park on Sunday 2 September, this year will feature community games, a top London DJ, 70 stalls, over 20 performers on stage at the bandstand and , more.

The festival promises to not only be a fantastic day out, but a launch pad for new activity aimed at improving life in Palmers Green. Half the proceeds are to go towards setting up a new Improvement Opportunity Fund – anyone with an interest in the local area will be able to apply for funding to assist with a project idea to improve the community. It could be anything from setting up a Credit Union, a community internet Radio station, improving a local green space or help buying equipment to set up a local sports club. There will also be ongoing support for successful applicants from community Mentors. The aim is, for a small amount of money, to see the largest possible impact on our community. More details will be available on the new festival website, coming very soon.

The event runs from 12 til 7. The full festival programme can be downloaded here http://www.palmersgreenfestival.info/PGFestival/2012_stalls_files/PGF%20Program%20A5%2024pp%20mail%20AS%20PRINTED.pdf

The festival team are already thinking about 2013 so if you are inspired by this year’s festival and want to make it even better next year, why not send your ideas to info@palmersgreenunited.co.uk.

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Community Sport Uncategorized

Holding the (Olympic) torch for Palmers Green

Are you ready for Wednesday? The Olympic torch relay will be in Palmers Green in just a few days!

The relay is due to start from the roundabout at the junction of Waterfall Road and Oakleigh Park Road at 3.16pm, before heading  up Waterfall Road to Southgate Green. From Southgate Green it will go  up the High Street. At Southgate Underground Station, it will turn into The Bourne passing the entrance to Grovelands Park and on into Bourne Hill, turning onto Green Lanes at St John’s Church and heading on up to Winchmore Hill Broadway. After the Ridgway, it will turn into Church Street and on into Edmonton, Tottenham, and Hornsey. The day finishes with an evening celebration at Alexandra Palace.

The Barnet/Enfield/Harringey section is one of the last before the Olympic opening ceremony on the 27 July. In all, 24 runners will carry the torch on the Enfield stretch of the route, aged from 13 to 81. Runners include commonwealth 800 metres finalist Darren St Claire and Jack Otter of Chase Side Enfield, who was seriously wounded in Afganistan in 2009, and lost both legs and an arm.

The youngest on the Enfield section will be Lauren Englefield 13, James Horrex, 14 and Palmers Green student Katka Pikhartova 14.  The oldest will be Alzheimer’s campaigner and local althlete  Derek Wood 81. You can see nominations for the amazing and inspirational people who will be Olympic torch bearers at http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/torchbearers/ . There are also further details of the route and live updates on the main Olympic site.

St John’s church will be offering refreshments in the afternoon, on a day which at last looks like it could be a scorcher!

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Community Sport

25 July: Olympic torch lights up Palmers Green

The Olympic Torch will be passing through Palmers Green on the afternoon of 25 July.

The relay is due to start from the roundabout at the junction of Waterfall Road and Oakleigh Park Road at 3.16pm, before heading  up Waterfall Road to Southgate Green.

From Southgate Green it will go  up the High Street. At Southgate Underground Station, it will turn into The Bourne passing the entrance to Grovelands Park and on into Bourne Hill, turning onto Green Lanes at St John’s Church and heading on up to Winchmore Hill Broadway. After the Ridgway, it will turn into Church Street and on into Edmonton, Tottenham, and Hornsey. The day finishes with an evening celebration at Alexandra Palace.

For more details visit the London 2012 site.