Living in Enfield

Enfield is London's northernmost borough, bordering Hertfordshire, and it has a clear divide between west and east. The western side, around Enfield Town, Winchmore Hill, Southgate and Grange Park, is leafy and suburban, with large houses, parks and some of the borough's best schools. The eastern side, including Edmonton, Ponders End and Enfield Highway, is more industrial, denser and more affordable, with long-standing working-class communities.

Green space is extensive. Trent Park, Forty Hall and Whitewebbs are large country estates with woodland and farmland, and the Lee Valley Regional Park, with its reservoirs, nature reserves and cycle routes, runs along the eastern boundary. The borough has a large Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot population, particularly in Palmers Green and Edmonton, alongside many other communities.

Transport varies across the borough. The Piccadilly line serves Southgate, Arnos Grove, Oakwood and Cockfosters in the west, with Southgate's circular 1930s station one of the finest designed by Charles Holden. The Overground runs from Enfield Town and Edmonton Green to Liverpool Street, Great Northern trains serve Enfield Chase, Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green, and Greater Anglia trains run through the Lea Valley. Journeys to central London generally take thirty to fifty minutes.

Rents are relatively low, especially in the east of the borough, and the supply of family houses with gardens is far larger than in inner London. The price is time: most journeys to central London take the best part of an hour door to door, so Enfield works best for people who commute a few days a week or work locally.