Beech Hill Park is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

off Beech Hill in

Hadley Wood Hadley Wood is an affluent suburb in the north of Greater London, close to the border with Hertfordshire. It appears to be a stand-alone village surrounded by Green Belt land, however, under the Local Government Act 1972 it is part of the ...

, North London, that is used today as the club house of

Hadley Wood Golf Course Hadley Wood Golf Course is a golf course in Hadley Wood, in the London Borough of Enfield. The course opened in 1922 in the grounds of Beech Hill Park, a grade II listed building. The associated stables are also grade II listed In the Uni ...

. It was built in 1781 for Francis Russell, secretary and surveyor to the Duchy of Lancaster, on land he received when Enfield Chase was broken up. It was later in the ownership of Charles Jack, a property developer who was primarily responsible for the development of Hadley Wood.

History

The house was built in 1781 for Francis Russell (1740–1795), surveyor to the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...

when

Enfield Chase Enfield Chase is an area of Enfield that is named for a former royal hunting ground. Much of the former area of the Chase has been developed, but a large part survives between Cockfosters in the west and Enfield in the east as Trent Country ...

was broken up, as part of the 152 acres that Russell received at that time. It was originally known as Russell Mansion.Hadley Wood Golf Club.
London Gardens Online. Retrieved 13 November 2018. The house and estate were acquired by William Franks in 1790. It was occupied by female members of his family after his death in 1797 before being purchased by

Archibald Paris Brigadier Archibald Charles Melvill Paris, (28 May 1890 – 3 March 1942) was a British Army officer. Although he is better known for having died during the events that followed the sinking of the Dutch ship '' Rooseboom'' off Sumatra in 1942 ...

in 1800 who took up residence in 1805 and stayed until he moved into a rebuilt West Lodge in 1834. From 1835 the house was leased to

Sir Edward Barnes Lieutenant General Sir Edward Barnes, (28 October 1776 – 19 March 1838) was a British soldier who became governor of Ceylon. Military career Barnes joined the 47th Regiment of Foot in 1792 as an ensign, and quickly rose to field rank. He ...

and occupied after his death in 1838 by his widow and then by his brother George. In 1854,

Charles Jack Charles Jack (1810 – 22 April 1896) was an Irish farmer and landowner who was primarily responsible for the construction of Hadley Wood from the late 1880s, and the building of Hadley Wood railway station. Hadley Wood Jack was born in Bal ...

(1810–1896), who was primarily responsible for the development of Hadley Wood, acquired the freehold of the property."Hadley Wood" in The single-storey pavilions in white on either side of the house are mid-nineteenth century additions. During the First World War, the house was used as billets for soldiers of the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

.Clark, pp. 45-46. Around 1921, the house and estate were purchased from the estate of Charles Jack by a consortium of Hadley Wood residents led by Walter Warwick and his brother-in-law Sir Frederick Lewis (later Lord Essendon). The main house was converted into a club house according to plans by the architect Cyril Wontner-Smith who also bought one of the buildings in the grounds which he converted into a home for himself. The golf club opened in 1922 with a course designed by

Alister MacKenzie Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was a golf course architect whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a surgeon, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the British Army during the Boer War ...

. The house is grade II listed with Historic England. The stable range nearby is also listed.

Occupants

* 1781–1790: Francis Russell * 1790–1797: William Franks and his wife JaneClark, p. 135, says 1795. * 1797– at least 1802: Jane or Mary FranksClark, p. 33. It is unclear which. * 1805–1835: Archibald Paris (owner from 1800) Cass, Frederick Charles. (1885–1892)
East Barnet
'. London: Nichols, p. 148. * 1835–1838: Sir Edward Barnes * 1838–1847: Lady Barnes (widow of Sir Edward) * 1847–1854: George Barnes (brother of Sir Edward) * 1854–1896:

* ? * 1921- : Hadley Wood golf club

References

External links

{{coord, 51.6655, -0.1640, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Enfield Hadley Wood Buildings and structures completed in 1781 Country houses in London Houses in the London Borough of Enfield Grade II listed houses in London