Minchington Hall, or Mincington Hall, or Minchenden House, was a country house and estate in
Southgate
Southgate or South Gate may refer to:
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*Southgate, Sylvania
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Canada
*Southgate, Ontario, a township in Grey County
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Ed ...
, then in the county of
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
in England, and now in
Greater London. It was on Southgate Green and the south side of Waterfall Road, and adjoined Arnolds (
Arnos Grove
Arnos Grove () is an area of north London, England, within the London Borough of Enfield. It is centred north of Charing Cross. It is adjacent to New Southgate. The natural grove, larger than today, was for many centuries the largest woodl ...
) slightly further east, which was originally less significant than Minchington. The estate was merged into Arnos Grove in 1853 and the house demolished.
History
The estate is believed to have acquired its name from the nuns (Old English: ''myncen'') who occupied a nunnery where
Broomfield House
Broomfield House is a building of historical interest located in Broomfield Park, Palmers Green, north London. Built during the 16th century, it was damaged by fires in 1984, 1993, 1994 and 2019.
History
Broomfield House was sold to London mercha ...
is now. Before the
Dissolution
Dissolution may refer to:
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* ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers
* ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music
* Dissolution, in mu ...
, the Augustinian priory of
Clerkenwell owned land in the area.
Minchenden School Golden Anniversary 1919–1969
'. Minchenden School, London, 1969. p. 3.
The estate was part of the Cecil lands and in 1614 it was sold by the Earl of Salisbury to John Weld of Arnolds when it was described as a wood of . It was later owned by Sir Thomas Stringer who sold it to Sir Thomas Wolstenholme before 1672. In 1716, Sir David Hechstetter, Hamburg merchant and justice of the peace, purchased the land.[
Minchington Hall was built on the south side of Waterfall Road after 1664 by Sir Thomas Wolstenholme.][ From 1714 until his death in 1721, it was leased to Sir David Hechstetter.][Edmonton: Other estates.]
British History Online. Retrieved 26 December 2018.[South Mimms: Manors.]
''British History Online''. Retrieved 24 December 2018. The building was altered in 1738[ or 1747 by the merchant John Nicholl but he died not long after.]["Some Account of Southgate"]
by C. Edgar Thomas in '' The Home Counties Magazine'', Vol. XI, 1909. pp. 167–181 (p. 178). It was said by local people that the house had one window for every week of the year.[Dumayne p. 117.]
It was mentioned in '' England's Gazetteer'' (1751), Mostyn Armstrong's ''An Actual Survey of the Great Post-roads between London and Edinburgh'' (1783)[Armstrong, Mostyn John. (1783]
''An Actual Survey of the Great Post-roads between London and Edinburgh &c''.
2nd edition. London: William Faden William Faden (1749 – 1836) was an English cartographer and a publisher of maps. He was the royal geographer to King George III. He replaced Thomas Jefferys in that role.
The title of "geographer to the king" was given to various people in t ...
. and '' The Universal Gazetteer'' (1798), although none of those sources mention Arnolds.
In 1753 the estate became part of the Brydges estate in Middlesex when Margaret Nicholl, daughter of John Nicholl, married James Brydges, Marquess of Carnarvon and later Duke of Chandos
The Dukedom of Chandos is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. First created as a barony by Edward III in 1337, its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mary I during Wyatt's rebellion, wh ...
.[ He had been appointed Ranger of Enfield Chase.][ After his death in 1789, his widow Anne Eliza, Dowager Duchess of Chandos (died 1813), received Minchington Hall and of the estate for life. The remainder of the estate went to the duke's daughter and heir, Anne Elizabeth Brydges][ and, through her marriage, to the ]Marquis of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham. ...
.[
The estate was sold to Isaac Walker in 1853. He merged it into Arnos Grove and demolished the house, in line with what ]Alan Dumayne
Alan Peter Dumayne (21 April 1929 – 30 April 1998) was an historian of North London known for his lectures and books on the history of Southgate, Palmers Green, and Winchmore Hill.
Life
Alan Dumayne was born in Harringay on 21 April 1929 calls a " private green belt" policy of acquiring neighbouring estates and demolishing the house in order to expand Arnos Grove and prevent local development. John Walker did the same in 1870 with the Beaver Hall
Beaver Hall was a country house in Middlesex, England. It was set in grounds of around that stood to the east and south of the current Waterfall Road, then known as Waterfall Lane and Church Hill, near the old centre of Southgate. The grounds ...
estate.
Legacy
Materials from the demolished Minchington Hall were used when Henry Eaton, landlord of The Cherry Tree extended the nearby Albert Cottage, which he renamed Minchenden Lodge. It became a care home.[Dumayne, Alan. (1987) ''Southgate: A Glimpse into the Past''. London: Alan Dumayne. p. 94. ]
The estate is also remembered in the Minchenden Oak Garden
Minchenden Oak Garden is a public park in Southgate, London owned by the London Borough of Enfield.
It was formerly part of the estate of Minchenden House, demolished in 1853, and opened as a garden of remembrance in 1934. The park is just ...
, opened 1934, in Waterfall Road which contains the Minchenden Oak, also known as the Chandos Oak, which is said to have once had the largest canopy spread of any tree in England. It featured in Jacob Strutt's ''Sylva Britannica'' (1821) and was originally part of the Minchington estate.[
]Minchenden Grammar School
Minchenden School was a mixed secondary school situated in Southgate, North London, established in 1919 with 90 pupils. It merged with Arnos School in 1984.
History
The school was established in 1919 in Tottenhall Road as a mixed secondary sc ...
was established in 1919 and was later merged into Arnos School, which became Broomfield School.[Dumayne, p. 67.] It was named after the Minchenden Oak which featured in the school's badge.
A plaque at 18 The Green, Southgate Green, marks the former location of the house. Minchenden Crescent runs between Chandos Avenue in the west and Forestdale in the east over ground that was once part of Minchington estate.["Southgate" in ''Roads and Road Construction: A Monthly Record of Road Engineering and Development'', Vol. 11 (1933), p. 374.]
See also
* Cullands Grove
Cullands Grove, also known as Cannon's, was a country house and estate in Southgate, Middlesex. It was built on an area of woodland formerly known as Gullands Grove. Cullands Grove was known for the lavish banquets held there by Sir William Cur ...
* Grace baronets
References
{{Reflist
Southgate, London
Demolished buildings and structures in the London borough of Enfield
Walker family of Southgate
Houses in London
Former houses in the London Borough of Enfield