Ponders End is the southeasternmost part of Enfield,

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, centred on the

Hertford Road Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

. Situated to the west of the

River Lee Navigation The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee along the sections that are navigable). It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek (England), Bow Creek; its first lock is H ...

, it became

industrialised Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econom ...

through the 19th century, similar to the Lea Valley in neighbouring

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and

Brimsdown Brimsdown is a neighbourhood of eastern Enfield in the London Borough of Enfield, north London, on the west side of the mid-to-lower Lea Valley. Geography The east of Brimsdown, that is, east of the eastern Lea Valley line is one of the borough ...

, with manufacturing giving way to warehousing in the late-20th century. The area consists heavily of social housing, with streets also lined with 19th and early-20th century suburban terraced housing. As a result of increased levels of immigration, the area has become the most ethnically diverse part of Enfield, with the majority of the population now belonging to an ethnic minority background as first recorded in the 2011 census. The area is undergoing large-scale regeneration, with the high-rise Alma Road Estate currently undergoing demolition and redevelopment by Countryside Properties. The population of Ponders End was 15,664 as of 2011.

Geography

Elevations range from to above sea level, uniformly dropping from west to east. Two north–south railway lines enclose the residential parts of the area, bounded east and west by estates of warehousing, industrial and commercial use Its northern and southern limits are along Hertford Road at ''The Ride'' and ''The Boundary'' pubs (north to south). Its loosely defined east and west limits coalesce around Wharf Road in the east and the Southbury station or Kingsway in the west.

Etymology

Ponders End is marked on the

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

map of 1822. It was recorded in 1593 as ''Ponders ende'' meaning the "end or quarter of the parish associated with the Ponder family" from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

''ende''. John ''Ponder'' is mentioned in a document of 1373; the surname is believed to mean a "keeper of, or dweller by, a fish-pond or mill-pond".

History

All but a southern belt of the district was in Enfield, as the south lay in Edmonton, the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es becoming a civil and ecclesiastical after a split of functions in the 1860s, which saw the final secularisation of government, the disestablishment of the vestries following the increase in Poor Law Unions in the hundred years before.Map of the Edmonton Hundred of Middlesex
Victoria County History of Middlesex, Volume 5, A P Baggs, Diane K Bolton, Eileen P Scarff and G C Tyack (1976). Retrieved 2015-02-20 Through the 19th century the area became industrialised, due to its straight road and waterway network up and down the Lea Valley including the 17th century

. The first major firm to arrive was Grout, Baylis & Co, who were established in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

in 1807 as crape manufacturers, the material being used for widows' weeds. They opened a dyeing and finishing plant in Ponders End two years later. Crape went out of fashion by late

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

times, and the factory closed in 1894. The buildings were taken over by the United Flexible Tubing Company. In 1866 the London Jute Works Company established a factory on the Navigation in a desolate area known locally as ''Spike Island''. Many of the new employees came from

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, the traditional centre of the

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

industry in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The jute works closed in 1882, to be replaced by the Ediswan factory. Over the years the factory was enlarged, eventually covering , and employing many people, notably girls, from the area. Ediswan produced

electric lamp An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...

s, and the factory was colloquially known as ''The Lamp''. They also manufactured appliances for the

shipping Freight transport, also referred as ''Freight Forwarding'', is the physical process of transporting Commodity, commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it h ...

and

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

industries, mechanical pianos and butter makers. To the south of

Ponder's End Lock Ponders End Lock (No 14) is a paired lock on the River Lee Navigation in England and is located near Ponders End, London. It is the last lock upstream that is large enough to take barges of up to 130 tons. History The lock was fully mechanis ...

a factory making white lead was built in 1893. Further south of that factory, the Cortecine works produced

floor-cloth A floorcloth, or floor-cloth, is a household furnishing used for warmth, decoration, or to protect expensive carpets. They were primarily produced and used from the early 18th to the early 20th century and were also referred to as oilcloth, wax clo ...

and carpet backing. By 1906 over 2000 people were employed in local factories. Another major industry in the latter years of the 19th century was

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. Tomatoes and cucumbers were the principal produce but flowers and fruit were also grown in the many orchards and

greenhouses A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These s ...

to the north of the locality. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a huge munitions factory, the Ponders End Shell Works was built in Wharf Road. The factory building was sold after the war. Further factories were built in the 1930s alongside the newly built

Great Cambridge Road The A10 (in certain sections known as ''Great Cambridge Road'' or Old North Road) is a major road in England. Its southern end is at London Bridge in the London Borough of Southwark, and its northern end is the Norfolk port town of King's ...

.Ponders End history
Retrieved 19 February 2011 Today (2009) little remains of manufacturing and much of the area has given way to warehousing and residential developments. Aesica pharmaceutical manufacturers (formerly Thomas Morson Ltd) closed its plant in 2011.

Wright's Flour Mill Wright's Flour Mill is located in Wharf Road, Ponders End, Enfield. It is Enfield's oldest working industrial building. History Some of the present buildings date back to 1789 and include the brick Georgian miller's house and offices flanking ...

, the oldest working industrial building in the borough remains, some of its buildings having been constructed in the 18th century. On 7 August 2011 Ponders End was the scene of copy-cat riots which spread from

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

to neighbouring districts. In Spring 2017,

Camden Town Brewery Camden Town Brewery is a Camden, London-based brewery founded in 2010, and owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev since 2015. History The brewery was founded by Jasper Cuppaidge (born 1975), the grandson of Laurie McLaughlin, who ran McLaughlin’s B ...

completed a new facility in Ponders End on the western bank of the Lee Navigation. In August 2020,

Beavertown Brewery Beavertown Brewery is a British brewery based in Tottenham, London. It was acquired by Heineken in 2022. Beavertown was founded in 2011 by Logan Plant, the son of Robert Plant, singer with Led Zeppelin. The brewery's name came from the nickname ...

opened "Beaverworld", a new brewery on a six-acre plot on the western bank of the Lee Navigation, creating up to 150 jobs.

Popular culture

Critchley & Simmons released an album titled ''Ponders End'' in 2017 - inspired by the area where they first met. Musician Jah Wobble was inspired to write his (2005) album ''Mu'' by his experiences in the Lea Valley and Ponders End. ''Ponders End Allotments Club'' is a track from the (1975)

Chas and Dave Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) were a British pop rock duo, formed in London by Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock. Hodges died in 2018. They were most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled ''rockney'' (a port ...

album ''One Fing 'n' Annuver''.

Historic buildings

The oldest working industrial building in Enfield. * Ponders End Pumping Station. Built in 1899 by the

East London Waterworks Company The East London Waterworks Company was one of eight private water companies in London absorbed by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1904. The company was founded by Act of Parliament in 1806, and in 1845 the limits of supply were described as ''" ...

. In 1995 the

half-timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

building was converted into a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

called the ''Navigation'' a '' Harvester restaurant''. Located on the west bank of the Lee Navigation, with views towards the grassed embankment of the King George V Reservoir and close to

Nearest places

* Enfield Highway *

Edmonton, London Edmonton is a town in north London, England within the London Borough of Enfield, a local government district of Greater London. The northern part of the town is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, and the southern part as Upper Edmonto ...

Enfield Town Enfield is a large town in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 156,858 in 2018. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, Crews Hill, Enfield Highway ...

Bush Hill Park Bush Hill Park is an area of Enfield, located to the south-east of Enfield Town, on the outskirts of north London, and historically in Middlesex. Much of the district is a planned suburban estate, developed mainly in the late-19th and early-20t ...

* Chingford

Watercourses

* The Overflow Channel is approximately long. Flowing from the River Lee Navigation above Ponders End Lock across South Marsh close to the King George V Reservoir and following the western perimeter of the William Girling Reservoir to merge with the River Lee Diversion at

Sport

* Angling is allowed on the River Lee Navigation upstream and downstream of Ponders End Lock. Information from the River Lea Anglers Club.

Transport

Ponders End railway station Ponders End railway station is on the West Anglia Main Line, serving the district of Ponders End in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and is located between and . Its three-letter sta ...

Southbury railway station Southbury is a London Overground station on the Southbury Loop section of the Lea Valley lines, located on the easterly side of Enfield in north London. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between and . The stati ...

London Bus Routes 191, 279, 349, 491, 377, 121, 307, 313 and N279 serve the area.

Local rail services

* Lea Valley Lines serving all stations to Hertford East via the

Southbury Loop The Southbury Loop (formerly known as the Churchbury loop) is a line linking Edmonton Green, in north-east London, to Cheshunt. It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1891 although initially it was not very successful and was closed to p ...

and to Stratford * West Anglia Main Line stopping services to

Bishops Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, just west of the M11 motorway on the county boundary with Essex, north-east of central London, and by rail from Liverpool Street station. Stortford had an estimated popu ...

and to Stratford

Demography

The 2011 census showed that 45% of the population was white (26% British, 17% Other, 2% Irish), 16% Black African and 8% Bangladeshi.

Notable people

* James and John Chambers pioneers in South Australia in Stuart expeditions. * John Hollowbread, footballer * Christopher Hughes, former '' Mastermind'' and ''

International Mastermind ''Mastermind'' is a British television quiz show for the BBC, currently presented by Clive Myrie. Its creator, Bill Wright, drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II. The show features an int ...

'' winner both in 1983 * Stephen Mangan, actor * Dave Peacock, musician *

Norman Tebbit Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit (born 29 March 1931) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment (1981–1983), Secretary of State for Trad ...

, politician *

Chijindu Ujah Chijindu "CJ" Ujah (born 5 March 1994) is a British athlete, specializing as a sprinter. The lead-off runner of the Great Britain 4 × 100 metres relay team that won both the World title in 2017 and the European title in 2016 and 2018, he also ...

, Olympic sprinter

Local newspapers

The local newspapers are as of 2011: *Enfield Independent *Enfield Advertiser

Politics

After boundary changes in 2010 - Ponders End became one of seven

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

which form the Edmonton parliamentary constituency. The MP for constituency is Kate Osamor.

Schools

Secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

Oasis Academy Hadley Oasis Academy Hadley is an all-through academy school located in the Ponders End area of the London Borough of Enfield, England run by Oasis Community Learning. It is the second Oasis academy in the London and has close links with Oasis Academy ...

and Heron Hall Academy *

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s: Kingfisher Hall Primary Academy, St Mary's RC Primary School, Alma Primary School, Southbury Primary School, St Matthew's CoE Primary School,

Special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

s: Waverley School

Higher education

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

, Enfield Campus (now closed) *

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) is a college of further and higher education in North London, England. The current college was founded in 2009 as a result of a merger between Enfield College and The College of North ...

Places of worship

* Church of St Matthew,

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

* Church of Mary, Mother of God,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church * Jalalia Jamme

Mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

* Lincoln Road Chapel, Lincoln Road. * Ponders End Methodist Church, High Street. * United Reformed Church, College Close, High Street.

Open spaces

* Ponders End Park, formerly Ponders End Recreation Ground and Ryan's Park.London Borough of Enfield parks
Retrieved 23 July 2014

External links

Ponders End flour mill conservation area

References

{{LB Enfield Places in Enfield, London Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Enfield Places formerly in Middlesex