Botany Bay is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

in Enfield,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, on the outskirts of

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 or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, located within the

London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of Barnet to the west, Haringey to the south, and Waltham Forest to the southeast. To the north are the districts of Hertsmere, Welwyn Ha ...

. It has a population close to 200. The hamlet is centred at the junction of The Ridgeway – the A1005 road that links Enfield to

Potters Bar Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882. In 2022 the population wa ...

and the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...

– and East Lodge Lane.

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 Countr ...

lies to the south and west. It is about a mile from the railway station at

Crews Hill Crews Hill is an elevated and green-buffered former hamlet grown into a small village-size community on the northern outskirts of London centred north of Charing Cross. It forms part of the London Borough of Enfield and economically has many g ...

Looking across ditch to farmland, Botany Bay Farm, Enfield - geograph

Botany Bay was established when Enfield Chase was enclosed in 1777 and was recorded as Botany Bay on C.G. Greenwood's map of 1819. According to the ''Dictionary of London Place Names'' its name references

Botany Bay Botany Bay ( Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refe ...

in Australia, transferred to the hamlet which was "remote and inaccessible in the middle of Enfield Chase." The place name is repeated in several counties within England. Botany Bay amenities include The Robin Hood public house, a farm shop, a business centre, a cricket ground and club, and a chapel. Botany Bay is served by Transport For London bus route 313, which runs 7 days a week, linking the location to Potters Bar, Enfield and Chingford. The hamlet is part of the Chase ward of the

, which also covers

, Clay Hill and

Bulls Cross Bulls Cross is a road and hamlet in Enfield, England, on the outskirts of north London, forming part of the Metropolitan Green Belt. Although it now lies within the ceremonial county of Greater London, prior to 1965 it was in the historic ...

. The 2011 census showed that 77% of the ward's population was white (64% British, 11% Other, 2% Irish), 5% was Black African and 3% Black Caribbean. There was a small primary school in the hamlet. In the early 1950s pupils were bused from Hadley Wood to Botany Bay for their schooling.

References

External links

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