Southgate, London
The parliamentary
constituency covering the part of Southgate in the London Borough of Enfield is
Enfield Southgate. In
1997,
Michael Portillo lost this seat to
Stephen Twigg, who after two terms lost his seat to
David Burrowes in May 2005.
Southgate was originally the
South Gate of
Enfield Chase, the King's hunting grounds. This is reflected in the street names Chase Road (which leads due north from the station to
Oakwood, and was formerly the avenue into the Chase) and Chase Side.
Becoming separate from
Edmonton in
1881, Southgate had a population in
1891 of just 10,970. By
1901 the figure had moved up to 14,993, and by
1911 the figure had ballooned to 33,612, aided by the nearby railway station in
Palmers Green.
Southgate was predominantly developed in the 1930s: largish semi-detached houses were built on the hilly former estates (Walker, Osidge, Monkfrith, etc.) following increased transport development. In
1933, the
North Circular Road was completed through Edmonton and Southgate, and also in
1933, the
London Underground Piccadilly Line was extended from Arnos Grove (where it had reached the previous year), through
Southgate tube station, on to Enfield West (now known as
Oakwood). This unleashed a building boom, and by
1939 the area had become almost fully developed.
By
1951, the population had grown to 73,377 - falling by about 1,000 ten years later as many moved to new towns nearby.
Status
In 1894 Southgate was created an
urban district of
Middlesex by the
Local Government Act 1894. In 1933 the district gained further status as a
municipal borough. The
Municipal Borough of Southgate was abolished in 1965 by the
London Government Act 1963 and its area was combined with that of the
Municipal Borough of Enfield and the
Municipal Borough of Edmonton to form the present-day London Borough of Enfield.
College
Southgate has a well known
college called Southgate College near the station. Although suffering a dubious reputation locally for the behaviour of some of its
students, it is an important local employer and community resource.
Formed in
1961 by a group of enthusiasts in
New Barnet under the conductorship of Terry Hawes, Southgate College Symphony Orchestra continued as an evening class within Southgate College until July
2005, having become semi-autonomous in
1997. In the summer of
2005, the Orchestra became independent of Southgate College and renamed itself Southgate Symphony Orchestra. An amateur
orchestra, it take players of Grade 6 standard and above, playing concerts around
Enfield. Previous performances have included music by
Beethoven,
Dvořák, and
Weber.
*
St Paul's Primary School*
The Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital, Winchmore Hill*
Southgate Cricket Club*
Southgate Compton Cricket Club*
Southgate Adelaide Hockey Club*
Enfield Borough Police History*
Southgate Symphony OrchestraSynagogues
There are three synagogues with Southgate in their name, but only one is actually in Southgate: Cockfosters and North Southgate, which is often referred to just as "Southgate Synagogue". Palmers Green and Southgate Synagogue is in
Palmers Green. These two are part of the
United Synagogue, also included, but independent, is the Southgate Adeni Synagogue.
Southgate and District Reform Synagogue has now moved to
Whetstone while retaining its name. Southgate Progressive Synagogue is in
Oakwood.
Churches
