Hadley Wood


Hadley Wood is a suburb in the north of Greater London, close to the border with Hertfordshire. It is located in the London Borough of Enfield, about north north-west of Charing Cross and is situated close to Barnet.

History

Hadley Wood sits just East of the village of Monken Hadley, with the two settlements sharing several features of social life. However, in modern history the two communities are distinct and separate, belonging to different parishes which in turn belong to different civil Boroughs and ecclesiastical Deaneries.
Hadley Wood has always possessed a strong historical link with the suburb of Cockfosters. In civil administration, Hadley Wood was part of the Municipal Borough of Enfield since its foundation in 1850 all the way up until 1965. Hadley Wood became part of the newly created Ward of Hadley Wood and Cockfosters in 1909 to allow for the return of local councillors. In 1965 the Municipal Borough was abolished, and the London Borough of Enfield formed. The Ward of Hadley Wood and Cockfosters, whilst covering the same geographical area, is now known simply as the Ward of Cockfosters.
In ecclesiastical administration, Hadley Wood remains part of the parish of Cockfosters and the Deanery of Enfield. However, in 1911 a small local church dedicated to St Paul was opened on Camlet Way, Hadley Wood. Although it has not achieved the status of a parish church, it now operates independently of Cockfosters parish church with its own staff and administration.
The large, four-platform railway station at Hadley Wood seems somewhat out of proportion to the size of the community; local folklore suggests that the station was enlarged at the behest of local resident Sir Nigel Gresley, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway who lived in Hadley Wood during the 1920s and 1930s before moving away to near St Albans. Yet, there seems to be little or no evidence to support the theory.

Education