Forty Hall

Forty Hall is a 17th-century manor house standing on Forty Hill in Enfield, north London. It sits on a level gravel plateau above the River Lea valley to the east and the Turkey Brook valley to the north and west. The estate includes formal gardens, a small lake and a Cedar of Lebanon recognised as one of the Great Trees of London. Remains of old ponds lie on the London Clay, and the boundary follows part of the former course of the New River. The house overlooks a park that slopes down into the valley, with Whitewebbs and Myddelton House nearby. The house was built between 1629 and 1632, likely by Sir Hugh Fortee, and later owned by Sir Nicholas Rainton, a wealthy haberdasher who became Lord Mayor of London. Rainton extended the estate by purchasing and demolishing the neighbouring Elsyng Palace in 1656. Major refurbishments followed in the late 17th and 18th centuries under owners like John Wolstenholme and Eliab Breton. The Bowles family owned it from 1894 until selling to Enfield Council in 1951, when it became a museum. A redevelopment project restored the original staircase before the hall reopened in 2012. Inside, the permanent exhibition explores the house’s history and the life of Sir Nicholas Rainton through displays and guided tours led by a Jacobean character. The grounds include formal gardens, a lake and an avenue of trees running down to the Turkey Brook valley. The park remains open to the public, with farmland and woodland covering much of the 107-hectare estate. The hall has also featured in episodes of *Antiques Roadshow*, adding to its cultural presence.