Enfield Archaeological Society is hosting a three-day dig as part of a lottery project centred around preserving Broomfield House

The first Unlocking Broomfield archaeological dig last weekend (credit EAS)

The second phase of an archaeological dig at Broomfield Park will be taking place this weekend – as volunteers seek to discover more about a “lost canal”.

Enfield Archaeological Society (EAS) is hosting a three-day dig starting tomorrow (Saturday 3^rd) as part of a National Lottery project centred around preserving the history of the 16^th Century Broomfield House, which has been left in ruins for decades and now needs to be demolished.

The house in the centre of the park in Palmers Green was originally owned by John Broomfield, a leather merchant, and was surrounded by a walled garden and several ponds which still exist. However, the house has remained derelict following a series of fires starting in 1984, with various attempts to find the money to restore it ultimately ending in failure.

Instead, the Unlocking Broomfield project has been developed by Enfield Council in collaboration with the Friends of Broomfield Park, Broomfield House Trust, The Enfield Society, Southgate District Civic Voice, and councillors who helped steer and shape a National Lottery Heritage Fund application which passed its first stage last year.

The ongoing project involves local people taking part in a range of activities including heritage and nature-themed health and wellbeing schemes, engagement with young people, a mural hoardings art project which began last month, and the archaeology dig which will conclude this weekend.

Explaining the result of the first weekend’s dig and what might still be discovered in the second phase starting on Saturday, EAS explains: “Broomfield is known for the remains of its early 18th Century water gardens, but it is also known from early mapping that these gardens were once more extensive and included several channels and ponds within the park, most of which were filled in probably in the early 20th Century.

“Aerial photographic evidence and geophysics surveys in the late 1990s suggest there was once also a water channel behind the house, but since it does not feature on any known map, it is hypothesised that this may be a relic of an early Baroque water garden close to the house that had already disappeared by the 19th Century.”

The first dig laid out the base of the canal’s channel. Explaining what they hoped to discover this weekend, EAS continued: “One main outstanding question about the canal is the date of construction. Although we did recover quite a number of finds over the weekend, principally of 19th and 20th century date, they were all associated with the infilling of the canal, rather than its creation.

“We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that trench two will supply us with some evidence for the canal’s actual construction. The Saturday will be a public open day, with displays and activities for families, and opportunities for volunteers to join in the dig.”

Over-16s are being invited to join in with the dig on Saturday from 10.30am-3.30pm. For children, there will be a tabletop sand pit where they can dig. Visitors of all ages will have the chance to handle archaeological finds and purchase publications from EAS.

To find out more about the dig as well as other events planned as part of Unlocking Broomfield:
Visit enfield.gov.uk/services/planning/heritage/heritage-projects/broomfield-house#get-involved

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