'Memorialisation' plans for Broomfield House move a step closer

A new memorial garden will retain some ruins from the historic house in Palmers Green as a way of “reconnecting” the site to Broomfield Park, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Broomfield House as it looks now and (inset) plans for its memorialisation

The fire-damaged remains of Broomfield House are set to be converted into a “memorial garden” following a decision by Enfield Council.

The resolution was reached following a unanimous vote by members of the local authority’s cabinet on Wednesday (9th) this week.

The project, titled ‘Unlocking Broomfield for the Community’, will see the listed building “preserved” by being dismantled to create a “memorial garden”.

The garden will retain some ruins from the historic house as a way of “reconnecting” the site to Broomfield Park, where it is situated.

Fire damage first blighted the building in 1984. Two separate blazes in the 1990s followed by another, in April 2019, left it inaccessible to the public – while landing considerable maintenance bills to the council.

This last chapter in the 16th-Century building’s history has been marked by desires for extensive – and expensive – restoration competing with more hard-nosed concerns that it is now, unfortunately, beyond repair.

Speaking on Wednesday, council leader Alessandro Georgiou described the “exciting” project as an opportunity to resolve an issue that has “blighted many an administration”.

In a report, the council described Broomfield House, which has remained in a state of disrepair within Broomfield Park for decades, as a “long-standing property liability”.

The memorial garden project, it says, represents “a significant opportunity to generate positive heritage, cultural, environmental and wellbeing outcomes” while addressing issues caused by the damaged structure.

The project will be delivered with a £4.1m grant from the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, with the council providing an additional £500,000 in ‘match funding’.

The local authority is hoping to cut this contribution from its own coffers further with “a fundraising plan aimed at raising £300,000″, underlining its view of the project as “a strong value-for-money opportunity”.

Not going ahead with the scheme, council officers warned, “would leave Broomfield House as a remaining blight on the landscape and Broomfield Park”.

It also warned of a “considerable repetitional, cost and liability risk” if it rejected the National Lottery’s support for the scheme, especially given reports, dated to 2022 and 2023, indicating the building’s “internal scaffolds” are disintegrating and “floors have failed”.

“The process of dismantlement will be recorded and a home will be found for the most important historic fabric,” the local authority says, adding that the plans have “full community support following extensive stakeholder consultation”.

Edward Smith, cabinet member for council assets and culture, described the scheme as “a positive and long-awaited opportunity to resolve one of the borough’s most difficult heritage and property challenges while delivering real benefits for residents, visitors and community groups”.

The local authority will now look at sourcing the suppliers, consultants and specialists needed to deliver the project. Joanne Drew, its executive director for housing and regeneration, will be given delegated authority to secure these contracts.

It is thought that initial works could be completed by November 2028.

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