Myddelton House Gardens head gardener Julia Bigham on a rare chance to see inside the historic building

Myddleton House is the headquarters for Lee Valley Regional Park Authority — Myddleton House

Nestled in eight acres of award-winning flora and fauna in a corner of Enfield lies Myddelton House Gardens.
I became head gardener of this hidden gem six months ago and spend my days among its sprawling lawns, ornamental lake, walled kitchen garden, restored Victorian glasshouses containing an abundance of cacti, and three national collections of crocuses, ruscus and irises, plus its glorious display of winter snowdrops. All of this was the lifelong work of self-taught botanist Edward Augustus Bowles.

The gardens, sandwiched between Forty Hall and Capel Manor in Bulls Cross, are free and open daily to the public throughout the year, but the imposing Georgian Myddelton House that stands at the centre of the plot is being opened to visitors for one day in September as part of Open House Festival.

The London-wide event opens up and celebrates the city’s architecture, special places and neighbourhoods, with free open days and events taking place across all London boroughs.

Built in 1818 by Henry Carrington Bowles, Myddelton House was the home of E.A Bowles for his entire life, before he died in 1954. He was the last member of the family to live here. When his brother, John, and sister Medora died from TB within two months of each other in 1887, Bowles gave up his studies at Cambridge to be with his parents. Although he travelled the world collecting botanical plants and bulbs, at home he lived a modest lifestyle and the house remained the same as in his parents’ time, with no gas, electricity or telephone.

The gardens, however, contain an array of lost London treasures, including stone pillars from the medieval London Bridge, a 360-million-year-old fossilised tree trunk and a stone cross salvaged from Enfield Market.

Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles OBE, who grew up at neighbouring Forty Hall, is president of the E.A Bowles Society. He once said of his visits to his great uncle’s home: “Myddelton House was to me, dark and exciting, as he refused to have electricity and relied on oil lamps for light. There I watched him paint marvellous botanical and avian pictures.”

The estate passed to the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine and London School of Pharmacy after his death and, since coming under the stewardship of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority in 1967, while modern amenities have been added many of the original features remain, including sweeping staircase and two regal drawing rooms that bookend both ends of the building.

The society ensures the botanical legacy of one of the 20th Century’s greatest gardeners and, during Open House Festival on 21st September, from 10am-4pm, members will be on hand to share stories and information.

There is no need to book, just come and enjoy this rare opportunity for a peak inside the home of one of Enfield’s most fascinating characters, who was not only a horticulturalist but a writer and artist too. Then enjoy a walk in his gardens and refreshments at the Bowles Tea Room!

For more information:
Visit visitleevalley.org.uk/plan-your-visit/plan-your-visit-to-myddelton-house-gardens

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