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Founded 1955
Recent EAS Excavations
Elsyng Palace
2007 Update
In Bulletin 186 (September 2007) the author outlined the work the EAS has been doing since 2005 on the scheduled ancient monument of Elsyng Palace in the grounds of Forty Hall to help the borough get permission to plant new saplings in the gaps in the Lime tree avenue that runs across the site, and the archaeology that we as a result have recorded. However, as noted at the time, there were further excavations after that article was written and now that they are complete, as is the programme of sapling planting permitted by English Heritage, it is appropriate to provide a final update on the work (please see Bulletin 186 for the background to and location of the work and pit and trench code system used) ...
Late 2005 to Early 2007
The EAS investigated 33 pits, south and north of the outer courtyard of the palace between late 2005 and early 2007 in connection with work on the seventeenth century lime tree avenues that cross the site and a great deal more has been learnt about it. Post excavation work is continuing and full details must await its completion ...
See: Elsyng Palace Update (late 2005 to early 2007) by Martin J. Dearne
July 2005
With funding from the borough and permission from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (as this is a scheduled ancient monument (LO59)) we partially reopened one of our 2004 trenches (EGP04 Trench 1) over the presumed east wing and then successively extended it in an L shape to examine what still from magnetometry appeared to be a rectangular room in the wing. The work took place on two successive weekends and some intervening days (9th to 17th July), culminating on the weekend of National Archaeology Week ...
April 2005
Following earlier resistivity work, an exploratory trench was excavated in a lightly wooded area c. 150m from the main Elsyng palace site (in the grounds of Forty Hall) in order to examine a location where the nature of the archaeological remains and their conservational condition was uncertain.
See: Bricks or Iron: Excavations on the Periphery of Elsyng Palace 2005 (site code ENA05)
A Concise History of Elsyng Palace
Enfield (or Elsyng) Palace was originally a moated manor house which was developed by Sir Thomas Lovell and subsequently taken over by Henry VIII and made into a Royal Palace. There are no original drawings or illustrations of it except for one tapestry which shows it, or at least a typical small palace representing it ...
See: Elsyng: A Tudor Royal Palace In Enfield by Martin J. Dearne
Forty Hall House
June 2005
A recent study of Forty Hall suggested that its original look was quite different to what we see today because it had projecting bay windows. In order to confirm or refute this Enfield Council asked the EAS to excavate a section of the rose beds surrounding the hall at the south corner of the east facade.
See: An excavation to establish the original appearance of Forty Hall by Dr Martin J. Dearne.
2003 Watching Brief
Remodelling of the walled garden attached to the house and then cable laying for CCTV in front of the house necessitated watching briefs as the site is scheduled.
See: Forty Hall Watching Brief - 2003 section.
National Archaeology Day, July 2003
Trial excavation, in order to ascertain if anything of archaeological interest existed in the Rose Garden area of Forty Hall, prior to re-landscaping of the gardens.
Searching for Bowling Green House (Within the Grounds of Myddleton House)
March 2005
Trial excavations requested by the owners of Myddleton House (Lea Valley Park), to establish whether there were any further remains of the earlier Elizabethan? Bowling Green House, that might be disturbed by plans to lay an area of concrete hard standing in an adjacent yard only 10m or so to the west of the house.
See: Archaeological evaluation at Myddelton House, March 2005 by Dr Martin J. Dearne
April 2004
Bowling Green House, the (perhaps originally Elizabethan) predecessor of the present Myddleton House, demolished in the 1820s when Myddleton was built, has always been presumed to have lain in what are now the gardens of Myddleton House. But just where and what traces of it might survive archaeologically has always been the question.
See: Bowling Green House 2004.
August 2003
Trial excavation and resistivity survey (with the assistance of HADAS), in the hope of locating the possible foundations of the Tudor period building, Bowling Green House.
See: Photo archive
Searching for Roman Ermine Street (Within the Grounds of Capel Manor)
2002 and 2003
Trial excavation carried out, in the hope of locating a 'missing' section of Roman Ermine Street, that once passed through Enfield.
Leighton Road, Bush Hill Park:
2001 - 2002
Romano-British period site, situated close to the route of Roman Ermine Street. Report pending.