| Ponders End | |
Tower blocks at Alma Road |
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| OS grid reference | TQ355955 |
|---|---|
| London borough | Enfield |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ENFIELD |
| Postcode district | EN1, EN3 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Edmonton |
| London Assembly | Enfield and Haringey |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Ponders End is a place in the London Borough of Enfield, North London located in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. It is roughly located in the area either side of Hertford Road (High Street, Ponders End) between The Ride and the Boundary Public House (North to South) and Wharf Road and the Southbury railway station/Kingsway (East to West).[1]
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Ponders End marked thus on the Ordnance Survey map of 1822. It was recorded in 1593 as Ponders ende that is "end or quarter of the parish associated with the Ponder family" from the Middle English ende. John Ponder is mentioned in a document of 1373; the surname is believed to be a " keeper of, or dweller by, a fish-pond or mill-pond ".[2]
Due to its location in the Lea Valley corridor and the close proximity of the River Lee Navigation, industry gradually expanded in the 19th century. The first major firm to arrive was Grout, Baylis & Co established in Norwich in 1807 who manufactured crape and opened a dyeing and finishing plant in Ponders End two years later. The material which was used for the 19th century insatiable demand for widows' weeds. Demand for the material went out of fashion by the late Victorian times and the factory closed in 1894 to be taken over by the United Flexible Tubing Company. The next significant incomer was the London Jute Works Company who established a factory on the Navigation in a desolate area known locally as Spike Island, in 1866. Many of the new employees came from Dundee the traditional centre of the jute industry in Scotland. The jute works closed in 1882 to be replaced by the Ediswan. Over the years the factory was enlarged, eventually covering 11.50 acres (4.65 ha). The factory employed many people, notably girls, from the area and produced appliances for the shipping and aviation industries, mechanical pianos, butter makers. However, electric lamps were the prime product and the factory was coloquially known as The Lamp. To the south of Ponder's End Lock the White lead factory was built in 1893. Further south was the Cortecine works that produced floor-cloth and carpet backing. By 1906 over 2000 thousand people were employed in the local factories. Another major industry in the latter years of the 19th century was horticulture. Tomatoes and cucumbers were the principal produce but flowers and fruit were also grown in the many orchards and greenhouses to the north of the locality.[3] During World War I, a huge munitions factory, the Ponders End Shell Works was built in Wharf Road. The factory building was sold after the war. Further factories were built in the 1930s alongside the newly built Great Cambridge Road.[4]
Today (2009) little remains of manufacturing and much of the area has given way to warehousing and residential developments. Aesica pharmaceutical manufacturers (formerly Thomas Morson Ltd) [5] closed its plant in 2011.[6] Wright's Flour Mill, the oldest working industrial building in Enfield remains, with present day buildings dating back to the 18th century.[4]
On 7 August 2011 Ponders End was the scene of copy-cat riots which spread from Tottenham to neighbouring districts. [7]
Musician Jah Wobble was inspired to write his (2005) album Mu by his experiences in the Lea Valley and Ponders End.[8][9]
| “ | It's as close as London gets to New Jersey. But it's one of my favourite places for walking, through the Lee Valley. It gets beautiful in that urban way, but then you go through soap factories up near Ponders End. It's got a wonderful, dislocated, alienated feeling | ” |
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— Jah Wobble |
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Ponders End Allotments Club is a track from the (1975) Chas and Dave album One Fing 'n' Annuver.[10]
The local newspapers are as of 2011-
| Newspaper | Link |
|---|---|
| Enfield Independent | [14] |
| Enfield Advertiser | [15] |
After boundary changes in 2010 - Ponders End became one of seven wards which form the Edmonton parliamentary constituency.[16] The MP for constituency is Andy Love, Labour Co-op who polled 21,665 votes (53.7%) at the General Election held on 6 May 2010.[17]
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