One of the best kept secrets of North London - Forty Hall Estate
One of our favourite places in North London is the Forty Hall Estate. It is a great place for simple family fun, usually free or quite inexpensive, and combines beautiful surroundings, a farm and a bit of history. What's not to like? And because I like it so much I wanted to share it with you guys too - it is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in North London.
Forty Hall is a Grade 1 listed Jacobian Manor House, in Enfield. It was also the location for Elsyng Palace, a Tudor palace used by Henry VIII as a hunting lodge, although this palace was demolished long time ago and only archaeological digs remain. As we live at an easy distance away we have been to Forty Hall loads of times, and this post includes a collection of photos from a few different visits. We've been there for a sunset picnic, then we went to an Apple Festival, and a lambing event, and just to walk around the woods, and many more times.
So why do we like Forty Hall so much?
There is a working farm open in the summer (£2 for adults, kids go free), and they occasionally have special events at the farm too, like lambing in spring or apple festival in autumn. You can buy farm produce from their shop (open Fri to Sun), and we have bought organic veg, free range pork sausages and even wine, all made at the farm, right here in North London. Talk about eating locally!
The grounds are gorgeous. You can have long or short walks around the estate, and go for forest walks too. We have been to the grounds for a picnic numerous times and there is a cafe too is you don't want to lug stuff with you. It is quite common to see people picnicking during summer days, and that's what we usually do. There are ducks and geese to feed too (they prefer thawed frozen peas and lettuce).
The museum is an interesting place to wonder through. Many of the rooms have been set up as if in the old days, and you can learn about the life back then. For kids there are a couple of areas where they can dress up and play with toys, and my 5 year old loved it.
There are some special events too, which are great - Halloween, Christmas, Easter and all generally have their own special events. There are farmer's markets and handmade gifts markets. Sometimes there are different work shops for crafts and even concerts and plays. So lots of things going on!
Top tips for Forty Hall:
You might also like: Rainy day fun in London: V&A Museum of Childhood and Our sunset picnic at Forty Hall
Forty Hall is a Grade 1 listed Jacobian Manor House, in Enfield. It was also the location for Elsyng Palace, a Tudor palace used by Henry VIII as a hunting lodge, although this palace was demolished long time ago and only archaeological digs remain. As we live at an easy distance away we have been to Forty Hall loads of times, and this post includes a collection of photos from a few different visits. We've been there for a sunset picnic, then we went to an Apple Festival, and a lambing event, and just to walk around the woods, and many more times.
So why do we like Forty Hall so much?
There is a working farm open in the summer (£2 for adults, kids go free), and they occasionally have special events at the farm too, like lambing in spring or apple festival in autumn. You can buy farm produce from their shop (open Fri to Sun), and we have bought organic veg, free range pork sausages and even wine, all made at the farm, right here in North London. Talk about eating locally!
The grounds are gorgeous. You can have long or short walks around the estate, and go for forest walks too. We have been to the grounds for a picnic numerous times and there is a cafe too is you don't want to lug stuff with you. It is quite common to see people picnicking during summer days, and that's what we usually do. There are ducks and geese to feed too (they prefer thawed frozen peas and lettuce).
The museum is an interesting place to wonder through. Many of the rooms have been set up as if in the old days, and you can learn about the life back then. For kids there are a couple of areas where they can dress up and play with toys, and my 5 year old loved it.
There are some special events too, which are great - Halloween, Christmas, Easter and all generally have their own special events. There are farmer's markets and handmade gifts markets. Sometimes there are different work shops for crafts and even concerts and plays. So lots of things going on!
Top tips for Forty Hall:
- Easy to get to by car (from M25 / A10). It is possible to get there by public transport too, although it requires a 10 minute bus ride (191) from Enfield Town Station.
- Parking is free!
- Generally a fairly cheap day out, and can be made even cheaper by bringing a picnic.
- There is a cafe, a farm shop and a gift shop if you need anything.
- Only the bottom floor of the museum is accessible with wheelchairs / prams.
- Museum is free! And best suitable from school ages upwards as kids get more interested in displays. There are some toys for kids to play with too.
- Check the events before you go - big events may make parking a bit more difficult, but on the positive side, they add fun to the day!
Have you been to Forty Hall? Do you have any other recommendations for North London?
You might also like: Rainy day fun in London: V&A Museum of Childhood and Our sunset picnic at Forty Hall
I haven't visited London for many years, this looks like a great place to stay #countrykids@_karendennis
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of London I think of the hustle and bustle of the traffic. The sounds of theatrical productions and generally the opposite to this place. It's lovely to have such a wonderful place to create many memories a short walk away from your home. #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteWhat a gem you have found. I used to live and work near by, but it was pre kids so I may never have thought to visit. I'd definitely go if I lived up that way, the grounds look a lovely way to spend an afternoon and a bonus to have the farm and a peep inside the house. #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place to explore and a bargain of a day out too #Countrykids
ReplyDeleteA great day out with some good tips re wheelchair use etc. Love that Bagle photo! Thanks for sharing with us at #CountryKids
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Forty Hall before and it looks like a beautiful and interesting place to visit. It's within reasonable driving distance for us so will be adding it to my mental list of places to visit at some point! I love the look of the farm and the museum sounds interesting too. So lovely to have somewhere like this to visit and keep returning to. Thank you for sharing it with #CountryKids
ReplyDelete