This article by Stephen Gilburt was first published by The Enfield Society in newsletter 232, Winter 2023.
A house on the north side of Whitewebbs Lane, variously known in the 16th century as White Webbes, Whitewebes and Whitewebs, which meant weaver of white cloth, together with a conduit house, was granted by Elizabeth I in 1570 to Dr Robert Huick. The present Grade II listed 17th century Conduit House, built on 16th century foundations, is now in need of restoration. It may have housed a pump chamber or head of a well providing water for the house.
Conduit House in 1873 [Enfield Local Studies]
In 1605 Whitewebbs was used as a safe house by the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. In 1653 it was occupied by Dr Bockenhall and later by Daniel Garnault. It was demolished in 1790.
The estate was purchased in 1787 by Dr Abraham Wilkinson, it having earlier been owned by Eliab Breton of Forty Hall (see ESN No 227 Autumn 2022). The present Whitewebbs was built south of Whitewebbs Road in 1791. The estate comprised 134 acres and was later increased by 250 acres of which 100 acres was woodland. There was also a lake with a rustic brick footbridge. Dr Wilkinson was an enthusiastic supporter of agricultural improvement. In 1796 he reported to the Board of Agriculture that he had added chalk and lime from Cheshunt Common to his land, resulting in “the superior vigour and the more florid appearance of the wheat”. He was following a four-year rotation of wheat, beans, wheat and fallow.
About 1870 Whitewebbs was extensively altered and enlarged by Henry Cox Wilkinson J.P. (grandson of Abraham). The remodelling was carried out to designs by Charles Stuart Robinson giving the exterior the appearance of a French chateau. New wings were constructed on to the north and south ends of the house.
West entrance front of Whitewebbs as it appeared in 1873 [Enfield Local Studies]
East garden front of locally listed Whitewebbs with bays, balustraded balconies and wings added about 1870. [Stephen Gilburt]
South wing of Whitewebbs [Stephen Gilburt]
The interior, with its oak panelling and fireplace surrounds, was decorated by Italian artists. The rooms for family use included outer and inner halls with classical detailing, dining room, morning room, library, study, drawing room, Japan room, a massive ballroom and a fine carved oak staircase leading to red and green dressing rooms and bedrooms. The valuable and extensive contents which included paintings, vases and furniture, were described in detail by Edward Ford in his 1873 History of Enfield. Following Henry Wilkinson’s death in 1887 the principal art treasures were sold at auction by Christie’s in 1888.
Grade II listed North Lodge in Whitewebbs Road (in 1980) [Enfield Local Studies]
At the north entrance to the estate is a Victorian cottage orné with a high-pitched roof with fish scales, decorated bargeboards and gable ends. It is faced with stucco. The North and South Lodges were condemned as unsafe about 1960, but were saved from demolition in 1971 after a campaign by the Enfield Preservation Society (now the Enfield Society). They were restored by Enfield Council in 1974. The work on North Lodge cost £10,000. However, it is now one of Historic England’s Listed Buildings at risk of deterioration and the 20th century extension is in ruins. The Council is in communication with the lodge’s new owners on how to proceed with essential repairs.
This shows the current state of North Lodge in October 2023 [Andrew Lack]
Grade II listed South Lodge, off Clay Hill, was at the south entrance to the estate. It is a Victorian cottage orné with elaborate barge boards on the gables and porch. It has patterned tiles and battlemented chimneys. [Ian Reynolds]
After the death of Henry Wilkinson’s widow, Whitewebbs was acquired in 1900 by Lady Valerie Susie Meux of Theobalds in Cheshunt. She was the widow of Sir Henry Meux who had met her when she was a hostess at the Casino de Venice. During her ownership Whitewebbs was let to tenants, including Frank L Gardener between 1902 and 1906. After Lady Meux died in 1910 most of her possessions were sold and the illustrated catalogue produced showed their splendour.
In 1911 the estate of Whitewebbs was bought by Sir Frederick Orr-Lewis, a wealthy Canadian businessman. He bought new furniture from Marples to fill the nearly forty rooms of the house, which was surrounded by forty acres of parkland and gardens. One Sunday afternoon, shortly before the First World War, Lady Orr-Lewis was holding a house party, where various young ladies were daringly displaying the latest revealing dress fashions. They were too volubly admired by drunks using the footpath across the estate from the King and Tinker inn. Following this incident Sir Frederick Orr-Lewis, who had friends among the local magistrates, arranged for the path to be diverted to Mile and a Quarter Alley. This caused resentment among the local people. Cars entering and leaving Whitewebbs were stoned, trees were vandalised and one of Sir Frederick’s servants was badly beaten by a hostile crowd who protested against the Orr-Lewises as being rich and foreign. Demonstrations continued until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
In May 1915 Sir Frederick, returning from a business trip to the USA, was one of the survivors of the sinking of the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania by a torpedo from a German submarine. However his health never fully recovered from his immersion in the Irish Sea and he remained an invalid until his death in 1921 at the age of 55.
In 1931 Sir Frederick’s son Sir Duncan Orr-Lewis sold the estate to Middlesex County Council (MCC) for £23,000. MCC retained the house and adjoining grounds as a home for elderly men. After the closure of the home, the house was empty for some years before being sold to Whitbread for conversion into a public house and restaurant.
The remaining park and woodland, comprising 232 acres, were leased by MCC to Enfield Urban District Council for 999 years. 132 acres of park and woodland were opened to the public. The remaining 100 acres, in the north-east part of the park, were converted into an eighteen-hole municipal golf course, which opened in 1932. The former stable block of Whitewebbs became the golf club house.
In 2020 Enfield Council closed the golf course and has now signed a lease, subject to planning permission, to allow Tottenham Hotspur Football Club to use part of the golf course to create a women’s and girls’ training academy. A report published by the Council claims that a new nature reserve and an area of rewilding would be created on another part of the golf course.
For more information see History and Antiquities of Enfield by W. Robinson (1823), A History of Enfield by Edward Ford and George Hodson (1873), History of Enfield by Cuthbert Whitaker (1911), Cheshunt, Hertfordshire by Jack Edwards (1974), The Story of Enfield Chase by David Pam (EPS, 1984), A History of Enfield volume 1 before 1837 by David Pam (EPS 1990), A History of Enfield volume 2 1837 to 1914 by David Pam (EPS 1992), The Buildings of England London 4: North by Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner (1998), Treasures of Enfield, Discovering the Buildings of a London Borough,