Forty Hall
Free Jacobean manor house in Enfield with a permanent exhibition, walled garden and 273-acre historic estate.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Forty Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean manor house on the northern edge of London. It was built between 1629 and 1632 by Sir Nicholas Rainton, a haberdasher and Lord Mayor of London, and tells the story of the merchant classes who helped make London a centre of world trade. The estate is also the site of the earlier royal residence Elsyng Palace, now a scheduled monument that is still being investigated by annual excavations.
After the Raintons, the house passed through several families, including the Wolstenholmes, Brettons, Meyers and Bowles, and in the twentieth century the Parker Bowles family, who were the last to live there. Each owner changed the building; the Victorian staircase of 1897 was later replaced during a major restoration in 2012 by a Jacobean-style oak staircase, and the Great Hall was repainted to recreate the original decorative scheme.
The house has been a public museum since 1951, when the local authority bought it. Today Forty Hall is owned and managed by Enfield Council. A permanent exhibition with panels, audio, period furniture, archaeological finds and hands-on activities tells the story of the hall and its occupants.
The 273-acre estate around it is a rare intact eighteenth-century landscape with an ornamental lake, medieval fishing ponds, a walled garden, parkland and an organic farm.
Highlights
- Grade I listed Jacobean house of 1629–32
- Permanent exhibition “Stories of the Great Hall”
- Restored Great Hall and recreated Jacobean staircase
- Site of Elsyng Palace, a scheduled monument
- 273-acre estate with walled garden, lakes and farm
Permanent exhibition
- Stories of the Great Hall – The permanent exhibition follows the families who lived at Forty Hall, from Sir Nicholas Rainton to the Parker Bowles family, using panels, audio, period furniture and archaeological finds.
- Founded
- 1951
- Operated by
- London Borough of Enfield (Enfield Council)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Groups (10+ people) | £5 per personGuided tours of the house for groups cost £5 per person during public opening hours and £8 per person outside them. |
|---|
Entry to the house and gardens is free and donations are welcome. Children’s trails cost £3 to £3.50 each, with a refundable £5 deposit for the trail bag.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The website states full wheelchair access throughout the hall, including an accessible toilet and baby changing in the museum, and toilets in the park. Free hire of bikes and wheelchairs is offered subject to availability and advance booking. Disabled parking bays are on the right of the main car park. Only guide dogs are allowed inside the museum.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Baby changing facilities
- Kids’ birthday parties
The permanent exhibition includes hands-on children’s activities. Trails for children run from Thursday to Sunday: Rip’s Bone Trail inside the house, Rip’s Nature Trail in the grounds and the Forty Small Trail. Baby changing is available in the museum. Birthday parties in the grounds can be booked for a charge.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Enfield Town · 20-min walk
The hall is about a 20-minute walk from Turkey Street, Gordon Hill and Enfield Town stations. From Enfield Town (Overground from Liverpool Street) take bus 191 or W10 to the roundabout at Myddleton Avenue, then walk about 10 minutes up Forty Hill. Another route is the Piccadilly line to Oakwood, buses 307 or 121 to Enfield Town, then bus 191.
By car
Free parking
The free car park is on the right as you enter the estate and has disabled bays. Bicycle stands are in the car park and by the Historic Courtyard gates.
- Accessible parking
The entrance is on Forty Hill, reached from Bullsmoor Lane or Caterhatch Lane off the A10. M25 junction 25 is 2 miles away. Forty Hall is on section 17 of the London Loop.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Museum shop
The Cedar Tree Café is open Tuesday to Friday from 09:00 to 16:00 and at weekends from 09:30 to 17:00, and is closed on Mondays. The gift shop is open with the house, and there is also an online shop. Forty Hall Farm, run by Capel Manor College, has a farm shop open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 16:00.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
- Weddings / ceremonies
Up to 100 guests.
The Long Gallery and Inner Courtyard hold up to 100 guests and the Great Hall up to 40. Rooms can be hired for weddings, celebrations, conferences, seminars and workshops.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Celebratory photoshoots of two hours can be booked inside the museum. Drones are not allowed anywhere over the estate. |
| Good to know | Guided tours last about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Schools can explore the house in groups of up to 32 pupils with self-guided resources for primary pupils. Dogs are welcome in the gardens and parkland but not inside the museum, except guide dogs. |
