House & Garden
Forty Hall is a Jacobean manor house, built by former Lord Mayor of London, Sir Nicholas Rainton between 1629 and 1632. Nestled in Enfield, North London and set a amidst 273 acre Estate, Forty Hall is framed by an idyllic landscape with beautiful pleasure grounds, a walled garden, historic parkland, ancient trees, wildlife ponds, medieval water gardens and a meandering river.
House & museum
Forty Hall’s fine architecture and stunning period rooms reveal the story of Forty Hall and the families who have lived and worked here and how their choices influenced the house and its surrounding landscape.
Discover one of London’s best-kept secrets and its remarkable beauty that is evident throughout the changing seasons of the year.
Timeline
Forty Hall has been home to many families including the Raintons, Wolstenholmes, Brettons, Meyers and Parker Bowles. Discover our timeline to learn more about the story of Forty Hall Estate.
Restoration
In June 2012, Forty Hall reopened to the public after completing a major refurbishment project that lasted 18 months. During this project layers of history were uncovered, and architectural surprises revealed that now help tell the Forty Hall story to our visitors.
Garden & parkland
Forty Hall Estate is London’s best-kept secret and Enfield’s crown jewel. It is home to one of England’s finest Jacobean manor houses set in a 273 Grade II listed estate. The former site of King Henry VIII’s Royal palace of Elsyng, is within the estate and is a protected Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Meet our animals
Forty Hall farm is home to a variety of animals, including many rare breeds all waiting to meet you!
Our gardens and parklands are much loved by many – come along and learn about our historically rich landscape including our award winning walled garden.
Come and play!
Our children’s play area in the woodlands near the meadow, is less than a 5 minute walk from the main carpark and will provide our young visitors with hours of fun.
Elsyng Palace
Beneath the grounds of Forty Hall Estate lies the remains of a Royal Palace. Elsyng Palace. No images from the time exist of the palace but from excavations that take place every year by the Enfield Archaeological Society it has been discovered that it was of the scale of Hampton Court Palace and with a look similar to that of St James Palace in Piccadilly. The site is so important that it has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England.
Get involved
Our staff work closing with volunteers to look after the house and park and to improve the Estate for our visitors and wildlife. Please get in touch for more information about our volunteering opportunities.
Support us
Help us continue to share our beautiful house and gardens with generations to come.