New Southgate

New Southgate is a residential suburb straddling three Outer London Boroughs: a small part of the east of Barnet, a south west corner of Enfield and in loosest definitions, based on nearest railway stations, a small northern corner of Haringey in North London, England where estates merge into Bounds Green. Its first church, founded in 1873, was among organisations opting for the newer name, New Southgate, rather than the older hamlet name Colney Hatch which from 1851 became more use specific. The gradual demise of the former place name use is shown by New Southgate railway station, renamed five times. Changes in this terminology reflect social stigma to a large residential institution, in this case the Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, built in 1851, which co provided for Middlesex and as such continued to serve much of London after London County Council was founded in 1889. The later mental health hospital closed in 1993 and has been redeveloped into two housing estates, Princess Park Manor and Friern Village in New Southgate.

The first reference to New Southgate is in the 1850s. Much of New Southgate was once the hamlet of Betstile centred on a crossroads at which stood Betstile House and Betstile Lodge; Betstyle has been perpetuated since the early 20th century with Betstyle Road and Betstyle Circus. North and east parts were known as Betstyle and as a natural progression fell into the Municipal Borough of Southgate (1881 1965); Southgate had recently grown from a broad hamlet of South Street and others in the parish of Edmonton. From 1851 Southgate constituted a district chapelry under Edmonton which replaced the semi private Ward Chapel at Arnos Grove built in the 17th century — immediately north east of Betstyle. West parts from 1409 until the 20th century were frequently referred to in title deeds as Colney Hatch. Development was tightly constrained. It was estimated the hamlet had 12 of 78 taxable houses in the narrow parish in 1795; but 33 inhabited houses in Colney Hatch are recorded in 1801. This co parent parish extended a total of 3 mile (5 km) west, Friern Barnet. Maps show the name Colney Hatch, interchangeably with New Southgate, coming to cover the more developed hamlet Betstyle, in the chapelry of Southgate within the parish of Edmonton; the refined hamlet and grand asylum outweighed the initial stigma in official maps and deeds, but less so in social organisations and in the naming of the railway station, the line of which resembles the historic split between the two parishes and later districts including today's boroughs. The crossroads of Colney Hatch had Halliwick manor house standing north of some cottages on the south west corner; The White House and The Orange Tree Inn on the north west side near to Brook House; The Priory, north east with Woodlands, Greenbank, and Springfield to the north to which were added the Hermitage and several cottages on the south west corner by 1783. St Paul's Church, New Southgate was consecrated in 1873, taking part of its parish from Christ Church, Southgate and part from St James the Great, Friern Barnet, the latter transferring land east of the Great Northern Railway. The extant ecclesiastical parish boundary likewise traverses the boroughs of Enfield and Barnet while additionally a small portion is within the London Borough of Haringey, Bounds Green Ward.

Many tens of acres were bought and used by the second county lunatic asylum for Middlesex, as maps of before World War II show. The later mental health hospital on the site closed in 1993. It was redeveloped into two housing estates, Princess Park Manor and Friern Village in New Southgate.

The Anglican church in New Southgate is the first locally. It originated in 1870 in a mission to the new district of Colney Hatch by the assistant curate of the church built seven years previously in Southgate.

New Southgate was home to Jerome K Jerome, writer of Three Men in a Boat, who lived on Springfield Road. He is commemorated with a statue of a boat and a mosaic of a dog on the New Southgate Millennium Green on Station Road. Gerald Massey, poet and Chartist, lived on Grove Road, New Southgate, and gives his name to the adjoining Massey Close.

New Southgate railway station is situated on Station Road, on the border with neighbouring Friern Barnet. The station is served by Great Northern and Thameslink trains, which link the area to destinations in Hertfordshire to the north, including Potter's Bar and Welwyn Garden City. Southbound services travel towards King's Cross or Moorgate (in the City) via Finsbury Park. The station was built in 1851 and its name has changed several times over the years, often sharing its name with Colney Hatch and Friern Barnet. Arnos Grove is the closest tube station, on the Piccadilly line. This line too runs southbound towards Finsbury Park and King's Cross, although trains continue towards the West End and West London, and Heathrow Airport. A spur of Crossrail 2 is planned to terminate at New Southgate, if the project goes ahead.

The A406 North Circular Road runs along the southern edge of New Southgate. The road links the area directly to the M1, M11, and M4 roads, and to major areas elsewhere in London such as Chiswick, Wembley, and Ilford. According to Inrix, the A406 between East Finchley and Edmonton (which passes through New Southgate), is the sixth most congested stretch of road in the UK. Inrix estimated in 2019 that 43 hours are 'lost' in traffic jams in the area each year. Other main routes include the A109 (south north from Wood Green to Whetstone), the A1003 (westbound to Friern Barnet and North Finchley), and the A1110 (eastbound to the North Circular Road).

A two way cycle track runs adjacent to the eastbound carriageway of the North Circular Road. The cycleway is segregated from traffic and carries cyclists westbound towards Henley's Corner (near Golders Green). A shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians runs northbound from New Southgate to East Barnet through Brunswick Park. The route is named the Waterfall Walk and is part of the Pymmes Brook Trail. For cyclists, it is signposted northbound towards East Barnet. A similar path runs south through Arnos Park, again following the course of the Pymmes Brook.