At the top of Page Green, on the east side of the High-road, there stood
a remarkably handsome clump of seven trees, planted in a circular form,
and called the Seven Sisters. In the middle there stood a walnut tree,
which it is said never increased in size, though it continued annually to
bear leaves. The prevailing opinion in Bedwell’s time (the Rev. William
Bedwell was Vicar of Tottenham from 1607 to 1632) was that someone had
suffered martyrdom on this spot, but of this there is no authentic
account, nor is there anything satisfactory as to the original planting
of these trees to be met with, but it appears they were at their full
growth in Bedwell’s time, and may be considered to be in 1818 upwards of
300 years old. The walnut tree was not cut down for a good many years
after the others. I remember my father having it done, and then the
seven daughters of Mr. MacRae planted seven other trees in the middle of
the green; they are now living, one is a sapling. A few years ago Mr.
Hibbert’s seven daughters planted seven other trees at the end by the
High-road.
On the north side of Page Green there was a white house, with verandah
and creepers all over, in the occupation of Mr. Rowcroft; it had a very
large hall. At that time many of the good old houses had large halls,
almost like rooms. The grounds were very pretty, extending at the back
of Grove Place-gardens as far as the Bull Inn. About the centre of the
beautiful garden there was a high mound, and grotto, overlooking a lovely
lake. Many were the invitations I received to play in that garden when I
was a little child, but my mother never allowed me to go; she had an idea
I should run up the mound and fall into the lake. I was very pleased
when she at last consented. There was a shady walk, planted with trees,
all round the meadow; it was about here that years ago there was a
hermit’s cell and the Chapel of St. Anne.
Next to this house there were two semi-detached white-fronted houses (one
of which was occupied by Miss Coare, one of the Society of Friends), then
a stretch of fields on both sides to the end of the lane.
Returning to the High-road; at the corner stood a large, white house, and
garden, adjoining the row of houses called Grove-place, which were built
at the beginning of last century. Next to the Bull Inn, which is one of
the old inns of Tottenham, were the cottages called Bull Row, one of
which was a toy shop, kept by Mrs. Travell, and another a cake and sweet
shop, kept by Mrs. Oakman; there were so few shops then that these two
small places were well patronised.
TOTTENHAM GREEN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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