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4
DESCRIPTION AND TOPOGRAPHY OF THE
DISTRICT.
THE Urban District of Southgate is formed by a number of
Hamlets, previously—and some of them even now—called
" villages." It is partly situated on what is sometimes called
the Northern Heights, about eight miles from London, and is
rapidly becoming essentially suburban in character.
It may be conveniently divided into four localities—(1)
Southgate, (2) Winchmore Hill, (3) a large part of New Southgate
and Bounds Green, (4) Palmers Green and a large part of
Bowes.
The District comprises an area of 3,596 acres, and may be
said to consist of three valleys, running from west to east, the
northern areas being somewhat higher than the southern, and
the whole consisting of very undulating ground dipping off to a
rather flat area on the eastern boundary, adjoining the Edmonton
District. The highest Ordnance level is on the Enfield Road,
and is 302 feet ; while the lowest is near the south-eastern
boundary, and is 61 feet.
The subsoil consists of various clays with large pockets of
gravel and sand. On the south side is a grand bed of brick
earth overlying a deep bed of gravel, which forms excellent
building land, on which a building estate has recently been
opened. Beneath these strata are beds of London clay, black
sand, and chalk, more or less water bearing, and from which the
deep wells and borings of the New River Company derive their
supply.
POPULATION.
The census returns of 1901 showed that in this District the
number of inhabitants to each occupied house averaged from 5.1
to 5.3, according to the locality. Taking this as the basis of
calculation, the population at Midsummer, 1905, was 22,400, an
increase of 3,400 over that of the previous year.
This is by far the largest increase in one year that has
occurred in this District (see Table III.), and was due to the large
number of new houses occupied, more especially in Winchmore
Hill and Palmers Green, where 281 and 235 new houses were
respectively erected and occupied. In Southgate 117 new houses,
mostly at the Palmers Green end, were occupied ; and in New
Southgate 20.
The populations of the four localities which make up the
District were as follows :—Southgate, 5,100 ; New Southgate,
4,500 ; Winchmore Hill, 4,900 ; and Palmers Green and Bowes
7,900.
The natural increase of the population, by excess of births
over deaths, was 286.