The current borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Municipal Borough of Southgate, the Municipal Borough of Enfield and the Municipal Borough of Edmonton. The armorial bearings of these three boroughs were also merged.

The creature on the shield of the Enfield coat of arms is known in heraldry as an "Enfield" (or colloquially as the Enfield beast), and is used extensively as a logo representing Enfield, particularly by the borough council.

In Roman times, Enfield was connected to Londinium by Ermine Street, the great Roman road which stretched all the way up to York. Artefacts found in the early 1900s reveal that there were Roman settlements in the areas that are now Edmonton and Bush Hill Park.

In 790 King Offa was recorded as giving the lands of Edmonton to St Albans Abbey. The area became strategically important as East Anglia was taken over by the Danes. In the 790s strongholds were built by men loyal to King Alfred the Great, in order to keep the Danes to the east of the River Lea.

After the Norman Conquest, both Enfield and Edmonton were mentioned in the Domesday Book. Both have churches, and Enfield has 400 inhabitants, Edmonton, 300. Enfield is also described as having a "parc".

This parc—a heavily forested area for hunting—was key to Enfield's existence in the Middle Ages. Wealthy Londoners came to Enfield first to hunt, and then to build houses in the pleasant surroundings. In 1303, Edward I of England granted Enfield a charter to hold a weekly market, which has continued up to this day.

The Barclays Bank in Enfield was the first place in the world to have an ATM.

Enfield has a history of armaments manufacture—for example, the Lee-Enfield .303 rifle was standard issue for the British Army for many years.

A major redevelopment of Edmonton Green including the shopping centre, and adjacent municipal housing over a wide area, started in 1999. This is still on-going through 2005, and is intended to provide new housing, a new leisure centre, a supermarket, and many other civic features. Below is an artist impression of the new shopping centre in Edmonton Green.

Enfield Town centre has undergone major redevelopment work, completed in the Autumn 2006. A large extension to the existing shopping centre was built, under the name PalaceXchange.

For more information on PalaceXchange visit their website http://www.palace-exchange.com/

Much of the life of Enfield currently centres around the A10 road which has a number of 'shed'-type retail facilities, a night club and a very large multiplex cinema which draws film goers from miles around. This Cineworld cinema also plays host to Jubilee Church on a Sunday morning; whilst cinemagoers continue to watch movies in the other screens, a charismatic church which draws its worshippers from a wide area hires a couple of auditoria for worship. Middlesex University has three campuses in Enfield (Ponders End, Cat Hill and Trent Park campus).

If you want to know more about the history of your ward please click on the links below.

Enfield History Help:  - Here you'll find a potted history of Enfield, scroll down and follow the links to find out more