A rural idyll: well-connected new Enfield homes border green belt and the Tube with area earmarked for Crossrail 2

Outwardly unspectacular, Enfield is famous for two things — a repeating rifle that was the main firearm used by British soldiers in two World Wars, and a poltergeist case in the Seventies, subject of a TV series since.

Yet it is good territory for rural wannabes who can’t kick the city.

Bordering the green belt, it is one of the cheaper old London villages.

The town centre is still quite cute, while the borough is served by three train stations and three Tube stations. Road and motorway connection is great.

Live here and you can commute to work anywhere north of London as well as in the city centre.

Here, too, is one of the London Mayor’s “Housing Zones”, where new neighbourhoods and transport upgrades, including Crossrail 2, are earmarked.

First up is Elements, a new 1,000-home development with community facilities and commercial space opposite Ponders End station.

Apartments in a 14-storey tower and low-rise buildings cost from £320,000. Call developer Countryside on 020 3797 1868.