Advertising sign; enamel sign advertising houses for sale at Oakleigh Park 'on Main Line', circa 1914

This sign advertises the sale of houses on the residential development at Oakleigh Park in Hertfordshire. Benefits of the site include its gravel soil, making it free draining and ideal for gardens; large plots; plenty of surrounding open countryside; and its moderate price. Oakleigh Park was one of the first Edwardian suburban developments to venture into previously rural areas on the outskirts of London. The Great Northern Railway opened a station at Oakleigh Park in the 1870s. This provided a suburban commuter service from Kings Cross via Finsbury Park to Wood Green and beyond through Barnet and Enfield. The line continued through rural Hertfordshire to Hitchin, Dunstable and St Albans.