Belair Park
Encyclopedia
Belair Park is located in West Dulwich
part of the London Borough of Southwark
, southeast London
, England
. Formerly the grounds belonged to Belair House, a country villa built in Adam style
and now a Grade II listed building . There are two other Grade II listed structures within the park: the lodge and entrance gate and an old stable building .
The original estate consisted of two farms.
1785–1818:
The estate was leased to John Willes, corn factor of Whitechapel
, who erected a house in the style of, or possibly by Robert Adam
. This house was named College Place. The lake was mentioned by Willes when he first leased the land from Dulwich College, which would indicate that the original boundary of the estate was beyond that point.
1818–1859:
After John Willes' death there was a new owner, Charles Ranken, a solicitor, who renamed the house Belair.
1859–1893:
Charles Hutton, a wool merchant and sheriff for London and Middlesex
, purchased the remainder of the lease. It would seem that the majority of structural changes occurred during his ownership. North and South wings, together with conservatories and numerous outbuildings were constructed and added on. Eventually Belair had 47 rooms, which is very much bigger than it is today. He lived there with his wife, their eleven children, and ten live-in servants. However the house fell into disrepair when Hutton's Berlin wool business started to lose money.
1893–1938:
Sir Evan Spicer of Spicer's the paper merchants was granted a lease. In his time the house still had a farm with cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and horses including a grey carthorse called Dobbin. In the coach house by the Gallery Road entrance there was a coach and horses to take Sir Evan and his family across Dulwich Park to Emmanuel Church in Barry Road on Sundays. There is still the original pump outside the coach house, which was used to water the horses. Sir Evan Spicer was the last private owner of the Belair Estate.
1938–1946:
Belair was sold by auction after Spicer's death. With the onset of World War II
, it again fell into a state of ruin. It was used first as a store, then as premises for the military.
1946–1980:
Southwark Council purchased the lease. As the main building was in such a poor state it had to be rebuilt from ground level, retaining only the original staircase. These renovations, completed in 1964, restored the house as Willes had built it without the extra wings and conservatories.
1980–1995:
Still under council ownership, Belair served a similar purpose to that of a village hall. Many people remember the times when they would use the facilities for ballet lessons or as changing rooms. The only maintenance during this time was the painting of the exterior.
1996–2002:
Gary Cady took over the running of Belair House and oversaw a complete refurbishment of the entire building, turning it into a restaurant and bar.
2002–2004:
Sam Hajaj took over Belair House for two years until November 2002. No major work was carried out in this period.
2004 to date:
Ibi Issolah became proprietor and took over Belair House, renaming it Beauberry House. Major refurbishment was done creating two new al fresco diners, an outside bar terrace with a 2am licence (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) and an al fresco terrace diner. The 1st floor was made into a private dining room and bar.
The refurbished house reopened on St Valentine's Day, 2006.
. It has recently been refurbished with the tennis court
s being upgraded and a skate board facility built. London Borough of Southwark
has further plans for the park to make it more widely accessible.
The lake is the only substantial stretch of the ancient River Effra
remaining above ground.
West Dulwich
West Dulwich is an area in southeast London, England, that straddles the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark. Croxted Road and South Croxted Road mark the boundary between London Borough of Southwark on the east and London Borough of Lambeth to the west...
part of the London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
, southeast London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Formerly the grounds belonged to Belair House, a country villa built in Adam style
Adam style
The Adam style is an 18th century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practiced by the three Adam brothers from Scotland; of whom Robert Adam and James Adam were the most widely known.The Adam brothers were the first to advocate an integrated style for architecture and...
and now a Grade II listed building . There are two other Grade II listed structures within the park: the lodge and entrance gate and an old stable building .
History
1726–1781:The original estate consisted of two farms.
1785–1818:
The estate was leased to John Willes, corn factor of Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, who erected a house in the style of, or possibly by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
. This house was named College Place. The lake was mentioned by Willes when he first leased the land from Dulwich College, which would indicate that the original boundary of the estate was beyond that point.
1818–1859:
After John Willes' death there was a new owner, Charles Ranken, a solicitor, who renamed the house Belair.
1859–1893:
Charles Hutton, a wool merchant and sheriff for London and Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, purchased the remainder of the lease. It would seem that the majority of structural changes occurred during his ownership. North and South wings, together with conservatories and numerous outbuildings were constructed and added on. Eventually Belair had 47 rooms, which is very much bigger than it is today. He lived there with his wife, their eleven children, and ten live-in servants. However the house fell into disrepair when Hutton's Berlin wool business started to lose money.
1893–1938:
Sir Evan Spicer of Spicer's the paper merchants was granted a lease. In his time the house still had a farm with cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and horses including a grey carthorse called Dobbin. In the coach house by the Gallery Road entrance there was a coach and horses to take Sir Evan and his family across Dulwich Park to Emmanuel Church in Barry Road on Sundays. There is still the original pump outside the coach house, which was used to water the horses. Sir Evan Spicer was the last private owner of the Belair Estate.
1938–1946:
Belair was sold by auction after Spicer's death. With the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it again fell into a state of ruin. It was used first as a store, then as premises for the military.
1946–1980:
Southwark Council purchased the lease. As the main building was in such a poor state it had to be rebuilt from ground level, retaining only the original staircase. These renovations, completed in 1964, restored the house as Willes had built it without the extra wings and conservatories.
1980–1995:
Still under council ownership, Belair served a similar purpose to that of a village hall. Many people remember the times when they would use the facilities for ballet lessons or as changing rooms. The only maintenance during this time was the painting of the exterior.
1996–2002:
Gary Cady took over the running of Belair House and oversaw a complete refurbishment of the entire building, turning it into a restaurant and bar.
2002–2004:
Sam Hajaj took over Belair House for two years until November 2002. No major work was carried out in this period.
2004 to date:
Ibi Issolah became proprietor and took over Belair House, renaming it Beauberry House. Major refurbishment was done creating two new al fresco diners, an outside bar terrace with a 2am licence (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) and an al fresco terrace diner. The 1st floor was made into a private dining room and bar.
The refurbished house reopened on St Valentine's Day, 2006.
The park
The park is bordered by the South Circular Road and Gallery RoadGallery Road
Gallery Road is in West Dulwich, Southwark, southeast London, England.- Location :At the southern end is a junction with Dulwich Common , close to West Dulwich railway station. To the east is Dulwich Picture Gallery, hence the name. Dulwich Park lies to the east beyond that. Also on the east side...
. It has recently been refurbished with the tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s being upgraded and a skate board facility built. London Borough of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
has further plans for the park to make it more widely accessible.
The lake is the only substantial stretch of the ancient River Effra
River Effra
The River Effra is a river in south London, England. It is now mainly underground. The name cannot be traced back much earlier than 1840 , so speculation that it came from a Celtic word for torrent is unwarranted...
remaining above ground.