Gladstone Park, London
Encyclopedia
Gladstone Park is situated in the Dollis Hill
area of north-west London
. It is about 35 hectares (86 acres) in area
Dollis Hill House
is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse, located within the northern boundary of the park.
Dollis Hill tube station
on the London Underground
Jubilee line
is about a 10-minute walk away from the park, to the south-west. Cricklewood Thameslink station
is to the east.
Bus services also run through the area.
The park is situated on both sides of the Dudding Hill Line
. This railway is currently only used by freight trains, but it has been subject to various railway schemes over the years, including a recent proposal for a radial North and West London Light railway
(NWLLR), which might result in a light-rail stop being built at one or both ends of the park. There is a footbridge over the railway at the western end of the park, and a private road bridge (only used by Brent Parks Service) at the eastern end.
by the arrival of the Great Central Railway
towards the end of the 19th century that motivated local public backing for a new park at Dollis Hill. Hence, there was very strong support at Neasden for the idea that the District Council should buy from the Finch family the part of their estate that lay south of Dollis Hill Lane, for £50,000. However, considerable opposition to the proposal, mainly on cost grounds, arose from other parts of Willesden
, largely driven by the editor of the Willesden Chronicle from his office in South Kilburn.
In the end the issue was resolved at an inquiry held by an inspector from the Local Government Board. He recommended acquisition of the land. Middlesex County Council
agreed conditionally to put up £12,500 towards the cost; London County Council
, £3,000; Hampstead
£1,000; and Hendon
£500, while the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
made a £5,000 loan available on easy terms. The Municipal Borough of Willesden
was left to find the rest of the money from their ratepayers and from donations. It would eventually cost nearly £52,000.
The contract to purchase the house, garden, and estate from "Robert Augustus Finch and others" was signed by the Council on 9 August 1899, and soon afterwards, notices to terminate existing tenancies (except that for the house and gardens) were sent out. Despite some reservations by local Conservatives, on 12 December 1899 it was formally agreed to name the park after William Ewart Gladstone
, the old Prime Minister who had died the previous year, and who had spent many happy hours there. Purchase was completed early in 1900.
The Earl of Rosebery, recently twice Prime Minister, had promised to perform the opening ceremony on Saturday 25 May 1901, but was prevented from attending by the death of his mother. In his absence, the park was declared open by the Earl of Aberdeen.
which had opened in 1895, and where he had to convert poorly drained farmland. The much larger Gladstone Park was to prove a rather less challenging undertaking. It was decided to leave the northern part of new park in its "original and natural beauty", and devote the section south of the railway to sports. The latter was to prove useful to Robson since it was levelled with slop (road refuse), for which he was always short of landfill sites. Hedges and ditches dividing these southern fields were obliterated, but some trees were left standing.
Robson had little laying out work to do but provided boundary fencing, a children's playground (gymnasium), 103 seats, conveniences, stabling, pavilions for football and cricket clubs, water supply, and 2900 feet of roadways. All the old farm ponds on the estate were filled in to depth not exceeding 2 feet for safety reasons, and some later converted to children's paddling pools. (These subsequently became a problem to the Council, perhaps for health reasons, and were dispensed with in 1920).
Cleverly, Robson waited for the public to mark out what he called "trespass paths" across the park before converting them to metalled pathways. Some plantations in Roundwood Park were thinned and the surplus trees transplanted at Gladstone Park. Hundreds of plane trees were set along the pathways.
A major event for Willesden was the provision of its first public swimming bath (now closed), which Robson designed in 1902. According to the Willesden Guide 1905/6, the cost was £2569 6s 5d. It was based on Harrow School swimming bath, which representatives of the Council had visited and approved. All the construction work, which commenced on 2 March 1903, was carried out by the Engineer's Department without the intervention of a contractor, thus providing work for the local unemployed.
By 1908/9, Robson had added a bowling green and four tennis courts. Dollis Hill House was renovated at an estimated cost of £616 11s 6d, and the ground floor was let to a contractor for the sale of refreshments. The park constable occupied the rear portion of the house.
The following year the Surveyor converted the former fruit and vegetable garden attached to the house into an Old English garden, which was to become one of the park's star attractions. Robson probably erected a sundial, provided by Cricklewood & District Improvements Association in 1907, at the centre of the garden.
For many years there had been worries about the level crossing over the Dudding Hill Line where the public were exposed to danger from the trains. There was an intention to provide two subways under the railway to improve communications between southern and northern sections of the park but, although the Midland Railway Company raised no objection to the work, it never materialised. However, in October 1912 the Council entered into an agreement with the Midland for the erection of a footbridge to replace the old crossing.
Many other works by Robson were completed before he took retirement in 1918.
Gladstone Park is administered by the London Borough of Brent
. It a ninety-seven acre oasis of parkland which, combined with twenty seven acres of the William Gladstone open space on its eastern perimeter, provides a green lung in the heart of North West London.
Maintained by Brent Parks Service, it is the most heavily used park in Brent and is a current holder of the coveted Green Flag Award
, the national standard for parks and green spaces across England and Wales. The award is based on high environmental standards, quality of green space, amenity values and community involvement.
Gladstone Park provides a diverse environment, consisting of a formal garden, duck pond, varied terrain, woodland, hedgerows and open ground, all of which constantly change with the seasons. On clear days it offers fantastic views from the top of the hill (65 metres above sea level) of London and the surrounding area, including a fine view of Wembley Stadium
.
Dollis Hill
Dollis Hill is an area of north-west London. It lies close to Willesden, in the London Borough of Brent. As a result, Dollis Hill is sometimes referred as being part of Willesden, especially by the national press...
area of north-west 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...
. It is about 35 hectares (86 acres) in area
Dollis Hill House
Dollis Hill House
Dollis Hill House is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse located in the North London suburb of Dollis Hill, on the northern boundary of Gladstone Park. Noteworthy guests such as William Ewart Gladstone and Mark Twain have been entertained there. Today, the house is a derelict ruin, having been...
is an early Nineteenth-Century farmhouse, located within the northern boundary of the park.
Transport
Dollis Hill tube station
Dollis Hill tube station is a London Underground station at Dollis Hill near to Willesden and Harlesden. It is on the Jubilee Line, between Willesden Green and Neasden. Metropolitan Line trains pass the station, but do not stop. The station is about 25 minutes from central London in Travelcard Zone...
on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
Jubilee line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
is about a 10-minute walk away from the park, to the south-west. Cricklewood Thameslink station
Cricklewood railway station
Cricklewood railway station is in the London Borough of Barnet in North London. The station lies on the north-south Midland Main Line where it crosses Cricklewood Lane. It is served by First Capital Connect services as part of the Thameslink service...
is to the east.
Bus services also run through the area.
The park is situated on both sides of the Dudding Hill Line
Dudding Hill Line
The Dudding Hill Line is a railway line in north-west London running from Acton to Cricklewood. The line has no scheduled passenger service, no stations, no electrification, and a 30 mph speed limit with semaphore signalling, and is lightly used by freight and very occasional passenger charter...
. This railway is currently only used by freight trains, but it has been subject to various railway schemes over the years, including a recent proposal for a radial North and West London Light railway
North and West London Light Railway
The North and West London Light Railway , formerly proposed-named as Brent Cross Railway, is a potential light rail service proposed by the London group of the Campaign for Better Transport, intended to serve parts of north, northwest and west London, being similar to the Docklands Light Railway...
(NWLLR), which might result in a light-rail stop being built at one or both ends of the park. There is a footbridge over the railway at the western end of the park, and a private road bridge (only used by Brent Parks Service) at the eastern end.
History
It was chiefly the loss of sports grounds at NeasdenNeasden
Neasden is an area in northwest London, UK. It forms part of the London Borough of Brent.-History:The area was recorded as Neasdun in 939 AD and the name is derived from the Old English nēos = 'nose' and dūn = 'hill'. It means 'the nose-shaped hill' referring to a well-defined landmark of this area...
by the arrival of the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
towards the end of the 19th century that motivated local public backing for a new park at Dollis Hill. Hence, there was very strong support at Neasden for the idea that the District Council should buy from the Finch family the part of their estate that lay south of Dollis Hill Lane, for £50,000. However, considerable opposition to the proposal, mainly on cost grounds, arose from other parts of Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, largely driven by the editor of the Willesden Chronicle from his office in South Kilburn.
In the end the issue was resolved at an inquiry held by an inspector from the Local Government Board. He recommended acquisition of the land. Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the county to constitute the County of London...
agreed conditionally to put up £12,500 towards the cost; London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
, £3,000; Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
£1,000; and Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
£500, while the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
made a £5,000 loan available on easy terms. The Municipal Borough of Willesden
Municipal Borough of Willesden
Willesden was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, England from 1874 to 1965. It formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and London postal district...
was left to find the rest of the money from their ratepayers and from donations. It would eventually cost nearly £52,000.
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, the old Prime Minister who had died the previous year, and who had spent many happy hours there. Purchase was completed early in 1900.
The Earl of Rosebery, recently twice Prime Minister, had promised to perform the opening ceremony on Saturday 25 May 1901, but was prevented from attending by the death of his mother. In his absence, the park was declared open by the Earl of Aberdeen.
Design
Once it had been agreed that Gladstone Park should become a reality, the main planning was handed over to Oliver Claude Robson, the District Council Surveyor who was to serve for 43 years, from 1875 to 1918. Robson's first major pleasure ground project had been the nearby Roundwood ParkRoundwood Park
Roundwood Park is a public park in Willesden, measuring a total of 26.5 arces, or approximately 10.27 hectares. It was originally known in the 19th century as Knowles Hill , or Hunger Hill Common Field, and after much work by Oliver Claude Robson, became the Roundwood Park known to the public today...
which had opened in 1895, and where he had to convert poorly drained farmland. The much larger Gladstone Park was to prove a rather less challenging undertaking. It was decided to leave the northern part of new park in its "original and natural beauty", and devote the section south of the railway to sports. The latter was to prove useful to Robson since it was levelled with slop (road refuse), for which he was always short of landfill sites. Hedges and ditches dividing these southern fields were obliterated, but some trees were left standing.
Robson had little laying out work to do but provided boundary fencing, a children's playground (gymnasium), 103 seats, conveniences, stabling, pavilions for football and cricket clubs, water supply, and 2900 feet of roadways. All the old farm ponds on the estate were filled in to depth not exceeding 2 feet for safety reasons, and some later converted to children's paddling pools. (These subsequently became a problem to the Council, perhaps for health reasons, and were dispensed with in 1920).
Cleverly, Robson waited for the public to mark out what he called "trespass paths" across the park before converting them to metalled pathways. Some plantations in Roundwood Park were thinned and the surplus trees transplanted at Gladstone Park. Hundreds of plane trees were set along the pathways.
A major event for Willesden was the provision of its first public swimming bath (now closed), which Robson designed in 1902. According to the Willesden Guide 1905/6, the cost was £2569 6s 5d. It was based on Harrow School swimming bath, which representatives of the Council had visited and approved. All the construction work, which commenced on 2 March 1903, was carried out by the Engineer's Department without the intervention of a contractor, thus providing work for the local unemployed.
By 1908/9, Robson had added a bowling green and four tennis courts. Dollis Hill House was renovated at an estimated cost of £616 11s 6d, and the ground floor was let to a contractor for the sale of refreshments. The park constable occupied the rear portion of the house.
The following year the Surveyor converted the former fruit and vegetable garden attached to the house into an Old English garden, which was to become one of the park's star attractions. Robson probably erected a sundial, provided by Cricklewood & District Improvements Association in 1907, at the centre of the garden.
For many years there had been worries about the level crossing over the Dudding Hill Line where the public were exposed to danger from the trains. There was an intention to provide two subways under the railway to improve communications between southern and northern sections of the park but, although the Midland Railway Company raised no objection to the work, it never materialised. However, in October 1912 the Council entered into an agreement with the Midland for the erection of a footbridge to replace the old crossing.
Many other works by Robson were completed before he took retirement in 1918.
The park today
London Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
. It a ninety-seven acre oasis of parkland which, combined with twenty seven acres of the William Gladstone open space on its eastern perimeter, provides a green lung in the heart of North West London.
Maintained by Brent Parks Service, it is the most heavily used park in Brent and is a current holder of the coveted Green Flag Award
Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme was set up in 1996 to recognise and reward green spaces in England and Wales that met the laid down high standards...
, the national standard for parks and green spaces across England and Wales. The award is based on high environmental standards, quality of green space, amenity values and community involvement.
Gladstone Park provides a diverse environment, consisting of a formal garden, duck pond, varied terrain, woodland, hedgerows and open ground, all of which constantly change with the seasons. On clear days it offers fantastic views from the top of the hill (65 metres above sea level) of London and the surrounding area, including a fine view of Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
.
External links
- London Borough of Brent Brent Parks information.
- Gladstone Park web site Information about the park
- Gladstone Park Consultative Committee Group of local supporters
- Dollis Hill House Trust Information about Dollis Hill House
- London Group of Campaign for Better Transport Light-rail proposals through the park
- Trainspots photographs Dudding Hill junction, at the eastern end of the park