Walpole Park is a municipal urban public open space run by Ealing Borough Council

London Borough of Ealing

The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...

, and its main entrance is situated in Mattock Lane, Ealing

Ealing

Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...

, 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...

.

In 1987-10-01 it was registered by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England

National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens

In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...

.
It is some 28 acres (113,312.1 m²) in size. Within its boundaries are the Pitzhanger Manor museum & art gallery

Pitzhanger Manor

Pitzhanger Manor House, in Ealing , was owned from 1800 to 1810 by the architect John Soane, who radically rebuilt it. Soane intended it as a country villa for entertaining and eventually for passing to his elder son. He demolished most of the existing building except the two-storey south wing...

 and Perceval Lodge. These buildings and part of the boundary wall are also statutory protected structures of Grade I and Grade II respectively.

There is also a late Victorian ornamental lake bordering the House's rear lawn and further west a pond which has a pair of fountains, both of which attract water fowl.

The land for the park and Pitizhanger Manor itself, was acquired by the council in 1899 from Sir Spencer Walpole, which in turn had been bought by his father the Rt. Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole

Spencer Horatio Walpole

Spencer Horatio Walpole, QC, LLD was a British Conservative politician who served three times as Home Secretary in the administrations of Lord Derby.-Background and education:...

. The sum paid was £40,000. It was opened to the public for the first time on 1 May 1901.

History

The original house which stood here, and its grounds which make up the present park, was once the property of John Soane

John Soane

Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...

 the architect, who bought it in 1800. After several more changes of ownership it was purchased by the Urban District Council of Ealing in 1900. The Borough surveyor Charles Jones

Charles Jones

-Arts, architecture, scholarship:* Charles Jones , Ealing's first architect, engineer and surveyor* Charles Jones , gardener and photographer* Chuck Jones , American animator, director, and producer...

 who negotiated the terms of the sale with his close friend Sir Walpole also went on to set out the design of tree lined avenues, paths and flower beds. The outer path is nearly a mile in circumference. The sides of the pond nearest Pitzhanger Manor was planted with plants and shrubs.

Soane's house then became the borough's central public lending library. The library vacated the site in 1984. Work then began on researching the building to discover the original décor and renovating it back to how it had been in Soane's day. A library extension that had been built on the north-side was converted into the present day art gallery.

At the end of the 1980s some restoration work was done to recreate some of the original layout by Soane of the garden, which he had done with the help of John Haverfield.

General description

Most of the park consists of open flat grassed areas boarded with tree lined avenues which act as wind brakes. Of the two ponds, the western most is the larger of the two and is more formal. It also features a fountain. The pond nearest to Pitzhanger Manor on the eastward side of the park has sunken sides, these have been planted with a mixture of ornamental shrubs and bushes. The pond itself has been made to look as though it is a small gently flowing brook. A contemporary drawing of the manor house in the museum suggests that, at the time of Soane, this pond was much deeper. It was from its sides, that John Soane and his friend William Turner (the artist) would sit and fish. As the grounds to the west were pastoral it is quite possible that this pond was constructed as a Ha-ha against cattle and sheep. The bridge a the north end as did the pond was in existence before Soane bought the property but he had it decorated to give it an appearance of great antiquity, no doubt to match his faux Roman ruins which he built just to the north of his house. It is a listed Grade II* structure.

Along the north perimeter wall, is a large stone bench. This also has a statutory protection of Grade II listing.

Perceval Lodge, which has already been mentioned, is used as an arts and crafts centre.

Events

Each year in the summer months the park is an al fresco venue to the:

• Ealing Beer Festival (6th to 9th July)
• Ealing Comedy Festival,
• Ealing Opera in the Park,
• Ealing Blues Festival,
• Ealing Global Festival,
• Ealing Jazz Festival.

Getting here

By Rail: Nearest National Rail station is Ealing Broadway

Ealing Broadway station

Ealing Broadway is an east-west National Rail and London Underground station in Ealing in west London. The station is located in Haven Green , at the termination of The Broadway, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.-Services:...

, which is also connected by both the Central Line

Central Line

The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...

 and the District Line

District Line

The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...

  of 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...

. South Ealing tube station

South Ealing tube station

South Ealing is a London Underground station in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line, between Acton Town and Northfields stations...

 is the closest on the Piccadilly Line

Piccadilly Line

The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...

.

Buy bus: No. 65 to Ealing Green; or 83, 112, 207, 297, 427, 607, E1, E2, E7, E8, E9, E10, E11 to Ealing Broadway, then stroll 3 minutes south-west.

By Car: Nearest car parks are at the Ealing Broadway Centre, (access via the Grove, from Ealing Green) or at Springbridge Road, (access via the New Broadway).

Entrance is free to both the House, Gallery and Park.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.