Historic park to be restored to its former glory
COUNCIL SECURES FUNDING TO BEGIN £3M RESTORATION PROJECT
AS parks have offered a lifeline to residents during the pandemic, the crumbling historic grounds of Cranford Park have been rediscovered and gained a lifeline of their own with a £3 million restoration project.
There were fears the grounds – steeped in 1,000 years of history – were under-used and under-valued, until their fortunes changed when Hillingdon Council finally secured £2.28m in National Lottery funding in July this year.
Volunteers from the Cranford Park Friends group, who have looked after the green space since 2012, working closely with the council, are now looking forward to introducing their favourite spot to the next generations.
Bob Barton, one of the group’s founding members, said: “The older buildings and historic walls are crumbling down, the roof repairs are needed, brickwork is crumbling and we were worried if something didn’t happen soon they would end up being demolished like the house itself.
“I think there had been various attempts in the past to...but [they] had always failed.
“We realised if we weren’t able to achieve getting a major grant soon, all would be lost permanently, that is what galvanised this and we are so pleased.”
The 144 acres of land were previously home to a manor house that was knocked down after the Second World War, but its stables, cellars and garden walls remain as landmark features on the site.
The Earls of Berkeley used the grounds as their country home for 300 years, but the Knights Templar and a member of King James I’s Privy Council, Sir Roger Aston, are also historical heavyweights to have owned the park over the centuries.
The full £3.47m restoration project has been approved by Hillingdon Council for essential repairs, as well as building of new visitor facilities, such as a cafe, and opening up of the vaulted cellars to the public for exhibitions and events for the first time. The vast wildlife and natural landscapes have not been forgotten either, with funding being plugged into the regeneration of the orchard, woodland and meadows.
The Green Flag-awarded park may be nestled off the M4, but Mr Barton can walk to the space from his Harlington home, while on the south side residents can walk to the park from Cranford Village and elsewhere. Surrounded by diverse neighbourhoods of Hillingdon and Hounslow, the Friends group had observed the visitors to the park prepandemic “didn’t reflect” the makeup of the residential area, and hope the increasing use of the park due to lockdown will help change that.
Mr Barton said: “It’s something we want to address in our work in future – we want to encourage all groups, all ethnicities, to reap the benefits of the park.
“We saw some of that during the lockdown. Like a lot of parks, we saw a lot more usage.”
He added: “A lot of people came for the first time and were amazed with what they saw.”
However, the semi-retired travel writer warns the park’s new makeover will not happen overnight and will take years before it is completed.
The next stage before building works begin will be an archaeological dig, open to the community, to take place for three weeks in the spring.
Further improvements to the park will include cycling and walking trails, two new children’s play areas and a football pitch.
Educational programmes for archaeology, horticulture and orchard and river management will also be developed among activities at the revived site.
Mr Barton added: “People have been closer to nature during this period and the wildlife in the park is just amazing.
“Lots of different species of birds of prey, kingfishers, two species of deer, butterflies and insects – to have this variety of nature in such a densely packed area is something we can be really proud of. We want to show this off.”
Cranford Park is one of a recordbreaking 60 parks in Hillingdon that have been awarded a Green Flag, and the council’s finance and business services chief, Cllr Jonathan Bianco, said he hoped the regeneration will transform the area when the funding was announced this summer.
Speaking at a full council meeting on November 19, he added: “Looking at this past year where we have suffered two lockdowns, these green areas have provided to our residents fantastic facilities.
“It enabled them to get outside, and for those residents without their own private outdoor spaces gardens, these spaces have been a lifeline.”
Cranford Park Friends will continue with its 30-strong active volunteers who help maintain and promote the park through litter picking, clearing paths, history research, supporting the restoration project and more.
For Mr Barton, who brought his children up playing in the park, he believes it is time to give something back.
He said: “Once you get to know the park, it changes. It’s different every day – changing seasons, different light, different area of park, woodlands, greenlands, wetlands.
“I can move from one area to another and I always feel better, that is what I find uplifting. I’m looking forward to introducing a new generation to the park and to see the look of wonder on their faces when they see what a beautiful place it is.
“It is a time we desperately need parks.”