Hendon Park

The acer tree with the park's green flag

Hendon Park is a 12 hectare London suburban park situated 7 miles (11 km) north west of Charing Cross. It borders the Northern line, and Hendon Park and Northern line Railway Cutting are a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation.[1][2]

Northern Line Railway Cutting

History

Hendon Park was part of a medieval estate known as the Steps Fields and owned by the Goodyer family. From 1868 till 1903 it was owned by the Kemp family when Hendon Council opened the park to the public.[3]

The borough of Hendon became part of the larger London Borough of Barnet in April 1965. The park has a Holocaust Memorial Garden, which contains a pond, many plants and is enclosed by large hedges. The Children’s Millennium Wood planted in 2000 is a native tree and grassland area, which will provide a good habitat for birds when it matures. The rest of the park is mainly informal parkland, with mown grass and mature trees, especially London plane and lime. It is a good spot for watching pipistrelle bats on a summer evening.[1]

The landscape includes one of the largest specimens of Acer palmatum in London.[4] Many mature trees survive from the original planting, despite damage caused by the Great Storm of 1987 during which many trees were uprooted and destroyed.

Hendon Park during World War II

"Rout the Rumour", a large propaganda rally was held in Hendon Park on Sunday, 21 July 1940.[5] The rally included songs, music and sketches. It was intended to promote the idea that gossip and rumour harmed the war effort.[6]

The Hendon Park cafe was originally a bomb shelter, and is a single storey, lead lined, solid brick built building under a flat roof.[7]


Bus routes:

Underground

Green Flag award

The park was awarded the Green Flag Award in 2009-10[3]

Coordinates: 51°34′55″N 0°13′19″W / 51.582°N 0.222°W / 51.582; -0.222

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Hendon Park and Northern line Railway Cutting". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  2. ↑ "iGiGL – helping you find London's parks and wildlife sites". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2006.
  3. 1 2 Barnet Online, Hendon Park
  4. ↑ Hendon Park, London Gardens Online
  5. ↑ "Mass-Observation Archive: Topic Collections". University of Sussex. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  6. ↑ Creaton, Heather (1998-12-08). "Sources for the History of London, 1939-1945". British Records Association. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  7. ↑ London Borough of Barnet, To Let, Hendon Park Cafe Archived October 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.

Further reading

Section 9: Capital Ring Walking Route Section 10:
South Kenton Hendon Park Highgate
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