Eastcote House Gardens
Eastcote House Gardens | |
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General information | |
Location | Eastcote |
Town or city | Greater London |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 51°35′12″N 0°24′08″W / 51.586667°N 0.402222°W |
Eastcote House Gardens is an area of public parkland in
Eastcote House was one of three largest in Eastcote, together with Highgrove House and Haydon Hall.[2] All came to be owned by the RNUDC, but only Highgrove House remains in its original form; Haydon Hall was demolished in 1967 by the RNUDC's successor.[3]
The coach house, dovecote, and garden walls received Grade II listed status on 6 September 1974.[4] Ecological surveys have found fifty types of trees in the gardens, and numerous species of birds, mammals and insects have been recorded. The gardens received the Green Flag Award in September 2011 following an earlier inspection.
History
Eastcote House
Eastcote House is first recorded in 1507, when it was known as "Hopkyttes", under the ownership of the Walleston family.[5] In 1525, Ralph Hawtrey married Winifred Walleston, and they made Hopkyttes their marital home, renaming it Eastcote House. The house was extended by either Ralph Hawtrey or his son John, and the brick exterior added. The original timber framework was not revealed again until the house was demolished. John Hawtrey built the dovecote without applying for the required licence. After his death in 1593, his nephew Ralph Hawtrey applied retrospectively, and the licence was granted.[6] During the 18th century, the dovecote was substantially rebuilt, leaving only the original first few rows of bricks.[7] The Hawtrey family, later the Hawtrey-Deanes, continued to live in the house until Francis Deane moved to East View in Uxbridge in 1878. Eastcote House was then let to tenants and parts of the estate sold for housing developments.[8]
The Ruislip-Northwood Urban District Council purchased the house and grounds, totalling 9.1 acres (3.7 ha), in 1931 after it became endangered by the proposed new housing development by the builders Comben & Wakeling. Eastcote House became a public building for the use of the Scouts, Guides, Women's Institute and a welfare clinic, though under the ownership of the council, the condition of the house deteriorated. In 1962 the house was declared unsafe, and it was demolished two years later after the council ruled there were no features of the house worth retaining.[7]
The Eastcote Billiards Club began using the coach house in 1938. The club's lease of the building expired in 2005, but the club remained in residence, rent-free.[9] In 2013, the club had moved to nearby Haydon Hall.[10]
Gardens
The narrow bricks in the garden walls have been dated to around the 17th century. The walled garden would originally have been used predominantly for growing fruit, vegetables, and herbs for the household's consumption, as well as flowers to exhibit at shows and for pleasure.[11]
The walled garden, coach house, and dovecote were retained at the public's request when the house was demolished.
The eastern wall was rebuilt in 1981, at which point the northern wall was reduced by seven layers of brick. An area of
A footbridge crossing the
A survey completed in November 2009 found 50 types of trees in the gardens. Bats were found in the coach house during an ecological survey, but were not believed to be roosting there long-term. Species of birds observed in the gardens have included
Hillingdon Council provided a £150,000 grant in September 2010 for the restoration of the buildings.
The gardens received the Green Flag Award in 2011 following an earlier inspection. The flag was raised in a ceremony on 14 September 2011.[16]
References
Citations
- ^ "London Gardens Online Eastcote House Gardens". www.londongardensonline.org.uk. London Parks and Gardens Trust. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Local History". Ruislip, Northwood and Eastcote Local History Society. 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ Bowlt 1994, p.35
- ^ a b "Listed buildings" (PDF). London Borough of Hillingdon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Eastcote House Gardens Management Plan 2010-2014" (PDF). London Borough of Hillingdon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ Bowlt 2007, p.39
- ^ a b c Bowlt 1994, p.31
- ^ Bowlt 1994, p.30
- ^ "Meeting of the 72nd Annual General Meeting of the Eastcote Park Estate Association" (PDF). Eastcote Park Estate Association. 17 May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Eastcote Billiards Club" Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine in Eastcote Park Estate Association Newsletter, July 2013, p 4
Eastcote Billiards Club website - ^ Ruislip, Northwood and Eastcote Local History Society 1984, p.11
- ^ a b "Friends of Eastcote House Gardens". Eastcote Local. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ Cracknell, James (28 September 2010). "Eastcote House Gardens to benefit from £150,000 repairs grant". Uxbridge Gazette. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ Cracknell, James (15 April 2011). "£1m appeal to restore Tudor estate". Uxbridge Gazette. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ Cracknell, James (16 May 2012). "Summer of scones at Eastcote House Gardens". Uxbridge Gazette. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ Cracknell, James (15 September 2011). "Hillingdon leading the way in Green Flag awards". Uxbridge Gazette. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
Bibliography
- Bowlt, Eileen. M. (1994) Ruislip Past. London: Historical Publications ISBN 0-948667-29-X
- Bowlt, Eileen. M. (2007) Around Ruislip, Eastcote, Northwood, Ickenham & Harefield. Stroud: Sutton Publishing ISBN 978-0-7509-4796-1
- Ruislip, Northwood and Eastcote Local History Society. (1984) Eastcote: a pictorial history. ISBN 0-9507154-2-5
External links
- Eastcote House Gardens volunteers Archived 6 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine - London Borough of Hillingdon