
Cranford Countryside Park | Hillingdon |
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Fuller information:
The Manor of Cranford is recorded in the Domesday Survey, and was later divided into two holdings, Cranford St John and Cranford Le Mote to the north. The village of Cranford to the west is in the London Borough of Hounslow. In the C16th the Cranford estate was given to Lord Windsor after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and in 1603 it was owned by Sir Roger Aston, who was buried in St Dunstan's Churchyard (q.v.) nearby, where later owners of Cranford Manor were buried. In 1618 Elizabeth, Lady Berkeley, purchased both Cranford St John and Cranford Le Mote for £7,000, the re-united estate becoming known as Cranford Park. The moated manor house of Cranford Le Mote was demolished in 1780. The Berkeleys held the property until 1918, but after the family left it fell into ruins. In 1932 the house and parkland were sold to Hayes and Harlington UDC, although in 1935 it was resold to MCC who then leased it back to the UDC. During WWII part of the land was used for cultivation as part of the war effort and other war-time uses. After the war the house was demolished, although its cellars and the stable block remained. On 1 May 1949 the park was opened to the public, jointly by Hayes & Harlington UDC and Heston & Isleworth Borough Council, both later becoming part of the new borough of Hillingdon in 1965. The public park has fragmentary remains of the landscaping around Cranford House, as well as woodland, meadow and wetland. The River Crane continues to flow through the park although this was diverted in the 1960s.Sources consulted:
H Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, London 1978 p 228-9; Ben Weinreb & Hibberd, London Encyclopaedia (1993 ed), p212, Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (Penguin, 1999 edition); LB Hillingdon, 'Cranford Countryside Park Management Plan 2008-2012'Grid ref: | TQ101778 / TQ104786 |
Size in hectares: | 58.89 |
On EH National Register : | No |
EH grade : | |
Site on EH Heritage at Risk list: | |
Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965: |
No |
Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931: |
No |
The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information. | |
On Local List: | |
In Conservation Area: | Yes |
Conservation Area name: | Cranford (southern area) |
Tree Preservation Order: | No |
Nature Conservation Area: | Yes - Borough II/R.Crane:Metropolitan Importance |
Green Belt: | Yes |
Metropolitan Open Land: | No |
Special Policy Area: | No |
Other LA designation: | Country Park |
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