Park of the week

13. Greenhill Gardens

We’ve now visited one hundred and three parks. Some aren’t worth writing about, others are good to walk round if you happen to be in the area, and others have been worth making an effort to visit.

We try to bring a little bit of nature into the house (without damaging anything), but our little school nature table-style collection of cones and leaves needs new additions.  We’ve been as far out as Watford and as close as the end of our Mill Hill street. 

Greenhill Gardens is about middle-distance from our house. This attractive little park is another hidden gem. It’s right on the Great North Road between Whetstone and Barnet but I’d never noticed it, despite driving past it on more occasions than I can count. It’s another one I found by looking at a map. We visited the park in July when the weather was good, but despite the small size of the park, it wasn’t crowded. Although one side is bordered by back gardens, perhaps few people know it’s there.

Like many of the others we’ve visited, it used to be part of a much larger country estate, known as Pricklers (after a medieval family called Prittle).  If you’ve ever wondered why that part of the Great North Road is called Pricklers Hill, now you know. Later, the estate became known as Greenhill. Most of the land was developed for housing as a commuter suburb in the early 20th century, and the park represents the small portion that survived. The Local Authority bought it in 1926 and opened it to the public.

The main feature is an ornamental lake, fringed by alder and willow trees, with a wooded island. There are wooded parts to walk in and also a grassed area with scattered mature trees – plenty of space for children to run around in. There’s somewhere to relax for people of all ages. There are plenty of benches to rest on and relax. The park is a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation and attracts a variety of water birds. and bats (although, again, we didn’t see any).
There is access from Pricklers Hill EN5 and Greenhill Park, EN5, and you can park there or in nearby streets.

Judith Field

Greenhill Gardens, Pricklers Hill, Great North Road, High Barnet EN5 1HE