Park of the week

102. Tiverton Green

This small open space is in Brondesbury, near Kilburn and Queens Park.  I found it by looking at a map, followed by a glimpse at Google Earth. This method doesn’t always work, as I found out last Sunday after a prolonged shlep along the westbound Benighted North Circular to a rubbish-strewn dump with a big swing, and I’ve only written about around half of those we’ve visited. 

Tiverton Green was, however, worth visiting. It’s close to Queens Park (see 71), should you fancy visiting two places at once. It has a football/basketball court, a climbing wall and a cycling course, playground, tennis court and an outdoor gym. There are picnic tables and a lot of open space, and the park looked well maintained, unlike others we’ve visited.
It was originally a school sports ground and until recently hosted the rugby pitch for Kilburn Cosmos (since relocated to Gladstone Park, see 12). Following a residents’ campaign in 2008, in conjunction with local councillors, funding was granted to improve the Green and new paths were laid, trees and flower borders were planted, and new benches installed. In 2015, funding was approved to upgrade the playground – judged a success by Jack.

I also noticed this wooden sculpture, but there was no indication of who sculpted it or what it was meant to be.

I’ve drawn a blank with Google as well. It seems to have a cat's face at the top, then a fish tail that morphs into a face. Perhaps it’s meant to be a green man, also known as a woodwose or foliate head. This is a feature in architecture - interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring. My daughter Ruth gave me this one. 

I call it a catwose and keep it in my garden in Mill Hill as a year-round symbol of the companion animals, indoor and outdoor, that I’ve loved over the years. 

Judith Field

Tiverton Green, The Avenue, London NW6 7NN