Park of the week

110. Preston Park

This Green Flag accredited park is in the Preston part of Wembley. The name Preston is not widely used locally, and the neighbourhood is generally considered to be part of either Kenton or North Wembley.

The park was created for the surrounding housing of the Preston Park Estate, built between 1927-37, and the park is bordered by residential housing on all sides. The land was once part of Preston Farm, which until 1086 had belonged to the church, possibly granted to Abbot Stidberht in 767AD by King Offa. Preston was a rural hamlet until Preston Road station was opened in the area in 1931 although the railway had run through the area from 1880.

John Betjeman makes a passing reference to Preston in his Metroland poem Baker St Station Buffet, about his parents taking the train from their home in Ruislip into central London:

Smoothly from Harrow, passing Preston Road,
They saw the last green fields and misty sky…

The park mostly consists of mowed lawns and grassland (some left to grow long during the summer) with mature trees – willows, poplars, and conifers - scattered all over. There are also flower beds, and a winding sunken path runs east-west across the park. The park has a bowling green, football and cricket pitches, tennis courts, an outdoor gym, a playground, and a skateboard area. There is no café or toilets.

An oak tree was planted at Preston Park, in April 2022, as part of the Association of Jewish Refugees’ 80 Trees for 80 Years Project, in which trees were planted around the UK to mark the Association’s 80th anniversary. The aim of the project was to thank all the British people who helped Jewish refugees find safety in Britain from Nazi Europe, and to celebrate the contribution that the Jewish refugees have made to British life. 

The park has a small car park, or you can park on the surrounding streets. Access is from Carlton Avenue East, College Road and Montpelier Rise, Wembley.

Judith Field

Preston Park, College Road, HA9 8RJ