Park of the week

128. Queensbury Park

In 1920 Geoffrey de Havilland established his aircraft company at Stag Lane, in what was then called Edgware. De Havilland manufactured numerous famous planes here, including several varieties of ‘Moth’. In 1934 the company moved to Hatfield and much of present-day Queensbury was laid out on the site of the disused airfield. A newspaper competition was held to suggest a name for the new suburb. ‘Queensbury’ acknowledged the neighbouring Kingsbury. 

Queensbury Park was originally part of Little Stanmore Farm. It was purchased in 1936 by the local authority to ensure that the local residents had an open green space preserved for them. The park was developed in the nineteen fifties, to provide drainage, paths, and a playground.

In 2014, the local began restoration works on the site. Kenton Brook was widened and diverted through the park, winding a course through natural banks and connected to a new wetland with a water feature. 
The renaturalised brook and the wetland provide new habitat, as well as acting as natural flood storage. The site was officially opened in 2016.

There is a large open space to walk in, and this is often home to events such as funfairs, and last December’s three-day Romanian festival. Even though it’s said to be one of Harrow’s busiest parks, we didn’t find it crowded on a Sunday afternoon. There are trees and shrubs, and a path runs round the park so it’s not like some we’ve visited, which were too waterlogged to walk far. There are benches, picnic tablets, an outdoor gym, football pitch, basketball and tennis courts. There are no toilets or café, and it doesn’t have a car park. We found space to park on a nearby street.

One entrance is on Honeypot Lane, which sounds like something from Winnie the Pooh. In fact, it’s a dual carriageway, but allegedly, at the time when it was a beaten track, in wet weather the damp clay used to stick like honey.
There are also entrances in Honeypot Lane, Ruth Close and Clifton Road, Harrow.

Judith Field

Queensbury Park, Clifton Road, Harrow HA3 9PD