Park of the week

176. Priestmead Recreation Ground

This is a small park in Kenton. It opened in 1936, when this previously rural area was becoming rapidly built over in the interwar period. It is largely grass with some trees and areas of shrubbery. The entrance gates survive from the date of opening. The name of the park is taken from a house that existed to the south called Priestmead, which is shown on 19th Century maps as being in Kenton Lane, at that time surrounded by fields.

It's a tranquil setting for a walk or a run, the paths are well-maintained and there is a lot of open space. It has a children’s play area, outdoor gym, and a basketball practice goal. There isn’t a café or toilets, also there’s no car park. We found space to park on a nearby street. It’s open from 7.30 am to dusk. I wouldn’t make a point of going there specially, but if you are in the area, it’s a good place for a peaceful walk.

I found this picture in the Harrow Observer, from 1953, of the park at dusk. There’s no explanation about why the photo is in the paper, but the park doesn’t seem to have changed much in the meantime, except for the updating of the playground equipment. But, after editing to enhance it as much as I could, which wasn’t easy to do with a screenshot of a photocopy, it seems to show a disembodied pair of legs wearing cowboy boots, standing among the trees. That wasn’t there when we visited, I’d have noticed because I always spy out the land for troublemakers, gigglers and gawpers. One re-examination of the caption in newspaper, the legs seem to belong to one of the park keepers. I assume he had a top half as well, unless he only worked part time. 

Judith Field

Priestmead Recreation Ground,76 Kingshill Drive, Harrow HA3 8QB.