Park of the week

187. Gunnersbury Park

Gunnersbury Park is a large, attractively landscaped park in Ealing, in which there are two interesting wildlife areas and a historic manor house.

The name Gunnersbury derives from Gunylda, the niece of King Canute, who lived there until her banishment from England in 1044. The manor later belonged to the Bishop of London. 

The park is on the site of the former 18th Century estate with formal gardens, developed by Princess Amelia (the second daughter of George II) in 1761, as her summer residence. It was extended by Baron Lionel de Rothschild and his family in the 19th and early 20th Centuries when it was renowned for its gardens. 

In 1925, part of the estate, including the large and small mansions and garden buildings, were purchased by the boroughs of Acton and Ealing. It opened to the public in May 1926 and although its horticultural features were kept, there was a growing emphasis on sports and recreation and the facilities including a bowling green, golf course and playground. In 1929, the mansion house was converted into an exhibition space for local history and archaeology, costume and fine art, as the Gunnersbury Park Museum. A number of earlier landscape features are still there, including three ponds, Princess Amelia's Bath House, the Japanese and Italian Gardens. 

The site contains two spots of nature interest. The Potomac Pond is fringed with trees and has a wooded island. The area around Princess Amelia's Bath House provides rough grassland, scrub and tall flowers, and ferns grow on the walls. Mature trees in other parts of the park support breeding birds such as goldcrest, nuthatch and treecreeper.
The park is the site of a sports hub. There’s also a community garden, playground, café, toilets, football and rugby pitches, cricket square, tennis courts, athletic track, bowling greens, 9-hole golf course, children's pitch & putt, and car parks. 

The Round Pond has been used for boating since the 18th century. The temple on one shore was built for Princess Amelia, who used it as a place of entertainment.

At one time, the Rothschilds kept flamingos on the pond, as part of their collection of exotic animals. There are pedalos at the pond for hire in the summer months.

Judith Field

Gunnersbury Park, Popes Lane, London W3 8LQ