Description
Byron Recreation Ground is named after Lord Byron who was educated at Harrow School. The original layout of the park included a pavilion and bandstand, no longer in existence. It has tarmac paths around its perimeter and various walks, with trees, shrubberies and some formal beds near the entrance. A line of Lombardy poplars marks the eastern boundary of the park along the iron railings abutting Wealdstone Cemetery.
Practical Information
| Site location | Peel Road/Belmont Road/Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone |
|---|---|
| Postcode | HA3 7QX |
| What3Words | ///discouraged.happen.fills |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Harrow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Playground, football pitches, tennis courts, skateboard park, basketball goal, bowling green next to Leisure Centre |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Rail/Tube (Bakerloo): Harrow & Wealdstone. Bus: H10 |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Byron Recreation Ground was probably laid out at around the same time as Wealdstone Cemetery (q.v.), which opened in 1902, since the entrance gates to both have brick and stone banded gate piers and gates, and the gatehouse at the entrance of the park was originally the Cemetery Superintendent's residence. The station was opened as Harrow Station in 1837 when Wealdstone was still a village, and the area to the west of the recreation ground was developed gradually from the 1850s as Harrow Park estate was laid out. Industrial development began in the late C19th with the suburban housing accelerating from the interwar period. The original layout of the park included a pavilion and bandstand, no longer in existence. The park has tarmac paths around its perimeter and various walks, with trees, shrubberies and some formal beds near the entrance. A line of Lombardy poplars is along the iron railings abutting Wealdstone Cemetery on the eastern boundary of the park.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ161896 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 17.08 |
| Site Ownership | LB Harrow |
| Site Management | Environmental Services, Parks Services |
| Dates | early C20th |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Harrow |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Wealdstone Cemetery was established by Roxeth Burial Board in 1902, the first burial taking place on 8 November in that year. The boundary with Byron Recreation Ground is hedged, and the cemetery's original stone and brick banded gate piers and entrance gates are of the same design as those at the recreation ground entrance. The Cemetery Superintendent's house was originally the gatehouse at the entrance to the recreation ground on Stuart Road. Serpentine tarmaced paths run through the cemetery, which has some scattered trees and a number of flower beds, with gravestones and monuments set in grass.
Priestmead Recreation Ground is a small park laid out by the late 1930s when this previously rural area was rapidly built over in the interwar period. It is largely grass with some trees and areas of shrubbery. The entrance gates appear to be of the original date. The name is taken from a property that existed to the south called Priestmead, which is marked on C19th maps by Kenton Lane, at that time surrounded by fields.
Up to 1920 Kenton remained a small village but it grew rapidly as housing was built, largely as a result of the railway coming to the area. Laid out c.1920s, pre-WWII Kenton Recreation Ground was smaller, the north-west corner then being taken up with Wealdstone Sewage Farm, and part of the site was a Council rubbish tip.