Description
Named after the Duke of Chandos of Canons, Chandos Recreation Ground was laid out pre-war on a hilly site and is criss-crossed by paths, some of which are lined with avenues of trees. The original gates remain and at the entrances are shrubbery beds and some formal beds. A brick pavilion with mock-Tudor triangular pediment is situated at the top plateau of the recreation ground, in front of which is a tarmaced terrace leading to grass and a strip of flower beds that overlooks the landscape, with a short central flight of steps set into low brick wall. Chandos Park has recently undergone significant renovations as part of the Action for Silk Stream project, enhancing its natural beauty and facilities for the local community.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Chandos Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | Methuen Road/Merlin Crescent/Camrose Avenue, Little Stanmore |
| Postcode | HA8 6BX |
| What3Words | ///legal.truth.event |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Harrow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playgrounds, tennis courts (see website for booking details), table tennis, football field, cricket pitch, Green Gym, car park. |
| Events | Children's activity trail; various events: see Chandos Park Community Group website |
| Public Transport | Tube: Edgware (Northern); Canons Park/Queensbury (Jubilee) then bus. Bus: 288 |
| Research Updated | 10 June 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The site is part of the Duke of Chandos' C18th Canons estate, which is now the public park, Canons Park (q.v.).
Chandos Park Community Group was set up in 2015 by a group of unpaid volunteers and works closely with Harrow Council to represent local park users, supports improvements and keeps the park clean, safe and welcoming. Through daily volunteer efforts, community events, and ongoing communication with the Council, CPCG plays a key role in shaping the park's future and bringing the community together.
The park has recently undergone significant renovations as part of the Action for Silk Stream project, enhancing its natural beauty and facilities for the local community. Action for Silk Stream is a partnership project using nature-based solutions to address the impact of climate change on the Silk Stream and its tributaries in North London. The project is working with the communities of Barnet and Harrow to create wetlands, re-meander rivers and re-connect rivers to their flood plains, making space for water in the landscape for the benefit of people and wildlife. In Chandos Park, the Edgware Brook, hidden behind fencing for decades, will be diverted further into the park, with a new channel and sinuous flow paths.
The park facilities currently include two brand-new hard tennis courts, two table tennis tables, a cricket pitch, and a football field, as well as children's playgrounds, providing active facilities such as zip line, obstacle course and multi-user-games-area. Events include tree walks, riverside walks, storytime, Easter Egg hunt, summer events and carol singing. The park pavilion is used by Jolly Time Nursery, a private nursery for children up to 5 years old, which also runs after-school and summer holiday clubs.
Chandos Park Community Group was set up in 2015 by a group of unpaid volunteers and works closely with Harrow Council to represent local park users, supports improvements and keeps the park clean, safe and welcoming. Through daily volunteer efforts, community events, and ongoing communication with the Council, CPCG plays a key role in shaping the park's future and bringing the community together.
The park has recently undergone significant renovations as part of the Action for Silk Stream project, enhancing its natural beauty and facilities for the local community. Action for Silk Stream is a partnership project using nature-based solutions to address the impact of climate change on the Silk Stream and its tributaries in North London. The project is working with the communities of Barnet and Harrow to create wetlands, re-meander rivers and re-connect rivers to their flood plains, making space for water in the landscape for the benefit of people and wildlife. In Chandos Park, the Edgware Brook, hidden behind fencing for decades, will be diverted further into the park, with a new channel and sinuous flow paths.
The park facilities currently include two brand-new hard tennis courts, two table tennis tables, a cricket pitch, and a football field, as well as children's playgrounds, providing active facilities such as zip line, obstacle course and multi-user-games-area. Events include tree walks, riverside walks, storytime, Easter Egg hunt, summer events and carol singing. The park pavilion is used by Jolly Time Nursery, a private nursery for children up to 5 years old, which also runs after-school and summer holiday clubs.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ189910 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 9.41 |
| Site Ownership | LB Harrow |
| Site Management | Environmental Services, Parks Services; Chandos Park Community Group |
| Dates | 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 | Not known |
| 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
In Roman times tile-making was carried out in Stanmore and there are Roman tiles in the fabric of St Lawrence Whitchurch. The C12th church was rebuilt in 1715 by John James for the Duke of Chandos, owner of the Canons estate, although the early C16th west tower remains. It has a fine early C18th baroque interior. Handel was appointed music master at Canons in 1718 and played the church organ. The rustic lych-gate at the entrance of the churchyard was erected to the memory of Dr Findlater and there are some good chest tombs and monuments particularly near the church; the churchyard to the north is open with a few scattered trees.
The village of Edgware developed from medieval times along the old Roman road of Watling Street, now Edgware Road. Church Lane, renamed Station Road in 1931, had been the route to Mill Hill. The old parish church has been much added to over the years but retains its late medieval west tower. The churchyard is bounded by walls; among the tombs is a railed neo-classical sarcophagus for Francis Day (d.1826), whose almshouses were built to the north on Edgware Road. At the western end of the churchyard is Truth Hall built in 1833 as a church school, now the church hall.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Canons Park is a fragment of the great C18th landscape garden laid out for the Duke and Duchess of Chandos. The estate is so-called after the Augustinian canons of St Bartholomew in Smithfield, who owned the Manor of Stanmore in 1086. The estate had various subsequent owners, notably William Hallett who rebuilt the house in 1760, and Sir Thomas Plummer, who may have sought Humphry Repton's advice on the landscape. The last private owner was Sir Arthur du Cros, for whom formal Arts & Crafts style gardens were laid out by Charles Mallows. The estate was eventually broken up in the early C20th, the house and 10 acres of land purchased for North London Collegiate School in 1929. Part of the remainder of the estate was acquired by Harrow Council and became the public park, although land to the east and west was also sold off for building. 85 acres were sold for the Canons Park Estate, which retained features of the earlier landscape, mature trees and two lakes. In the late 1930s the George V Memorial Garden was laid out within the old walled kitchen garden.
Canons Park is a fragment of the great C18th landscape garden laid out for the Duke and Duchess of Chandos. The estate is so-called after the Augustinian canons of St Bartholomew in Smithfield, who owned the Manor of Stanmore in 1086. The estate had various subsequent owners, notably William Hallett who rebuilt the house in 1760, and Sir Thomas Plummer, who may have sought Humphry Repton's advice on the landscape. The last private owner was Sir Arthur du Cros, for whom formal Arts & Crafts style gardens were laid out by Charles Mallows. The estate was eventually broken up in the early C20th, the house and 10 acres of land purchased for North London Collegiate School in 1929. Part of the remainder of the estate was acquired by Harrow Council and became the public park, although land to the east and west was also sold off for building. 85 acres were sold for the Canons Park Estate, which retained features of the earlier landscape, mature trees and two lakes. In the late 1930s the George V Memorial Garden was laid out within the old walled kitchen garden.
