Description
Prior to being laid out as a park, the area was fields. There was a proposal to purchase land north of Cleveland Road and east of Argyle Road for an extension of Pitshanger Park in 1914. However it was not until 1926 that the Town Council applied to the Ministry of Health to approve borrowing to purchase land north of Cleveland Road for a recreation ground. The small rectangular park is on sloping ground with good views north over Pitshanger Park and beyond.
Practical Information
| Site location | Cleveland Road/Scotch Common |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W13 |
| What3Words | ///fans.price.plug |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Ealing |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: West Ealing/Ealing Broadway then bus. Tube: Ealing Broadway (District, Central) then bus. Bus: 297, E7, E2, E9/ |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Prior to being laid out as a park, the area was fields. There was a proposal to purchase 12 acres of land north of Cleveland Road and east of Argyle Road for an extension of Pitshanger Park in 1914, and Ealing Town Council agreed to offer landowners £750 an acre. However it was not until 1926 that the Town Council applied to the Ministry of Health to approve borrowing of £14,386 to purchase land north of Cleveland Road for a recreation ground. On OS maps of 1935 the current layout of paths in the form of a cross with a central point, and a further path running north to south along the eastern boundary existed, with a small shelter half way down the eastern side. The small rectangular park is on sloping ground with good views north over Pitshanger Park and beyond, largely grassed; the circular bed has roses surrounded by a broken circle of shrubs including ceanothus and privet. The eastern edge of the park has a shrubbery boundary and seating along its length. The south is bounded by railings over a low concrete wall with brick piers and has the main entrance with wrought iron gates of a similar style to the railings/piers at Dean Gardens (q.v.). Along this southern edge of the park are ornamental flower beds. The west edge to Argyle Road has hawthorn hedging. Throughout the park are various trees, one or two of which are mature, including willow. A notice board in the south west corner has information about the Brent River Park, which encompasses a number of green spaces including Cleveland Park.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ164817 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.95 |
| Site Ownership | LB Ealing |
| Site Management | Leisure & Parks Service |
| Dates | 1926 |
| 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 | Ealing |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Within Brent River Park Boundary |
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
The area was once part of the estate of Pitshanger Manor Farm. The old manor house, usually referred to as Pitshanger Farmhouse, had stood near the centre of the modern Meadvale Road, but was demolished in 1908. Ealing Town Council acquired land for the public park in January and April 1905, adding further land in 1913. By 1914 this was laid out with a bowling green, tennis courts, cricket pitches, a perimeter path planted with horse chestnuts, and other paths leading to the entrance off Pitshanger Lane. In 1976 Pitshanger Park became part of the Brent River Park following proposals by the Brent River and Canal Society, which was established in 1973 to set up a linear park and improve the Brent Valley river corridor.
Drayton Green was a small hamlet in the parish of Ealing, with commonland surrounded by a few large properties but otherwise remaining quite rural until the late C19th, when housing increasingly encroached the area's open space. As a result of the 1866 Metropolitan Commons Act, Ealing Local Board was able to purchase various areas of common land for public open space, including 4 acres of former commonland at Drayton Green. By 1932 a large oval running track had been laid out here and a children's playground existed by the 1950s.
Cuckoo Avenue is an avenue of horse chestnuts planted as the approach to the Central London District Schools, built in 1856/7 on the north-east part of the once extensive Hanwell Park estate, whose remaining land and mansion were sold off from 1884. The school housed up to 1,000 disadvantaged children; Charlie Chaplin was once a pupil. By 1900 it covered 140 acres, with its own well, sewage and gas works, supplied with produce farmed on the land. It closed in 1933 and most buildings were demolished apart from the central block, later converted into Hanwell Community Centre. The LCC Cuckoo Estate was built in 1933-39 on former school land with houses along Cuckoo Avenue, which became a double carriageway. Land behind the Community Centre became Cuckoo Park providing recreational facilities for the estate, with a small rest garden in front of the building that was restored in 1991.