Description
Islip Manor Park was created on the former grounds of Islips Manor, whose history dates back to a C14th estate of the Ruislip family, Ruislips Place. It was renamed Islips Manor when the Lord of Northolt Manor purchased the estate in 1629. In 1853 it was purchased by antiquary George Harris who laid out the grounds and rebuilt the house, which remained in his wife's family after his death in 1890. Ealing Town Council purchased house and grounds in 1929; the house was used as a clinic and the grounds opened as a public park. There are vestiges of the C19th planting, with many fine trees, and the municipal layout included new planting, a bowling green and modest modern flower garden.
Practical Information
| Site location | Eastcote Lane/Mandeville Road/Islip Manor Road/Alderney Gardens, Northolt |
|---|---|
| Postcode | UB5 |
| What3Words | ///humans.hatch.pushed |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Ealing |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Bowls (Northolt Bowls Club), play centre for pre-school children, playground, cricket pitch, basketball and five-a-side area, car park. |
| Public Transport | Tube: Northolt (Central). Bus: 90, 120, 140, 282, 398, E10. |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Islip Manor Park was formerly the grounds of Islips Manor, a quaint, barge-boarded house of 1865, which was built by the antiquary and barrister George Harris on a site where a house had been since medieval times. The Ruislip family had established their estate, Ruislips Place, here in c.1301, which was then renamed Islips Manor when William Pennyfather, Lord of Northolt Manor, purchased it in 1629 and used the house as his manor house. The land was used for farming over the years. George Harris purchased the house in 1853 and spent the next 12 years laying out the grounds and rebuilding the house, which then stayed in his wife's family after his death in 1890; he was buried at Northolt parish churchyard.
Ealing Town Council purchased the house and grounds in 1929, with a loan from the Ministry of Health of £2,063 and contribution of £687 16s by Middlesex County Council. The Ministry also sanctioned a loan of £1,000 for the purchase and allocation of Manor buildings as a health centre for maternity and child welfare and school medical work, as a result of which the house was used as a clinic, but was later boarded up and empty. At the time of the sale, it was described as a 'fair-sized country house together with cultivated gardens and a well-wooded estate of a total extent of 12 acres'.
Off Eastcote Lane, around the drive, there are some good horse chestnuts with yew, box, laurel understorey, also hornbeam and lime. The remainder of the park has vestiges of its C19th planting including a notable Lebanon Cedar west of the house; a pair of horse chestnut, a pair of sycamore and oak, two more oaks, a clump of ash and a number of horse chestnuts around perimeter. Its layout as a public park included new planting on the lawn of Juniper and other ornamental shrubs, a bowling green and modest modern flower garden, the C19th mock-Tudor lodge, wooden pavilion and pretty ticket kiosk. A new play park opened in the park in 2008, with local schoolchildren involved in the design, and with funding from Ealing Council and the Big Lottery Fund. Part of the park is managed for nature conservation.
Ealing Town Council purchased the house and grounds in 1929, with a loan from the Ministry of Health of £2,063 and contribution of £687 16s by Middlesex County Council. The Ministry also sanctioned a loan of £1,000 for the purchase and allocation of Manor buildings as a health centre for maternity and child welfare and school medical work, as a result of which the house was used as a clinic, but was later boarded up and empty. At the time of the sale, it was described as a 'fair-sized country house together with cultivated gardens and a well-wooded estate of a total extent of 12 acres'.
Off Eastcote Lane, around the drive, there are some good horse chestnuts with yew, box, laurel understorey, also hornbeam and lime. The remainder of the park has vestiges of its C19th planting including a notable Lebanon Cedar west of the house; a pair of horse chestnut, a pair of sycamore and oak, two more oaks, a clump of ash and a number of horse chestnuts around perimeter. Its layout as a public park included new planting on the lawn of Juniper and other ornamental shrubs, a bowling green and modest modern flower garden, the C19th mock-Tudor lodge, wooden pavilion and pretty ticket kiosk. A new play park opened in the park in 2008, with local schoolchildren involved in the design, and with funding from Ealing Council and the Big Lottery Fund. Part of the park is managed for nature conservation.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ127843 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.68 |
| Site Ownership | LB Ealing |
| Site Management | Parks & Countryside Service |
| Dates | 1865; 1929 |
| Listed Structures | Islip Manor on draft local list. |
| 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 | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Northolt was once known as Northall, complementing neighbouring Southall. The area was primarily agricultural until the Paddington Canal was built in 1801, stimulating excavation of brick-earth. The parish was originally 3 hamlets, of which only Northolt Village recognisably survives, its Memorial Hall and surrounding greens held under Trust by the villagers following a trust deed set up in 1927. A few buildings remain from the old village and the Green has some prominent trees and a canalised stream running through it. Near the parish church, Northolt Village Rest Garden is laid out with flower beds and lawn, overlooked by the old Willow Cottages.
St Mary the Virgin Church dates from c.1300 although there may have been an earlier church of some sort. The parish originally consisted of 3 hamlets, Northolt Village, West End and Wood End, of which only Northolt recognisably survives. The church, set on top of a small hill overlooking Northolt Village Green, is reached by a lime tree walk from a gate at the bottom. In 1718 a pair of external buttresses were constructed on the west wall as it was feared the church was in danger of falling down the hill. The C14th font was given by Sir Nicholas Brembre or Brember, Lord of the Manor, who was executed at Tyburn under Richard II in 1388. His headless body reputedly haunted his old manor thenceforth on the anniversary of his death. Situated adjacent to the churchyard are notable earthworks of the moated medieval manor house, excavated in the 1950s and '60s.
In 1936 land near St Mary's Church in Northolt was acquired by the MCC and the local council for public open space, which became Belvue Park. Situated adjacent to the parish church are notable earthworks of the moated medieval manor house, excavated in the 1950s and '60s that provided evidence of Saxon occupation. Fragments of Iron Age pottery, as well as Roman roof tiles have also been found at the highest point of the park.