Description
In 1935 Ealing Council purchased a site of over 12 acres of former farmland to create Jubilee Park and Jubilee Gardens, named for King George V's Silver Jubilee. The smaller area for Jubilee Gardens included an Arts and Crafts style Branch Library and Welfare Centre, with pleasure gardens having a lodge and WC, trees, flower beds and a shelter. The remaining area was laid out as a recreation ground with playground, provision for sport, paths, two shelters and tree planting. A pair of large black Italian poplar trees in the park pre-date the municipal layout.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Jubilee Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Jubilee Gardens/Somerset Road, Southall |
| Postcode | UB1 |
| What3Words | ///bigger.rival.junior |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Ealing |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Greenford, Southall then bus. Tube: Greenford (Central then bus. Bus: 95, 105. |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The land here had previously been farmland belonging to Sparrow Farm and Waxlow Manor Farm, the latter recalled in the nearby Waxlow Crescent. In 1935 Ealing Council purchased 12.24 acres to create Jubilee Park and Jubilee Gardens, so-named in commemoration of King George V's Silver Jubilee. The 2.51-acre Jubilee Gardens site to the south included an area set aside for a new Branch Library to serve the northern part of the borough as well as a Branch Maternity and Child Welfare Centre, with proposed pleasure gardens having a lodge and WC, with trees, flower beds and a shelter. The remaining 9.73 acres were to be laid out as a recreation ground with playground, provision for football, hockey and cricket, pathways, two shelters and tree planting. The tender for the work was not passed until February 1937 when Tarran Industries Ltd won the contract to build the library, welfare centre, lodge, shelters, toilet and fencing for £12,962.
The Jubilee Gardens Health Clinic and the Jubilee Gardens Library were opened by the Mayor of Ealing on 28 May 1938. The lodge has an Arts and Crafts style steeply pitched tile roof. The park is hedged from surrounding houses on all sides, except along its main entrance on Jubilee Gardens, which retains 1930s railings and Arts and Crafts style gate piers; just beyond this is a circular cobbled roundabout.
In one corner of the park is a pair of large black Italian poplars, which pre-date the municipal layout. Tree planting is predominantly near the main entrance and includes ornamental species and conifers, with two areas of shrubbery and paths, separated from the main park by a beech hedge. A path runs from an entrance off Somerset Road, which halfway down opens out onto a rectangular tarmaced area.
The Jubilee Gardens Health Clinic and the Jubilee Gardens Library were opened by the Mayor of Ealing on 28 May 1938. The lodge has an Arts and Crafts style steeply pitched tile roof. The park is hedged from surrounding houses on all sides, except along its main entrance on Jubilee Gardens, which retains 1930s railings and Arts and Crafts style gate piers; just beyond this is a circular cobbled roundabout.
In one corner of the park is a pair of large black Italian poplars, which pre-date the municipal layout. Tree planting is predominantly near the main entrance and includes ornamental species and conifers, with two areas of shrubbery and paths, separated from the main park by a beech hedge. A path runs from an entrance off Somerset Road, which halfway down opens out onto a rectangular tarmaced area.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ132815 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.5 |
| Site Ownership | LB Ealing |
| Site Management | Leisure & Parks Service |
| Dates | 1935-1938 |
| 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
Greenford Park Cemetery was opened as a private cemetery, later taken over by Greenford Council. It was laid out on former farmland on the west side of Brent Valley, with a grid of paths leading to a small chapel in the centre. It was declared open for interments 'at exceptionally low charges' in January 1902; in 1905 it was agreed that Hanwell parishioners could be buried there. The gravestones are set in mown grass, with some ornamental trees and shrubs as well as larger trees including horse chestnut, sycamore, Lombardy poplar and willow.
King George's Playing Field is so-named from the funding received by Southall Borough Council from the King George's Fields Foundation, which was set up as a memorial following the King's death in 1936. The playing field has the original metal gates with brick gate piers and heraldic stone plaques commemorating King George. The Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch) runs along the western boundary and to the north is the ground of Southall Cricket Club, founded in 1887.
Now called Spikes Bridge Park, the Municipal Sports Ground in Southall was opened on 24 July 1937 by Lord Farringdon and provided facilities for bowls, cricket and tennis. Its original gates, which had a striking 1930s design, are no longer in place although the massive brick gate piers remain, now with bland gates of more recent date. The park is separated by a hedge from the Grand Union Canal on its western boundary.