Description
The park is named after the original use of the land as lammas land where tenants of the manor could graze their cattle following harvest. In 1881 c.23 acres were purchased by Ealing Local Board when it was feared that it might be lost as open space; compensation was paid to those who lost their rights. Lammas Park opened in 1883 and was subsequently extended west to Northfield Lane by arrangement with the Elers Estate, and a lodge was built at the new entrance. By 1907 there were 2 bowling greens, shelters for the bowling club and cricketers, and a 'tea chalet' for those playing tennis and croquet, with 19 lawn tennis courts and 4 croquet lawns by 1911. The park once had a bandstand and over 50 flower beds, mostly removed by 1958. In January 1949 a small War Memorial was erected by the Boy Scouts near the South Lodge entrance.
Practical Information
| Site location | Culmington Road/Elers Road/Windemere Road/Northfield Avenue, Ealing |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W13 |
| What3Words | ///news.votes.darker |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Ealing |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Tennis courts, croquet pitch, bowling greens, playground and Playcentre, junior football pitch, nature area. |
| Events | Various |
| Public Transport | Tube: South Ealing, Northfields (Piccadilly). Bus: E2, E3, 65. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Lammas land refers to land on which tenants of the manor in medieval times were allowed to graze their cattle after harvest from Lammas Day on 1 August. Around 23 acres of Lammas lands here were purchased by Ealing Local Board in 1881 when the Borough Surveyor, Charles Jones, feared that it might be lost as open space. When the park first opened there were still cows grazing here and the Local Board only purchased the rights in the 1890s. The eventual cost was c.£220 per acre, which included £100 per acre paid as compensation to those who lost their Lammas rights.
The park was opened on 1 August 1883 and was subsequently extended west to Northfield Lane by arrangement with the Elers Estate, when a lodge was built on the new entrance. Ealing Council's report for 1907 reported that a new bowling green had been opened, with plans for a further one to be provided in 1908; shelters had been built for the bowling club, cricketers and a 'tea chalet' for those playing tennis, which was so popular that provision was being made in 1908 to add 8 additional tennis courts and 2 croquet lawns. The park also had a bandstand and over 50 flower beds. By 1911 there were 19 lawn tennis courts, 4 croquet lawns, 2 bowling greens and 3 cricket pitches.
In 1927, the park was described in glowing terms by Mrs Jackson, author of 'The Annals of Ealing': 'Beautiful old trees, flowering shrubs, green lawns and charming borders, delight the eye at every turn; but, beautiful as they are, are but the fine setting to the youthful beauty and grace of Ealing's boys and girls enjoying themselves in the nineteen large tennis courts, while the quieter atmosphere of the bowling greens, putting greens, and croquet hoops attract according to their popularity locally.' In January 1949 a small War Memorial was erected near the South Lodge entrance by the Boy Scouts, dedicated by the Rector of Hanwell.
The Ealing Parks Department Depot was situated on an area to the north of Lammas Park before World War II, with its own glasshouses, but by 1958 most of the park's flower beds had been removed. When Ealing, Southall and Acton merged as the London Borough of Ealing in the 1960s, the new Council built its main nursery in Southall and the Depot in Lammas Park was no longer needed. The glasshouses were destroyed in c.1972, when the park's bandstand was also demolished, although the Depot yard continued to be used as a store until 1994 when it finally closed, largely as a result of reduced staffing following Compulsory Competitive Tendering legislation. However, plans for a nature conservation area here were prepared by the Borough Landscape Architects, and this opened on 26 June 1998, a peaceful area accessible from the Playcentre, containing a wildlife garden, with a pond and bridge.
Overall the park's design is much more modest than that of Walpole Park (q.v.). Culmington Road is lined with mature London plane trees and there are also groups of plane and one or two oaks dotted with Corsican pine, as well as shrubs. A horse chestnut walk leads from East Lodge into the park, cast iron gates and wire mesh fencing. In the east of the park are tennis courts.
The park was opened on 1 August 1883 and was subsequently extended west to Northfield Lane by arrangement with the Elers Estate, when a lodge was built on the new entrance. Ealing Council's report for 1907 reported that a new bowling green had been opened, with plans for a further one to be provided in 1908; shelters had been built for the bowling club, cricketers and a 'tea chalet' for those playing tennis, which was so popular that provision was being made in 1908 to add 8 additional tennis courts and 2 croquet lawns. The park also had a bandstand and over 50 flower beds. By 1911 there were 19 lawn tennis courts, 4 croquet lawns, 2 bowling greens and 3 cricket pitches.
In 1927, the park was described in glowing terms by Mrs Jackson, author of 'The Annals of Ealing': 'Beautiful old trees, flowering shrubs, green lawns and charming borders, delight the eye at every turn; but, beautiful as they are, are but the fine setting to the youthful beauty and grace of Ealing's boys and girls enjoying themselves in the nineteen large tennis courts, while the quieter atmosphere of the bowling greens, putting greens, and croquet hoops attract according to their popularity locally.' In January 1949 a small War Memorial was erected near the South Lodge entrance by the Boy Scouts, dedicated by the Rector of Hanwell.
The Ealing Parks Department Depot was situated on an area to the north of Lammas Park before World War II, with its own glasshouses, but by 1958 most of the park's flower beds had been removed. When Ealing, Southall and Acton merged as the London Borough of Ealing in the 1960s, the new Council built its main nursery in Southall and the Depot in Lammas Park was no longer needed. The glasshouses were destroyed in c.1972, when the park's bandstand was also demolished, although the Depot yard continued to be used as a store until 1994 when it finally closed, largely as a result of reduced staffing following Compulsory Competitive Tendering legislation. However, plans for a nature conservation area here were prepared by the Borough Landscape Architects, and this opened on 26 June 1998, a peaceful area accessible from the Playcentre, containing a wildlife garden, with a pond and bridge.
Overall the park's design is much more modest than that of Walpole Park (q.v.). Culmington Road is lined with mature London plane trees and there are also groups of plane and one or two oaks dotted with Corsican pine, as well as shrubs. A horse chestnut walk leads from East Lodge into the park, cast iron gates and wire mesh fencing. In the east of the park are tennis courts.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ173798 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 10.12 |
| Site Ownership | LB Ealing |
| Site Management | Leisure & Parks Service |
| Dates | 1881-3 |
| Designers | Charles Jones, Borough Surveyor |
| 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 |
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
Ealing dates back to a Saxon settlement, and there was a church in the centre of the old village from at least 1130. The medieval church was rebuilt in 1735-40, after the old church collapsed having suffered damage in the Civil War. It was remodelled in the 1860s when a more significant church was needed to reflect the growing importance of the district, now that Ealing was a town. The church and its immediate churchyard are reached through a picturesque lych-gate, with the area at the front laid out as a garden with grave slabs and a number of chest tombs, and the area behind having numerous monuments. The graveyard is in two parts, separated by a footpath with a roughly triangular area with a few tombstones to the east. In 2014 a project to renew the eastern churchyard grounds and create a more welcoming and accessible space was completed, with funding from a number of sources, including the Pocket Parks initiative.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Walpole Park is the former grounds of the C18th Pitzhanger Manor, which from 1800-09 was the country residence of Sir John Soane who redesigned the house and had the gardens remodelled. The setting remained largely rural until the mid C19th, one of a number of detached villas built along Ealing Green. It was later purchased by Spencer Walpole MP, remaining in his family until 1900, and then sold to Ealing UDC. The grounds opened as a public park in May 1901, the house becoming a library and later a museum. Remnants of the C18th landscape include a Cedar on the west lawn, the site of the kitchen garden, and a number of trees in the park. The house largely dates from Soane's time, with a number of his built structures such as the main entrance and rustic bridge. Ealing Borough Surveyor Charles Jones made alterations to the building and redesigned elements of the grounds when it became a public park. A long elongated lake was constructed in 1904/5, on the site of an earlier fishpond. Pitzhanger Manor has been restored as part of a substantial programme with HLF funding, which included improvements to the immediate landscaping and kitchen garden.
Walpole Park is the former grounds of the C18th Pitzhanger Manor, which from 1800-09 was the country residence of Sir John Soane who redesigned the house and had the gardens remodelled. The setting remained largely rural until the mid C19th, one of a number of detached villas built along Ealing Green. It was later purchased by Spencer Walpole MP, remaining in his family until 1900, and then sold to Ealing UDC. The grounds opened as a public park in May 1901, the house becoming a library and later a museum. Remnants of the C18th landscape include a Cedar on the west lawn, the site of the kitchen garden, and a number of trees in the park. The house largely dates from Soane's time, with a number of his built structures such as the main entrance and rustic bridge. Ealing Borough Surveyor Charles Jones made alterations to the building and redesigned elements of the grounds when it became a public park. A long elongated lake was constructed in 1904/5, on the site of an earlier fishpond. Pitzhanger Manor has been restored as part of a substantial programme with HLF funding, which included improvements to the immediate landscaping and kitchen garden.
Ealing was a large village by the late C18th, having become a popular rural retreat for the wealthy during the C17th, although few of their houses survive apart from Pitzhanger Manor, built by Sir John Soane and now restored. An open green space crossed by paths with a number of mature trees, the commonland of Ealing Green was the site of the 3-day Ealing Fair each June until 1880. It was acquired by Ealing Local Board in 1878, along with other common land in the parish. In 1863, the year the Local Board was set up, Ealing Green was the venue for celebrations for the Prince of Wales's marriage to Princess Alexandra and in 1902 the new Ealing Council approved the planting of a tree to commemorate the Coronation and the first Mayoral Year. Ealing War Memorial faces the Green, dedicated in 1921.
