Description
Named after E B Montesole, a Councillor and resident of Pinner, Montesoles Playing Field or Recreation Ground is on land acquired by the local Council for recreational use in 1935. A wooded area to the north contains a section of the ancient Grim's Dyke as well as remains of C19th chalk pits. Chalk extraction took place in Pinner from medieval times.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Montesoles Playing Field |
|---|---|
| Site location | Montesole Court Grove/Uxbridge Road, Pinner Green |
| Postcode | HA5 |
| What3Words | ///orange.bland.intent |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Harrow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Children's play area, football and soccer pitches, cricket square, tennis courts, multi-use court, basketball practice goal, car park |
| Public Transport | Tube: Pinner (Metropolitan) then bus. Bus: H12, H13 |
| Research Updated | 1 January 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The park is on land acquired by the local Council for recreational use in 1935 and is named after E B Montesole, a Councillor and resident of Pinner. He was dedicated to preserving the open spaces of the area and helped achieve their legal protection in the 1930s when the land here was under threat from housing development. The park gates on Montesole Court were erected to commemorate another local Councillor, Thomas Arthur Ellement, who was one of the first Aldermen of the new Borough of Harrow, who died on 23 May 1957.
At the top of the site, just north of the Playing Field, is a wooded area in which there are a number of mature oak trees that contains a section of the ancient Grim's Dyke earthworks, as well as the remains of Pinner's old chalk pits. Chalk extraction had been dug from the surface from mediaeval times for agricultural and building purposes but by the C19th deeper extraction began with pits from 25 to 120 feet below the surface dug in Pinner and Northwood. The Bodimeade family had begun their brick and tile works in Weald in the C17th within the area of Harrow Weald Common (q.v.) and their descendants the Blackwell family had the majority of the chalk works in Pinner.
At the top of the site, just north of the Playing Field, is a wooded area in which there are a number of mature oak trees that contains a section of the ancient Grim's Dyke earthworks, as well as the remains of Pinner's old chalk pits. Chalk extraction had been dug from the surface from mediaeval times for agricultural and building purposes but by the C19th deeper extraction began with pits from 25 to 120 feet below the surface dug in Pinner and Northwood. The Bodimeade family had begun their brick and tile works in Weald in the C17th within the area of Harrow Weald Common (q.v.) and their descendants the Blackwell family had the majority of the chalk works in Pinner.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ114903 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 8.09 |
| Site Ownership | LB Harrow |
| Site Management | Environmental Services, Parks Services |
| Dates | 1935 |
| Listed Structures | Grim's Dyke: SAM |
| 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 | Yes - Boro Importance II (see note) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Grim's Dyke: Area of Archaeological Priority |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space. NCA: Chalk pit/Grim's Dyke |
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
Now privately owned, the houses of Waxwell Close and their communal garden were built as artisans' cottages for low wage earners at the behest of Reginald Brightman, the owner of nearby Waxwell Farmhouse. The early C17th Waxwell Farmhouse had become the home of Captain and Mrs Trotter by the 1890s, who converted the house and laid out beautiful gardens. The plot that was laid out as Waxwell Close was purchased in 1915 by Mrs Trotter, whose heir Brightman was.
Developed as a public park in the late 1960s/early '70s, Little Common is a remnant of the common that used to stretch from Pinner Hill. A semi-circular entranceway from Elm Park Road with brick piers and ornamental gates leads to a shrub-lined drive into the park, which has perimeter paths, and a playground in a wooded area. An elaborate path network can be seen among the trees, presumably a remnant of the original layout. From another entrance a public footpath links Waxwell Lane, via the Dell, to Elm Park Road.
Pinner Recreation Ground was laid out by the early 1930s on former agricultural land to the south of the railway line constructed by the Metropolitan Railway Company in 1885, later becoming the Metropolitan and Great Central Joint Railway. By the 1960s the recreation ground had a shelter in the south corner, and toilets and a drinking fountain in the north-east by the entrance on West End Lane.