Description
Norwood Green is a triangular area that was once common land of the old village of Norwood, centred on the parish church of St Mary's. By 1800 there were 40 houses around the green, and it is now surrounded by mainly 1930s housing. Norwood Green Cricket Club was founded in 1867 and had free use of the Green. By 1935 there were 2 children's swings and football pitches were marked out in summer. The Green remains bordered by trees, which were formerly elm trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | Norwood Green Road/Norwood Road/Tentelow Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | UB2 5QT |
| What3Words | ///pushes.plant.lift |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Ealing |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground, toilet |
| Public Transport | Rail: Southall then bus. Bus: 120. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Norwood Green is a large triangular open space bordered by mature trees, which until the 1950s included elms. It was once common land of the old village of Norwood, centred on the parish church of St Mary's (q.v.) nearby. By 1800 there were 40 houses around the Green but it is now predominantly surrounded by 1930s housing. The area was largely agricultural until the latter part of the C19th. Norwood Green Cricket Club was founded in 1867 and had free use of the Green. There are also references to a Workmen's Cricket Club playing here in 1894. By 1935, the Green had 2 children's swings and football pitches were marked out in summer. The north side of the Green has some interesting Georgian town houses, The Grange and Friars Lawn, while to the west is a new block in the vernacular revival style of architect Charles Voysey. Norwood Hall (q.v.) is also situated near the Green, designed by Sir John Soane.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ132784 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.93 |
| Site Ownership | LB Ealing |
| Site Management | Leisure & Parks Service |
| Listed Structures | LBII: The Grange, Friars Lawn |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Green (TVG11 - 2 parts) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Ealing |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Norwood Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaelogical Interest Area |
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
Before becoming Norwood Parish Church in 1859, St Mary the Virgin was originally a chapel of ease within the large parish of Hayes and under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury until 1846. Henry Chichele, Archbishop in 1414, provided money to restore the chapel in 1439 and gave the octagonal font; a stone cross commemorating him was erected in the churchyard in 1894. Victims of the plague of 1665 were buried in the churchyard, and among the monuments is a fine C19th sarcophagus to the Robins family of neighbouring Norwood Hall. The area was largely agricultural until the late C19th and the large village green and some old buildings, including the parish church, remain to mark the old village centre.
Initially called Norwood Lodge, Norwood Hall was designed by Sir John Soane for John Robins and built in 1801-3. Later occupants, the Unwin family, made alterations to the house. It had extensive grounds, including a walled garden and orchards, with pleasure gardens laid out in mid-Victorian gardenesque style separated from the grazing lands by a ha-ha. From the 1920s all but 19 acres of the estate were sold off for housing development and in 1945 the Unwins sold the house and remaining land to Middlesex County Council. In 1955 it became Norwood Hall Institute of Horticultural Education, instructing students in both theory and practice of gardening, with plants grown on 2 acres of the site. It later became part of Ealing Tertiary College. The site was purchased by Sri Guru Sabha Gurdwara, in order to build Khalsa Primary School, Norwood Hall to be restored.
There has been a church at Heston since the time of the Norman Conquest, and it was formerly part of the Manor of Isleworth until the separate manor was established in the C13th. The medieval church of St Leonard's was rebuilt in 1866, although the porch is Tudor, and the tower may be C13th. The oak lych-gate dates from c.1450. A stained glass window in the church commemorates Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, and in the churchyard her childhood nurse is buried. Among other famous people buried here is botanist Sir Joseph Banks. The old churchyard extends to Heston Cemetery, making it one of the largest churchyards in the country.