Description
Old Park Wood is ancient woodland with records dating back to the Domesday Book. It was once within the boundaries of Harefield Park, an old estate whose early-mid C18th house later became the site of Harefield Hospital. The entrance on Hill End Road has remnants of the former gates and driveway, now ending in fields. The wood contains a large area of ancient woodland with mature oaks, birch and other species, and has good displays of bluebells in spring.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Harefield Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | Summerhouse Lane/Hill End Road via footpaths; Belfry Avenue off Park Lane, Mount Pleasant |
| Postcode | UB9 |
| What3Words | ///chains.wipes.office |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Northwood (Metropolitan) |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1680 it is marked as Harvill Park. It is partly in LB Hillingdon and partly outside Greater London, and is managed by Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust as a Nature Reserve and SSSI. A public footpath runs from Summerhouse Lane to Hill End Road and there is access from Harefield Hospital and Belfry Avenue.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ049913 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 24 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hillingdon / Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust |
| Site Management | Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust |
| Dates | ancient woodland |
| 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 | Hillingdon |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | SSSI and Nature Reserve |
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
Harefield Hospital was built in the 1930s as the county sanatorium for sufferers of TB in the grounds of the early-mid C18th Harefield Park, whose vestigial garden and fragment of parkland remain. The house is now used as the hospital's staff centre. There is a good cedar on the lawn and holm oak. Intrusive tennis courts have been built between the house and two formal ponds; the Lakeside Garden was restored in 1994. The Ha-ha remains, albeit in poor condition and there are remnants of deer park boundary bank and ditch. The walled garden has remains of old glasshouses.
Harefield existed as an early settlement and its village green is one of 11 registered commons and former village greens in Hillingdon. The land was part of the Manor of Harefield, which remained in the ownership of the Newdigate family from C16th-C20th. Following the Enclosures Act of 1813, the 4-acre site was provided for the recreation of the inhabitants of the village. Harefield Village Green is largely open grass with perimeter trees and a pond on the south-east corner, near which is the War Memorial. In the north corner is the Harefield 2000 Memorial showing a hare within a globe that depicts the British Isles and Australia, with which Harefield has strong links.
Harefield Grove is an early C19th house, whose grounds were landscaped by J B Papworth for W Flower in 1826. They contained a series of lakes one of which has a cascade, and numerous mature trees. The house was converted as offices in 1984-5 and occupied by Initial Services, but is now in process of development as 90 luxury apartments by Comer Homes Group.