Description
Pinkwell Park is on the site of former fields north of Pinkwell Farm and once part of the extensive Dawley estate. The recreation ground was laid out when the Bourne Farm Estate housing development was built from the 1930s onwards between the railway, Dawley Road and Pinkwell Lane. The park was transferred to Hayes & Harlington UDC on 1 January 1937. It suffered bomb damage in October 1940.
Practical Information
| Site location | Pinkwell Lane/Carnarvon Drive/Waltham Avenue |
|---|---|
| Postcode | UB3 1TF |
| What3Words | ///rating.trick.atomic |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | playground, skateboard area, sports pitch, bowling |
| Public Transport | Rail: Hayes & Harlington then bus. Bus: U4. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Land in the area was once part of the extensive former estate of Dawley, a Manor referred in the Domesday Book in 1086, once a grand house with parkland and gardens. The house was between the Great Western Railway and the Grand Junction Canal both of which cut across the estate. The name Pinkwell comes from a small pond of the same name that may be of ancient origin, marked as Pinkwell on a farm estate plan of 1767, where Frogs Ditch starts and in the south of the former Dawley estate. The recreation ground was laid out before WWII when the Bourne Farm Estate housing development was built by George Wimpey & Co. Ltd from the 1930s onwards, between the railway, Dawley Road and Pinkwell Lane. The park was transferred to Hayes and Harlington Urban District Council on 1 January 1937. The park suffered bomb damage in October 1940.
Pinkwell Park is a square dominated by central grass used as a sports field, with playgrounds, skateboard area, bowling green and with perimeter paths. There are some older trees as well as more recent planting, including Acer Platonoides 'Emerald Green'. To the north is a low raised terrace with stone steps to a strip of lawn with shrub planting and trees including Tulip trees fronted by a yew hedge. A modern pavilion here has much graffiti.
Pinkwell Park is a square dominated by central grass used as a sports field, with playgrounds, skateboard area, bowling green and with perimeter paths. There are some older trees as well as more recent planting, including Acer Platonoides 'Emerald Green'. To the north is a low raised terrace with stone steps to a strip of lawn with shrub planting and trees including Tulip trees fronted by a yew hedge. A modern pavilion here has much graffiti.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ083790 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.52 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hillingdon |
| Site Management | Green Spaces Team; Friends of Pinkwell Park |
| Dates | 1930s |
| 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 | No |
| 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
In July 1936 Hayes and Harlington UDC acquired this land for use as a burial ground. Cherry Lane Cemetery was opened in 1936 with the first burial taking place in 1937, and an additional portion was consecrated in May 1944. It is so called because the former name of Shepiston Lane was Cherry Lane. Within the cemetery is the EMI Memorial commemorating 37 people who died when a bomb landed on the EMI factory in Hayes in WWII.
Harlington is referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086 and St Peter and St Paul's Church is the old parish church. Harlington Manor had various owners including Ambrose Coppinger who entertained Queen Elizabeth I here in 1602. The monuments in the churchyard are mainly C19th. A fine old yew tree to the south was the subject of elaborate topiary until 1825 and there is another ancient yew to the north and a yew walk on the west axis. In 1871 an extension of the churchyard was established to the west by Harlington Burial Board.
Victoria Lane Burial Ground was established in 1871 by Harlington Burial Board at the same time as the extension to St Peter and St Paul's Churchyard was made. There are railings at the entrance and various monuments, with a number of conifers planted, and a rough path leads from the entrance centrally towards the middle of the cemetery.