Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | West End Lane, Pinner |
|---|---|
| Postcode | HA5 |
| What3Words | ///stole.public.grab |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Harrow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Children's play area |
| Public Transport | Tube: Pinner (Metropolitan). |
| Research Updated | 1 January 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The area around the small hamlet of West End was predominantly rural until the 1920s and West End Lane was an old roadway marked on earlier maps linking the hamlet to Pinnergreen in the north. The arrival of the railway in the 1880s gradually brought housing development. The Metropolitan Railway Company had opened its first underground line in January 1863 between Bayswater and Holborn, which soon became well-used. The line was extended north-west from Baker Street from the late 1860s, largely running overground, reaching Willesden Green in 1879, Harrow-on-the-Hill in 1880, Pinner in 1885 and later Chesham and beyond. The spur to expanding in this direction was the aspiration of the Chairman, Sir Edward Watkin, to link up with the railway network in the Midlands.
A public footpath between Starling Close and Hazeldene Drive to the north of the railway line provides a link to the park. The park has a perimeter path around two sides leading to a wildlife area and footpath alongside the railway. There is shrub planting at the entrance on West End Lane and along perimeter paths, and a line of trees along the railway boundary.
A public footpath between Starling Close and Hazeldene Drive to the north of the railway line provides a link to the park. The park has a perimeter path around two sides leading to a wildlife area and footpath alongside the railway. There is shrub planting at the entrance on West End Lane and along perimeter paths, and a line of trees along the railway boundary.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ115897 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.32 |
| Site Ownership | LB Harrow |
| Site Management | Environmental Services, Parks Services |
| 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 | Harrow |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space |
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
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 Memorial Park is on land that was part of the West House estate, at one time the home of Lord Nelson's daughter Horatia. The last owners left in 1933 and in 1934 part of the grounds were acquired by Harrow UDC for public open space, initially known as Bennett's Park. Additional land was acquired in 1949 after a public campaign for a memorial to those who died in both world wars, at which time West House was also acquired, and the park opened as Pinner Memorial Park in 1950. Surviving elements of the earlier landscape remain including belts of Corsican pine, one or two earlier oaks, the walled garden and the ornamental lake now with a fountain installed in 1985. A small dog cemetery is located near the entrance at the north west of the park, which dates from the C19th. West House was restored in 2010 and in 2016 the Heath Robinson Museum opened built onto the house, celebrating the work of one of Pinner's famous residents.
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.