Description
Pretty Corner is a small triangular area of public garden at the junction of Fore Street and Eastcote High Road. It was once the site of Guts or Gutt's Pond, and was laid out in the 1930s as a public garden. It has trimmed hedges on the two roadside boundaries and a central flagstone path; the rear of the site has shrubbery and trees. It is overlooked by the picturesque New Cottages, built for estate workers in 1879 and designed by Ernest George and Harold Peto. Peto's father, Sir Samuel Morton Peto, was a teant of Eastcote Hall.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Guts Pond |
|---|---|
| Site location | Fore Street/High Road, Eastcote |
| Postcode | HA5 |
| What3Words | ///mile.ranges.notice |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Hillingdon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | none |
| Public Transport | Tube: Pinner (Metropolitan). Bus: H13 |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2016 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The garden was renovated in 2009/10, with reshaping and replanting of the yew hedges and removal of scrub. A seat constructed from cut and polished stones has been installed, designed by Harrow & Hillingdon Geological Society in commemoration of the society's 30th anniversary in 2003. The garden renovation was funded by a grant from the Ward Funds to the Conservation Panel.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ102884 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0704 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hillingdon |
| Site Management | Green Spaces Team |
| Dates | c1936 |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Eastcote Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Green Chain |
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
Warrender Park was created on a fragment of the landscape park of High Grove. The Highgrove Estate was inherited by the Warrender family in 1894. In 1935 Miss Eleanor Warrender sold the 4.35-hectare site to Ruislip-Northwood UDP for a recreation area, which was initially named Eastcote Recreation Ground. By the late 1970s it was called Warrender Park after the family. High Grove Nature Reserve has woodland with parkland trees and a pond, possibly a relic from the former garden.
This is the gardens and small part of the former grounds of Eastcote House, the home of the Hawtrey family from 1532. Built on the site of an older house, Eastcote House stood close to the junction of Eastcote High Road and Field End. In the 1930s much of the estate was sold for development but the grounds were purchased by Ruislip-Norwood UDC in 1938 as public open space. The house was initially used for communal activities but demolished as unsafe in 1964. Within the grounds are the old Coach house, C17th walled garden, C18th dovecote and a ha-ha. There are many fine mature trees and more recent garden features include a herb garden planted for Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, orchard, rockery and wildflower meadow.
Haydon Hall Park is part of the former grounds of Haydon Hall, an early C17th mansion, now demolished. The estate was acquired by Middlesex County Council in 1936, and the house and grounds were then owned by Ruislip-Northwood UDC, the park predominantly used for cricket. The park has the remains of the old lake, and the planting throughout is predominantly of the C19th with some fine trees.