Woodhall Farm

The name Woodhall dates back to at least the C16th, but it is unclear whether it was truly a manor. A record of 1631 refers to the transfer to William Pennefather of the manor, mansion and farm of Woodhall, with mills, woods and commonland, and there are also unsubstantiated legends of a monastery and chapel at Woodhall prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Woodhall Farmhouse was enlarged by the Loudons in c.1808 by Robert Abraham, and was probably the site of an older farmhouse. John Claudius Loudon (1783-1843) was celebrated as a garden designer and writer, publishing a number of books in addition to 'The Gardener's Magazine'. Loudon's proposals for Woodhall, which included building model farm buildings north of the farmhouse, are illustrated in his 'Observations on Laying out Farms in the Scotch Style Adapted to England', 1812. Loudon's parents were buried in Pinner Parish Church of St John (q.v.) and Loudon himself was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery (q.v.) in 1843. Many of the new mid-C19th cemeteries were influenced by his pioneering approach, published in his book 'On the laying out, planting and managing of cemeteries' in 1843, which advocated an approach combining the functional with the aesthetic: a grid pattern for ease of locating and maintaining graves, planting of evergreen trees planted as single specimens, so as to avoid problems of dropping leaves and obstructing the space for burials. In London his influence can be seen in Abney Park Cemetery and City of London Cemetery (q.q.v.). He also wrote about the importance of the relationship between house and garden.