Gunnersbury Park Restoration Receives Heritage Grant
Six figure sum from Historic England will help repairs to the Gothic Ruins and grotto
Gunnersbury Park has received another big boost to its transformation, with a grant for £457,695 from Historic England (HE) formerly known as English Heritage.
The money will go towards additional repairs to areas of the historic park and its buildings, including the Gothic Ruins and screen, garden terraces and garden grotto. The funds will also help restore attractions such as Princess Amelia’s Bath House.
In the 1760s the estate was purchased and held in trust for Princess Amelia, the favoured daughter of King George II.
Gunnersbury was the venue of her new summer retreat away from the pollution of central London. Over the next 25 years Amelia made numerous changes and improvements to the grounds. This includes the Bathhouse that was constructed as a garden folly in Gothic style.
The grant is for the repair and restoration of the Gothic screen, including all the castellations and pinnacles, repair of the brickwork and buttresses of the Grotto walls. The terraces will be cleared of all undergrowth, and rubble and debris will be cleared from the vaults under the terraces.
Works as a result of this grant began at the end of February and is set to be completed on 30 June.
This award complements projects already underway in other parts of the park supported by a £51m Heritage Lottery Fund grant to return Gunnersbury Park to its former glory.
Ealing and Hounslow councils have worked closely with Historic England to draw up comprehensive plans to rescue the estate and place it on a firm foundation, so it can continue to serve the local community for generations to come.
Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said: “This is fantastic news and we would like to thank Historic England for the grant and their support for our project here at Gunnersbury.
“It is through the help of heritage organisations and charitable foundations like this plus volunteers and local supporters, that once again, Gunnersbury will be a major heritage and recreation site.”
Nigel Barker, London Planning Director for Historic England said: “It is wonderful to see works beginning to revive the beautiful Gunnersbury Park.
“Our grant will allow the full repair of some of the park’s most stunning features, from the Gothic ruins to the garden terraces, and will take us one step closer to removing the whole park from the Heritage at Risk Register. The repairs undertaken will transform the eastern edge of the park, making it safe for local people to use and enjoy while allowing them to better appreciate the site’s rich history.”
Councillor Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council, said: "We have been working closely with Historic England throughout the development of Phase 1 of the masterplan and are thrilled this additional grant will ensure the transformation of the park can go ahead. The funds will make a huge difference to what can be achieved in the park.
A planning application was recently submitted for a major redevelopment of the sports and leisure facilities in Gunnersbury Park.
The proposal is to build a two-storey Sports Hub building with basement on the ‘redundant’ bowling green (between the car park and the children’s playground). This will contain a 5 court sports hall, multi-use studios and associated changing facilities, cafe community room, archive store and office accommodation.
Sports Hub building will be on the site of the bowling green
The building will be modern in style with a high-roofed multi-use sports hall on the path side and on the field side a café, eight changing rooms, showers and rooms for officials, with locker space in the corridors. On the floor above will be two multi-use studio spaces, offices and other rooms.
Aerial view of the planned sports hub at Gunnersbury Park
Tennis courts will be laid out with floodlighting which will also illuminate the artificial grass pitches. There will be an out-door gym, distance markers and a trim trail to help people use the park for exercise.
Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub
The aim at this stage is that the project will be completed by 2017.
March 10, 2016
