Debbie Nyman, LPG Research Volunteer and author of Tea & Memories – Growing up in Roe Green Village – questions who is responsible for protecting our heritage, through an examination of the illustrious history and troubled present of Roe Green Park.
Roe Green Park in north-west London is steeped in history.
In 1899, the country house Kingsbury Manor was designed by W. West Neve for Mary Blair, Duchess of Sutherland, and set in 10 acres of grounds. In 1903 the Coach House was built, and became home to John Logie Baird; he received the first television signals here in 1929, from Berlin.
In the Second World War the Coach House hosted Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Wardens, who were responsible for trying to protect civilians during air raids, for example by handing out gas masks and guiding people to shelters. Baird’s television masts made the house a landmark – Head Gardener Bertram Winch’s daughter Brenda, a little girl at the time, remembered a row of bombs dropping alongside the masts – and so they were removed.
At the entrance to the estate from Kingsbury Road was a Lodge, where Winch – who became Head Gardener in 1936 – lived with his family. He cared for the ornamental gardens around the Manor House, tending quite an extensive fruit orchard and walled kitchen garden.
Conservation and adaptation
The property developer George Ernest Cloke sold the Manor to Middlesex County Council in 1938, and the area is now under the umbrella of Brent Council. The gardens, Coach House and Manor have all had a second life in the
years since. The Manor – a Grade II listed building – is now a school, run by the Southover Partnership. The Coach House became a nursery in 2015, and all that remains of Baird’s experiments, which led to the television we now enjoy, is a concrete block with metal fixings for the television masts, set in the wall alongside a commemorative memorial stone. The gardens are now run by volunteers from the Barn Hill Conservation Group, which took them over in 1990 as a community garden project, open to the public.
As time passed, Roe Green Park was developed. Winch became the Council’s park keeper until he retired in 1969 and left the Lodge.
The fate of the Lodge
For many years the Lodge was left to the elements – empty, gradually being vandalised, and with rats as its only occupants. In 2014, Brent Council decided to advertise the Lodge on a long lease at a nominal ground rent, giving permission to make alterations within planning restrictions. A ‘Change of Use’ was also applied, so the existing Lodge could be converted into a much-needed cafe in the park.
The community began to look forward to this conversion. However, within a very short time, the trees surrounding the property started to disappear and high fencing went up.
By February 2022, construction work had begun and the community watched with concern as this historic lodge began to change dramatically. Although the plans stated that much of the original exterior should be retained, it became clear that the reconstruction was not in line with the planning application. At this stage, Roe Green Village Residents’ Association stepped in to try and protect the building, as the park is an extension of the Roe Green Village Conservation area.
Since the building was taken over, it has had a number of owners. It was never a caf ; when it was eventually up and running, the owner applied for an alcohol licence, which was granted by Brent Council. Since then, owners have come and gone, but its current transformation has been the worst so far. Referred to as a nightclub, it is open until the early hours of the morning, regularly attracting noise complaints. At the time of writing, the latest owner’s alcohol licence has been suspended for repeated violations; the owner has appealed this decision.
Leaving heritage conservation up to chance
Roe Green Park is a wonderful open space and the other tenants that use and care for Kingsbury Manor, the Coach House and the Walled Garden have preserved them well.
However the Lodge has become a magnet for antisocial behaviour, and is a sad reflection on how we preserve our heritage.
With thanks to Brenda Smith, daughter of Bertram Winch, who lived at the Lodge from 1932-1956, and to Philip Grant of the Wembley History Society.
A description of Roe Green Park can be viewed here on our inventory.
The LPG Research Group welcomes anyone interested in contributing new research – find out more at bit.ly/lpgvols
