Sudbury Court Open Space (Brent)
Brief Description
This small park is within Sudbury Court Estate, a mock-Tudor estate built in 1927-35 as the area was being developed. It was part of Sudbury Farm, which was farmed until 1900 by the Perrin family. In the 1920s the land was sold for development, part of the larger estate of Lord Northwick; many of the roads are named after villages near his Gloucestershire seat. The open space on a hill in the middle of the Sudbury Court Estate was later passed to Wembley Council as public open space, and became known locally as The Pimple. There remain some original hedges and mature oak trees.
Practical Information
- Previous / Other name:
- Sudbury Court Estate; The Pimple
- Site location:
- Pasture Road/Campden Crescent
- Postcode:
- HA0
- What 3 Words:
- rotate.soap.models
- Type of site:
- Public Park;, Housing/Estate Landscaping
- Borough:
- Brent
- Open to public?
- Yes
- Opening times:
- unrestricted
- Special conditions:
- Facilities:
- Events:
- Public transport:
- London Overground/Tube (Bakerloo): North Wembley, South Kenton. Bus: 182, 245.
- Research updated:
- 01/06/2009
- Last minor changes:
- 19/07/2023
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.brent.gov.uk
Full Site Description
Sudbury Court Open Space, known locally as The Pimple, is a small park within Sudbury Court Estate, and it was once part of Sudbury Farm, which had consisted of 56 acres. The farmland was purchased by Rebecca Houblon in 1757 and later held by the Houblon Charity; from 1851-1900 the Perrin family farmed here. In the 1920s the land was sold to the firm of Comben & Wakeling when the Sudbury Court Estate was being developed. The land was part of the large estate of Lord Northwick and many of the roads are named after villages in the area of his Gloucestershire seat.
Holt Road recalls Holt Farm, which had once been farmed by Thomas Anthony Trollope, novelist Anthony Trollope's father, who leased 157 acres of Ilott's Farm from Lord Northwick for 21 years. He re-modelled the farm at considerable cost, but had eventually to flee to Belgium as a result of financial problems caused by the agricultural depression of the time. Trollope supposedly used his father's farm as a model for 'Orley Farm'.
Sudbury Court Estate was built between 1927-35 and is described as one of the best surviving mock-Tudor estates in the area, developed by Comben & Wakeling. James Comben was at one time the Mayor of Wembley. Wakeling's son Eric built a house for himself on the estate at No.238 East Lane, the attractive Villa D'Este, built 1932. The site of the park was later passed to Wembley Council as public open space and now forms a recreation ground on a hill in the middle of the Sudbury Court Estate. It has original hedges and some mature oak trees.
Sources consulted:
Ian Yarham, Meg Game 'Nature Conservation in Brent, Ecology Handbook 31', London Ecology Unit, 2000; Adam Spencer, 'Wembley and Kingsbury: Britain in Old Photographs', Sutton Publishing 1995; LB Brent ' A Sudbury Stroll'
Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
- Grid ref:
- TQ166864 (516677,186443)
- Size in hectares:
- 1.26
- Site ownership:
- LB Brent
- Site management:
- Parks Service
- Date(s):
- 1929-35
- Designer(s):
- Comben & Wakeling (Sudbury Court Estate)
- Listed structures:
- None
- 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 Data
The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
- On Local List:
- No
- In Conservation Area:
- Yes
- Conservation Area name:
- Sudbury Court
- Tree Preservation Order:
- Not known
- Nature Conservation Area:
- Yes - Local Importance
- Green Belt:
- No
- Metropolitan Open Land:
- No
- Special Policy Area:
- No
- Other LA designation:
- Public Open Space
Photos
Sudbury Court Open Space, June 2001. Photo: S Williams
Click a photo to enlarge.
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.