Inventory Site Record

Avenue Park was once part of the grounds of Avenue House, a fine C18th house which was demolished in 1949. It adjoins Cranford Community Park, which lies on the other side of the River Crane. The grounds were requisitioned during WWII after which Heston and Isleworth Borough Council took possession of the property and spent over £10,000 on its layout for a public park, which included a rest garden and children's playground. In the north end of the present park is a woodland area, and trees bordering the Crane river include oak, ash, willow and alder.

Previous / Other name:

Avenue House Grounds

Site location:

High Street, Cranford

Postcode:

TW5

What 3 Words:

salad.deeper.tummy

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Hounslow

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

8am - dusk

Special conditions:

Facilities:

play areas, tennis, football pitches

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Hounslow East (Piccadilly) then bus. Bus: 105, 111

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Research updated:

01/11/2005

Last minor changes:

29/03/2026

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.hounslow.gov.uk

Avenue House was once the residence of John Graham, a barrister related to the Scottish Montrose family, who was a friend of the artist George Morland and the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, who lived at Lacy House in Isleworth. The grounds once had a fine avenue of oak trees, a number of which had been grown from acorns taken from the crops of pheasants that Sheridan had shot at his estate at Polsden in Surrey and sent to John Graham in 1808. A plaque to this effect was uncovered on an ivy-covered arch while the park was being laid out. Although the archway had to be pulled down due to its dilapidated condition, three of the oak trees remained of the avenue when the park was opened as Avenue House Grounds in 5 April 1952. Before the speeches were completed 'sixty small girls and boys dashed along the pathway and stormed the kiddies' playground'. In August 1954, in the year which saw the breaking of the 4-minute mile, the Council opened its first Sports Arena on land adjoining Avenue House Grounds, costing c.£2,000 to construct, but this was eventually closed in 1972.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England London 3: North West' (Penguin, 1999 edition); Middlesex Chronicle 21 March 1952 & 11 April 1952; A C Marshall, 'Further Cranford Cameos' in Ratepayers' Association Magazine, August 1936

Grid ref:

TQ102773 (510266,177556)

Size in hectares:

15.76

Site ownership:

LB Hounslow

Site management:

John Laing Integrated Services; Friends Group

Date(s):

C18th, 1948-52; 1954

Designer(s):

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:

Cranford Village

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Borough Importance I (River Crane in north)

Green Belt:

Yes

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Key Park