Inventory Site Record

Like the adjacent and much larger Stanmore Common, Little Common Stanmore is part of the old common lands of Stanmore. There were two manors, Great Stanmore and Little Stanmore, and the area was rural until the C20th. This small area contains woodland and four ponds, two Brewery Ponds and two Spring Ponds, probably created as village ponds. Of the latter, Pump Pond retains the old pump, while to the north Caesar's Pond may have existed in Roman times. The Brewery Ponds served Clutterbuck's Brewery. Overlooking Little Common are a group of C18th and C19th cottages and nearby is Stanmore Hall.

Previous / Other name:

Stanmore Little Common

Site location:

Warren Lane/Wood Lane, Stanmore

Postcode:

HA7

What 3 Words:

sobs.wrong.gasp

Type of site:

Public Open Land

Borough:

Harrow

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Stanmore (Jubilee) then bus. Bus: 142.

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Research updated:

01/01/2012

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

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

Little Common Stanmore abuts the much larger Stanmore Common (q.v.) and together with the grounds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital they form a remnant of the old common lands of Stanmore. Little Common contains woodland and four ponds: the two Brewery Ponds were constructed c.1900, the largest of which supplied Clutterbuck's Brewery that was then on Stanmore Hill; some of the former brewery buildings have now been converted to flats. The two Spring Ponds are older and were probably former village ponds, created artificially by damming. One of these has the old pump and is therefore known as Pump Pond, and that to the north is known as Caesar's Pond. This latter is probably the oldest of the four ponds and may have been in existence from Roman and Saxon times, so-named in some sources because Caesar is said to have drunk from its waters. An alternative explanation for the name is that Roman Legionnaires used it when they were at Sulloniacae, on the other side of Edgware Road, then called Watling Street.

Overlooking Little Common are a group of C18th and C19th cottages and nearby to the south is Stanmore Hall. The original house was built in the C18th by the Duke of Chandos who owned the Canons estate and was added to by later owners. In 1847 it was re-sited, when the present house was built by J M Derick for John Rhodes; it was restored after a fire of 1979 and is now used as offices. To the south, Stanmore Recreation Ground is on land that was probably once part of the Stanmore Hall estate.

Sources consulted:

Teresa Farino, Charlotte Pagendam, Sue Swales & Mathew Frith, 'Nature Conservation in Harrow', Ecology Handbook 13 (London Ecology Unit) 1989; Walter W Druett, 'The Stanmores and Harrow Weald Through the Ages' (Hillingdon Press, 1938)

Grid ref:

TQ164933 (516460,193240)

Size in hectares:

c.3

Site ownership:

LB Harrow

Site management:

Environmental Services, Parks Services

Date(s):

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII*: Stanmore Hall (Wood Lane). LBII: Wall south-west from corner of No.3 Little Common and north-east to rear of No.2, and wall fronting road between Nos.2 & 3; Nos.5 & 5A Little Common and attached outbuildings; No.13; Nos.36-43 consec.. Local list: Water Pump; Nos. 1 and 2, 3, 11 (Faircot), 12 (Maytree), 18-22 consec. Little Common; lodge and gate piers to Stanmore Hall on Wood Lane

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

Yes: Common (CL51)

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:

Little Common

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Metropolitan Importance

Green Belt:

Yes

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

Little Common Stanmore - Pump Pond - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 16/08/21 14:38

Click a photo to enlarge.