At the beginning of September, I finally ventured out despite Covid-19 and visited Heartwood Forest with my wife and a friend. I have been a member of the Woodland Trust for maybe a decade and an half, but have never visited one of their sites. However, Heartwood Forest is owned and managed by the charity, so I have finally broken my duck.
In the first part of this two-parter, I discussed the history of the park and its surrounds and, in particular, Dollis Hill House and the Post Office Research Station in Dollis Hill. In this part, I want to show you what the park looks like now (July 2020), with text and photos.
The houses and grounds used to be owned by the Rothschild family, in particular, by Lionel de Rothschild during the nineteenth century when he was, by far, the richest man in the World. However, he used to joke that he was a gardener, first and foremost, and only then, a banker.
Gladstone Park is my local. I’m afraid that I don’t go there as often as I should, but knowing it is there is an immense comfort and it undoubtedly serves as welcome urban lung for crowded Brent.
