Fryent Country Park together with Barn Hill Open Space is a large park situated in the north of the London Borough of Brent. It covers 103 hectares (254 acres) of rolling fields and small woods.

Significant features

Barn Hill in the south-west of the park is a wooded hill that rises to 86m. A fish pond is found at the top of the Hill. Numerous other ponds can be seen in the rest of the park. Gotfords Hill (63m) known as “Telly Tubby Hill” by the local children for its grassed rounded top and Beane Hill (65m) are other high points in the park. Parallel to Fryent Way is an ancient track known as Hell Lane or Eldestrete which may date back to Saxon times or earlier.

Wildlife

The woodland comprises English oak, hornbeam, elm, ash and some fruit trees which also occur in the hedges along with blackthorn. The park is considered the best surviving example of Middlesex countryside in the Brent basin and has a population of the nationally rare plant the narrow-leaved bitter-cress (Cardamine impatiens) .

History

Barn Hill called Bardonhill in 1547 was landscaped by Humphry Repton in 1792 as part of a local landowner’s country park . The Fryent Park hay meadows are small remnants of two manors one originally in the ownership of King Edward the Confessor .

Access

The park is bisected by the A4140 Fryent Way that links Kingsbury with Wembley. A car park is available half way down this road. The nearest underground is at Kingsbury Station on the Jubilee Line. The PR2 bus terminates a short distance from the park. The Capital Ring footpath crosses the site.However, the road Fryent Way, linking Kingsbury Circle and Salmon Street lacks a much needed bus service to transport residents and students alike around the area. The Barn Hill Open Area, or at least the summit of it, is nearer Wembley Park Station.

Bibliography

Ordnance Survey. (2006). No. 173 Explorer Map: London North. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Snow, Len. (1990). Brent, Wembley, Willesden and Kingsbury: A pictorial history. Chichester: Phillimore & Co Ltd.

External links

Further details about wild life in the park can be found at: http://www.london.gov.uk/wildweb/PublicSiteViewFull.do?pictureno=1&siteid=7053 [Accessed 3 August 2007].

The local management plan is at: http://www.brent.gov.uk/parks.nsf/24878f4b00d4f0f68025663c006c7944/a00ed001d12cea3480256baa0054e6fd/$FILE/MPFCP.doc

Barn Hill Conservation Group’s website is at: http://www.bhcg.ik.com/ while their 2007 management programme can be seen at: http://www.brent.gov.uk/parks.nsf/24878f4b00d4f0f68025663c006c7944/a00ed001d12cea3480256baa0054e6fd/$FILE/BHCGPROGSpringSummer2007.pdf

References

Brent School Without Walls[530243] organises guided nature walks and activities in the park for primary children, afterschool clubs and playschemes.