Canons Park is a residential suburb of
London, situated in the north west
London Borough of Harrow. It is located to the south of
Stanmore, the west of
Edgware, and the east of
Wealdstone.
Etymology and history
"Canons" refers to the
canons or monks of the
Augustinian priory of
St Bartholomew in
Smithfield, London, who owned the manor of Stanmore before the Reformation. Canons Park is largely located on the site of
Cannons, a magnificent early 18th century country estate built between 1713-25, by
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. A few years after the Duke's death in 1744 the big house was demolished and the estate was divided and sold in parcels; the last, the original house-site, transformed into ambitious Edwardian gardens then put on the market in 1929, was bought by the
North London Collegiate School in 1929 for the sum of £17,500. Although the original Canons mansion no longer exists, the later building on the site, erected by the gentleman cabinet-maker
William Hallett in 1760, now houses the School. A large portion of the original gardens of the Canons estate now form the public pleasure gardens of Canons Park. The modern park includes the Memorial Gardens, a folly known as 'the Temple' (not to be confused with a different folly of the same name within the North London Collegiate School grounds) and an orchard.
Canons Drive, in Edgware follows the original path of the entrance to the Canons estate, retaining the two large pillars which acted as gateposts where it met the Edgware Road. The remains of a second, raised, carriageway running from Canons can be traced through Canons Park in the direction of Whitchurch Lane. A lake and separate duck pond also formed part of the original Canons Estate and survive within the boundaries of the Canons Drive residential area.
Canons Park
Canons Park is a registered Grade II Historic Landscape and contains several listed buildings. The King
George V Memorial Garden is a walled garden in the park. The Memorial Garden area was part of the duke’s kitchen gardens and was completely re-designed in the 1930s, after the park became public. The garden reflects the 1930s period, with a structure of evergreens highlighted by seasonal displays. It features a central square pool surrounded by a raised terrace with steps, formal flower beds and a pavilion. In 2006-7 the garden and the park were restored with support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
St Lawrence Whitchurch
Situated adjacent to the public park is the remarkable church of St Lawrence,
Whitchurch. It has a stone tower of ca. 1360, but the main body of the church was rebuilt in a unique
Continental Baroque style in 1714-16 for Brydges by
John James (Colvin). The walls and ceiling of the dramatic interior are covered with paintings. The panels on the ceiling are attributed to
Louis Laguerre and show miracles taken mostly from St John’s Gospel. The ceiling above the altar depicts the
Adoration of Jehovah. Behind the altar is an imitation sky, lit by a concealed window which is characteristic of the baroque style of continental Europe. The tradition and style suggests that the whole of the ceiling was painted by
Louis Laguerre. The paintings of the
Nativity and the
Descent from the Cross, which are seen on either side of the altar, and the
Transfiguration, which is above the Duke’s Pew, are attributed to
Antonio Bellucci.
Most of the interior woodwork is original and is attributed to Grinling Gibbons. This includes the organ case which is carved with cherubs, pea pods and other typical Grinling Gibbons decorations. The famous composer George Frideric Handel was employed by Brydges in 1717-18 as his composer-in-residence. At the time Brydges had yet to be elevated to the dukedom, but the eleven anthems he commissioned from Handel are known as the "Chandos Anthems", and these were almost certainly performed at the church with Handel directing the singers and small orchestra employed by his patron.
On the north side of the church is the Chandos Mausoleum, again built to the order of the first Duke of Chandos. The centrepiece documented by Grinling Gibbons, 1717, is a Baroque monument to the Duke and his first two wives, for which the Duke felt he had overpaid.. Burials here, in addition to James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos and his first two wives, include James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos.
Services and transport
The area is served by
Canons Park (
Jubilee Line) and
Edgware (
Northern Line) tube stations of the
London Underground system.
The 79, 186 and 340 bus go past Canons Park tube station.
Notes
References
St Lawrence Little Stanmore
Howard Colvin, 1995 (3rd ed.). A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1660-1840. (Yale University Press): "John James"
External links
Friends of Canons Park
Canons Park Restoration Project
Category:Districts of London
Category:Districts of Harrow
