Willesden

Wormwood Scrubs

Old Oak Common · 0.6 miles

Covering 67 hectares, this open space in Old Oak Common lies in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and is the borough’s largest park. Known locally as The Scrubs, it forms one of the biggest commons in London. The area is divided by Scrubs Lane and the West London line railway, with the eastern section referred to as Little Wormwood Scrubs. The park has been publicly accessible since the Wormwood Scrubs Act of 1879, which secured its use for recreation while allowing occasional military training. Within the grounds are a range of sports facilities, including the Linford Christie Stadium, numerous football pitches and a pony centre. The southern edge abuts two notable institutions: HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, constructed between 1875 and 1891, and the Hammersmith Hospital campus, which incorporates the relocated Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital. Historical uses have been diverse – from cavalry exercises leased to the War Office in 1812, to an airship landing ground in 1910 and a naval air station during the First World War. The park also formed part of the 1908 Olympic marathon route. Management is undertaken by the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust, which funds maintenance through leases of the hospital car park, rental of sports fields, advertising billboards and two public car parks. Access is via the surrounding road network and public transport routes that serve Old Oak Common; entry to the park is free and open to all.

Gladstone Park

Dudden Hill · 1.9 miles

A substantial green space of roughly 35 hectares lies in the Dollis Hill district of north-west London, straddling the Dudding Hill freight line and bordered to the north by the former Dollis Hill House farmstead. The park can be reached on foot from Dollis Hill underground station on the Jubilee line after about a ten-minute walk, while Cricklewood Thameslink station sits to the east. Local bus routes 226 and 232 also serve the vicinity, and a footbridge at the western edge provides a pedestrian crossing over the railway; a private road bridge at the eastern side is reserved for Brent Parks Service. The area was acquired in 1899 after a public inquiry supported the purchase of part of the Finch estate, and it was formally opened in 1901 under the name of former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Surveyor Oliver Claude Robson oversaw the layout, preserving the northern section in its natural condition and allocating the southern part for recreation. Facilities introduced in the early twentieth century included a children’s playground, pavilions for football and cricket, a bowling green, four tennis courts, and an Old English garden created from the former vegetable plot of Dollis Hill House. A sundial, supplied in 1907, marks the centre of that garden. Although the park’s original public swimming bath has since closed, the overall network of pathways, plane-lined avenues and former farm ponds – some converted into paddling pools before removal in 1920 – remains accessible to visitors.

Gladstone Park

Dudden Hill · 1.9 miles

Covering about 35 hectares in the Dollis Hill area of north-west London, Gladstone Park lies on both sides of the Dudding Hill Line. The London Borough of Brent manages the site, which is reachable on foot from Dollis Hill underground station on the Jubilee line, roughly a ten-minute walk to the south-west, and from Cricklewood Thameslink station to the east. Bus routes 226 and 232 pass nearby. A footbridge spans the railway at the western edge, while a service-road bridge at the eastern side is used by park staff. The park originated from the former estate of the Finch family, acquired by the Municipal Borough of Willesden at the end of the 19th century and opened in 1901, named after former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Early design by surveyor Oliver Claude Robson retained the northern ground in a natural state and allocated the southern area for sport, resulting in facilities such as football and cricket pavilions, a bowling green and tennis courts. A children’s playground and an Old English garden, created from the house’s former vegetable plot, remain prominent. The former Dollis Hill House, an early-19th-century farmhouse, stands near the northern boundary. Although the original public swimming bath has been closed, the park still offers paved pathways, plane-tree avenues and a sundial installed in 1907. No admission fee is mentioned, and basic conveniences are provided within the grounds.

The Rolling Bridge

Paddington · 2.5 miles

A kinetic sculpture completed in 2004, the Rolling Bridge forms part of the Grand Union Canal office and retail development at Paddington Basin in London. Conceived by designer Thomas Heatherwick, the structure consists of eight triangular sections linked by two-part hinges and driven by vertical hydraulic cylinders. When fully extended it functions as a conventional footbridge of about 12 metres in length; when the pistons engage, the sections curl together into an octagonal shape that occupies roughly half the width of the waterway. The bridge’s movement, which requires two to three minutes, is powered by fourteen hydraulic rams, precision bearings and an underground machinery chamber that supplies oil pressure. The bridge opens to the public on a set timetable: every Wednesday and Friday at 12:00, and each Saturday at 14:00. It received the British Constructional Steelwork Association’s British Structural Steel Design Award, recognising its engineering approach. Although the design could theoretically permit boat traffic, the basin beyond the bridge is currently filled by a fountain and blocked by a surface-level steel barrier, meaning navigation is not possible. The lengthy cycle time and the short detour when the bridge is closed have led commentators to view the work more as public art than a functional crossing. Access is step-free, providing wheelchair users with a level route across the bridge. The nearest town is Paddington, and opening times are listed on the official site. No admission fee is mentioned, and the bridge forms part of the surrounding public space without additional facilities noted.

The Fan Bridge

Paddington · 3.1 miles

The Merchant Square Footbridge is a moveable pedestrian bridge spanning a canal in Paddington, London. It is composed of five side-by side sections of varying lengths, with offset pivots to accommodate the varying lengths. When opened, the segments are brought to varying angles of elevation. The visual effect when opened has been likened to that of a Japanese fan.

Golders Green Clock Tower

Golders Green · 3.1 miles

The Golders Green War Memorial is a war memorial in Golders Green, North London, United Kingdom. The memorial, which takes the form of a clock tower, was dedicated on 21 April 1923. It commemorates both victims of World War I and World War II. The names of the honoured are written on a bronze wall plaque for World War I and on a bronze book for World War II. The name of Captain M Allmand VC was added at a later date to the victims of World War II.