ARNOS GROVE Piccadilly line

(note Art Deco ticket hall)

Arnos Park and Pymmes Brook Trail

Arnos Park is a comparatively small public park where you can enjoy the fresh air, play pitch and putt or follow the Pymmes Brook Trail up to Oak Hill Park (the link is in a built-up area).

The Tube line, carried on a massive viaduct which runs through the park, was built in 1932/3. It destroyed part of a medieval woodland (purloined by Henry VIII from the estates of the Nuns of Clerkenwell). The arrival of the Piccadilly Line inevitably brought building development in its wake, resulting in a further reduction of the amount of woodland and open fields in the surrounding area. However, as in so many places similarly affected, traces of the past can still be found.

The little brook, known in Saxon times as the Medeseange, still meanders along. Its wooded banks provide a good habitat for wildlife and there is a small remnant of ancient woodland designated as a nature reserve in Oak Hill Park.

Just as I was thinking that I hadn't seen anything particularly interesting, though the whole area is very pleasant on a sunny summer's day, I came across a splendid curved planting of pleached limes fronted by a beech hedge (see photo) in Oak Hill Park. This probably formed part of the gardens of Oak Hill House (now a theological college) which can be glimpsed through the trees in the nature reserve.

PS Much of this area is said to be haunted . . .

Directions: from Arnos Grove Tube Station walk past the car park and turn left down Arnos Road which leads straight to the park.
MAP

This is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and whacky buildings to be found, even in the most unpromising areas covered by the Greater London Underground stations. Usually the places listed are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored . You'll be amazed at what's out there!

©DR2006