NORTHFIELDS Piccadilly Line (Heathrow)
Boston Manor

Opposite the Tube station is the former Avenue Cinema (1932). It became theTop Hat Club and is now an Elim Pentecostal Church. Once known as ‘Spanish City’ because of its Moorish interior, the frontage is worth a glance because of the cornice of blue glazed tiles and the elaborate wrought iron lamps

Now for the Jacobean manor house. Continue down Northfield Avenue past the interestingly named Blondin and Niagara Avenues (the famous tightrope-walker lived round here). Turn left and go down Windmill Road (which becomes Swyncombe Road). After about ten minutes you will see the entrance to Boston Manor Park over the road to the left. Go through the (now) small park, past the lake and you will soon see the house.

Sadly you will also see and hear the traffic on an elevated section of the M4,which slices through the grounds, to say nothing of the blue glass offices of Glaxo Smith Kline, though these are partly hidden by magnificent cedar trees in unusually good condition.

The house itself, though attractive, has been much altered over the years - for instance, the porch and entrance hall are nineteenth century. However there is a magnificent, intricate plaster ceiling of 1623 in the great chamber on the first floor and intriguing remains of mid eighteenth century wallpaper in a classical design on the stairs leading to the second floor - a helpful sign points out the location. Because of subsidence at one corner of this Grade I listed building, you can only get into the house at weekends and Bank Holiday Mondays from April to October, but it is still worth a visit to see those rooms that are open to the public. For details of proposed ( at present stalled) restoration click here. Hopefully the work will eventually be carried out, so it would be as well to double-check on opening times before making a special journey. The park is open all the year round.

It’s only fair to mention that Boston Manor Tube station is nearer to the manor than Northfields, but as they are two completely different types of visits I sort of shared out the canal and manor between the two stations!
MAP

Northfields 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!


© DR2007