1910-1930 Dean Gardens
In 1910 the north section of the west side of the allotments were taken by Ealing council for use as pleasure gardens called Dean gardens. The council provided a new piece of land for the allotment holders who lost their plots, this land is known as Haslemere allotments.
Dean gardens
Dean Gardens were once part of Ealing Dean Common, which was on both sides of what is now Northfield Avenue. The common was a location for Ealing Races held on holidays during the summer months. It was also known as “Jackass common” due to fact that the races were run on donkeys. In 1832 part of Ealing Dean Common was turned into allotment gardens for the benefit of the poor by the Bishop of London who owned the land.
The Ealing Dean Cottage hospital can be seen in the background of the image below. This Hospital was not purpose built but houses owned by Samuel Minton who occupied one of them himself. A group of local worthies led by the Rev JJ Summerhayes of St John’s Mattock Lane, promoted the idea of the hospital and bought the houses and opened the hospital around 1869. The hospital then outgrew the premises and moved to Mattock Lane in 1911 as the King Edward memorial Hospital where it remained until 1979. The hospital was demolished in 1912. Below: Ealing dean cottage hospital 1907
By 1910/11 the new park designed by the borough surveyor Charles Jones had been laid out with 'a considerable number of ornamental trees and shrubs planted' and ornamental fencing on Uxbridge Road and Northfield Avenue frontage, which had artificial stone coping and pier caps manufactured at Southern Sewage Works in the borough. A drinking fountain, the gift of Miss Jeaffreson, an Ealing resident, was erected near the centre. The original layout in the Borough Surveyor's proposal consisted of a perimeter path with seating and a number of beds, the whole surrounded by a 'New Unclimbable Iron Fence'. A large cinema was built in the place of the Ealing Dean Cottage hospital near the junction of Uxbridge Road and Northfield Avenue, which started life as the Kinema in 1913. The cinema was rebuilt in 1928 and became the Lido.
In 1927 the park was described by Mrs Jackson, author of 'The Annals of Ealing' as a 'gay little garden with its pleasant seats, is a rest and refreshment of age and weariness, but it is even a greater boon to the laughing little ones, who make it a fascinating nursery, safe from the traffic of the streets.' Between the wars, a WW1 tank was displayed in the park for some years.
Image below:left Dean Gardens 1913, right Dean gardens 1914
Sources:
http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/
Charles Jones, 'A Decade of Progress 1901-1911';
Middlesex County Times 12/6/1909, 31/7/1909, 11/11/1911, 18/6/1927;
Peter Hounsell, 'Ealing and Hanwell Past' (Historical Publications, 1991);
Peter Hounsell, 'The Ealing Book' (Historical Publications, 2005).
MIDDLESEX COUNTY TIMES, SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1909
The proposal for dean gardens was published in the Middlesex County times in 1909. below is a transcript of the article and image from the paper.
Proposed Recreation Ground
The highways committee reported having considered the following scheme of Alderman Menzies: - “That the Ealing trustees should be requested, pursuant to the first part of Section 19 of the Commons Act 1876, to appropriate a depth of 128 feet of the frontage of the Ealing Dean allotments to the Uxbridge road for the use as a recreation ground, with the sanction of the charity commissioners, and to apply for such sanction accordingly, provided, nevertheless, that the expense of laying out the said area and maintaining it as a recreation ground, and the payment of compensation to allotment holders whose tenancies would be thereby terminated should be borne by the local authority, and paid for out of the General District fund and Rate.”
The boroughs surveyor reported having received an offer to sell to the council for the purpose of exchange and for use as allotment land, and subject to the condition that the land should be maintained as an open space, and that the local authority would bear the legal expense of applying to the Quarter Sessions for any diversion of the footpath over the remaining land of the vendors, which the Council, acting as the highway authority might approve of, six acres of land lying to the west of, and adjacent to, the Lammas school site, for the sum of £2,250, the land being subject to the public right of footpath across it. The Vendors agreed to erect and maintain a fence along the northern boundary. The committee recommended that the offer be accepted, subject to certain provisions, the chief of which were that the Ealing Trustees agree to the exchange, and that the local government board sanction a loan of £4,000 for the carrying out of the scheme.
Alderman Peal said he could not help thinking £4,000 a very large sum to pay, for the scheme. He was, however, prepared to support it on the assumption that it would be considered as an excess of exchange for the allotment land, and as an equivalent for the half acre of the walled garden the council proposed taking.
Alderman Menzies considered that as the scheme would give to the town six acres more open space and three acres more recreation ground, it was well worth the money. He believed there would be no difficulty with the trustees and charity commissioners, and that the whole town would approve of the scheme. Were the scheme carried by the Council, he believed they would hear nothing more of having to compensate anybody for taking the walled garden.
Councillor Tristram congratulated the highways committee on having found another portion of land to give in exchange for the allotments. He reckoned that by spending £4,000 on this scheme they would save about £13,000 for the rates. They would also be planting another open space in the centre of small property. He hoped that those of the ratepayers of Ealing who had be agitating against the appropriation of the walled garden would now realise that the Council was not unmindful of open spaces.
Councillor Willey said he wished to emphasize the observation made by Alderman Peal that, under the circumstances, it should be considered that the council, in agreeing to this scheme before it, amply compensated for taking the half-acre of walled garden.
Alderman Green thought the council, by adopting the scheme, would be behaving extremely generously, and hoped they would hear no more about the half acre of walled garden.
Councillor Groome objected to the scheme being regarded in the light of compensation for the appropriation of the walled garden, which was an entirely different matter. The Highways Committee had considered that the scheme would be an excellent thing for West Ealing. He agreed. But some of those gentlemen who were so anxious at certain times to preserve open spaces intact as such wanted to make the matter a sort of exchange for the walled garden. They would remember that he, himself, moved to amend that some other open space should be given in exchange and that the majority of the council voted against it. If his voice had had some effect in benefiting West Ealing he was very well satisfied.
Councillor Bailey commented a reply to Councillor Groome, but the mayor pulled him up by saying, “Does this refer to what we are discussing?”
Councillor Bailey. It does not (laughter). The committee’s recommendation was carried.