Southall Park
Where is it?
From Uxbridge Road, Green Drive and Boyd Avenue, Southall
Getting there
- bus: 195, 207, 427, 607 with stops on the Uxbridge Road, and 95, 482, H32, 105, 120, E5 with stops on South Road
- train: Southall mainline on South Road
Facilities
- play centre
- multi use games area
- playground
- adult exercise area
About the park
The site is mainly formal parkland with areas for nature conservation and recreation. It has a playground, play centre, tennis court, and a shared multi use games areas (MUGA) with Villiers High School. Other features include a mosaic globe and a water cascade.
Brief history of site
The Merricks lived in Southall Haw, later called Southall Park, and were the second largest landowners in the area. The house became a private asylum in 1839 and was owned by Sir William Ellis, Lady Ellis, and Dr. Robert Boyd. It burned down in 1883, killing Dr. Boyd and five others, and Boyd Avenue was named after him.
Between 1910 and 1930, the council added new footpaths, a bandstand, a circular walk (now the spring garden), a boating lake, tennis courts, a bowling green, a play area, and a pavilion to the park. The boating lake, built in 1923, also included a children's paddling pool with two canal-like structures and a lake at the end.
Wildlife value
Southall Park is a diverse area of green space in the borough. Numerous flora and fauna species are found in the park including:
- several native and exotic tree species - English Oak, London Plane, Dawn Redwood, Eucalyptus
- birds - Goldfinches, Blackbirds, Tits, Woodpeckers, Green Ring-necked Parakeets, Lesser Spotted, Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, Redwing, Fieldfare, Mistlethrush, Black Headed Gull and Common Gull
- mammals - fox and grey squirrel
In 2003, the rangers made a nature conservation area to boost biodiversity and habitat quality. This area has a pond, a cornflower meadow, and planted copse areas, making it a key part of the park and a haven for wildlife.
Significant species of interest exclusively recorded in the area so far are:
- slow worms
- common frogs
- toads
- cornflowers
- marsh marigold
- yellow flag iris
- corncockles and ox eye daisy
The conservation area was extended to include a woodland walk with new hoggin paths, a birch copse and a holly and yew hedge in 2007.