Those of you who attended our CITO here 2 years ago will have a chance to come back to see what changes have been made now that the Heritage Lottery funded improvements have been completed: this has included making safe(r) some of the buildings, repairing the wall to the gorgeous walled garden, construction of a brand new cafe and toilets, and the creation of a bigger car park.
There was a dwelling on the Eastcote House grounds since 1507, which initially was a cottage named Hopkyttes, though over time the building changed to become a grander living space called Eastcote House, which until the 20th century was surrounded by extensive parkland. The house itself was demolished on safety grounds in 1964 and now only the grounds, the stables, the dovecot and the walled garden remain. Lesley Crowcroft, Chair of the local volunteers group, along with her husband John, hopes to join us for the picnic, and has also kindly offered to take anyone interested on an internal tour of the historic buildings.
There is a car park on site for those coming by road. For public transport users the Metropolitan and Piccadilly line tube trains will be running to Eastcote station (from there it is about a 15 minute walk) and buses 282 (Northwood/Eastcote) and H13 (Ruislip/Pinner) stop on the nearby roads. Or of course you can cycle or walk.
This is a great green space to wander in, with information boards explaining the history of the area, so we look forward to helping celebrate the new look the area has been given. Cachers local or from far away, experienced or newbies, with well behaved dogs and/or children, are all welcome with their families to come and join us on a (hopefully!) sunny day, to sit and chat about green spaces, history, caching, and anything else that comes to mind. If the weather should be inclement, Lesley will be able to provide an indoor area for us to picnic in instead.
We look forward to seeing you there.