Canons Park is largely located on the site of the magnificent early 18th-century country house Cannons built between 1713 and 1725 by Brydges, after his wife Mary died, along with his second wife, Cassandra Willoughby.[1]
A few years after the Duke's death in 1744 this house was also demolished. The current building on the site housing the North London Collegiate School was built around 1760 by the gentleman cabinet-maker William Hallett. The original house-site, transformed into ambitious Edwardian gardens was bought in 1929 by the school for £17,500 (equivalent to £1,344,000in 2023)[2]. A large portion of the original gardens of James Brydges' house now form the public pleasure gardens of Canons Park. The modern park includes the Memorial Gardens, a folly known as 'the Temple' (not to be confused with a different folly of the same name within the North London Collegiate School grounds) and an orchard.
Canons Drive follows the original path of the entrance to James Brydges' house, retaining the two large pillars which acted as gateposts where it met the Edgware Road. The remains of a second, raised, carriageway running from Cannons can be traced through Canons Park in the direction of Whitchurch Lane. A 7-acre (28,000m2) lake and a separate duck pond also formed part of the original Cannons Estate and survive within the boundaries of the Canons Drive residential area.[3]
Canons Park, 18 hectares (44 acres) in size, is listed as Grade II on the Register of Parks and Gardens.[4]. The designation recognises features surviving from the ducal park (including two lakes, the Basin Lake and the Seven Acre Lake.
The King George V Memorial Garden is a walled garden in the park. This area was originally part of the duke's kitchen gardens and was re-designed in the 1930s, after the park became public. The garden reflects the 1930s period, with a structure of evergreens highlighted by seasonal displays. It features a central square pool surrounded by a raised terrace with steps, formal flower beds and a pavilion. In 2006-7 the garden and the park were restored with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.[5]
Situated adjacent to the public park is the church of St Lawrence Whitchurch, the parish church of Little Stanmore. The church has a stone tower dating from c.1360 and the main body of the church was rebuilt in a Continental Baroque style in 1714-16 for Brydges by John James (Colvin). The interior walls and ceiling are covered with paintings.
Barnet F.C.'s training ground complex, The Hive, opened in the locality in 2009. The club constructed their new 5,176 capacity home ground at the site, which opened in summer 2013, and is shared with Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Women and London Bees.
Canons Drive in the 1990s, showing Wellingtonia trees lining the driveCommemorative sign at the start of Canons Drive, giving historical noteHouses in Cloyster Wood in Canons Park. Note: this is not part of the Canons Park Estate and is a residential street off Howberry Road, Canons Park
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