Date

Friday 17 April

Organiser

Brian G

Cost

Free to members, £10 supplement for attendees from Meetup. £9 admission to museum, payable on entry.

Activity

This 6-mile linear walk follows part of London Loop around outskirts of London with a visit to Grims Dyke House, Bentley Priory Museum and Stanmore Country Park. After coffee at La Dolce Vita, we visit Hatch End station (1910), built in Neo-Georgian style with all original fittings intact. We continue via quiet streets to Grims Dyke Golf Club and footpath to Grims Dyke Estate. The house was built by Norman Shaw and is one of his best examples of the Country House style. The most famous owner was WS Gilbert who created much of the estate. We pass through meadows and then reach the Bentley Priory Estate. This has a fascinating history. First a medieval priory then, after the dissolution, a country estate. In 1788 Sir John Soane created the Neo-Classical Georgian Palace which remains today. The RAF took it over in 1926 and it became Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. In the last 10 years the estate has been converted to luxury housing. The Bentley Priory Museum was created to tell the history of the estate with all the Battle of Britain installations featured. We can explore the estate with lunch at the café by the Italian Gardens. Walk continues via Stanmore Common to reach Stanmore Country Park and its viewpoint area. Then path descends to Stanmore Station.

Refreshments

Café at start and for lunch. Option to bring packed lunch, benches outside cafe.

Travel

Hatch End (Mildmay Line), Stanmore (Jubilee Line). Local buses connect both points. Free car parking a short walk from start.

Start

10:30am prompt at tables outside Caffe Pascucci, 385 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, HA5 4JN

Finish

Around 5:00pm at Stanmore Station, postcode HA7 4PD

Links

Bentley Priory Museum

Contact Organiser