Gunnersbury Park, with the large mansion nestled inside it alongside a lake and other certainly-not-normal features, has always sparked my curiosity. Throughout my life I had been aware of some form of significance attached to the large mansion, but I could never work out what precisely that significance was. The house always appeared ruined and ugly and haunted by the phantom of emptiness and abandonment , but as I was soon to find out, its warmth was to be found in its deep historical roots that stretch as far as the powerful Rothschild family and the British Royal Family.
The very name ‘Gunnersbury’ comes from Gunylda, King Canut’s niece, who lived in the area until she was forced out of England in 1044. I have many memories of doing parkruns in Gunnersbury Park or rushing in and out of Gunnersbury Station to catch the District Line or trying to defeat the ‘Gunnersbury’ house in my primary school. Then there is Gunnersbury Baptist Church where I have spent most Sundays for my whole life. Gunnersbury’s brightness shines over the lives of everyone in the area. At its heart we find Gunnersbury House nestled inside the sizable Gunnersbury Park.
The land where we find Gunnersbury House was owned in the Middle Ages by the Bishops of London, but was eventually occupied by Sir John Maynard, a politician and lawyer in the days of Cromwell, in 1656. It was under Maynard that a new manor house estate was created in around 1663. The manor house, Palladian in style like nearby Chiswick House, was modelled on the Villa Badoer, the famous villa in Fratta Polesine in the Veneto region of northern Italy. After the transferral of ownership to Henry Furness, Furness hired William Kent (the architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer who was also heavily involved in the grounds of Chiswick House) who developed the gardens - forming canals, pleasure grounds and increasing the estate’s size.
Furness died in 1756, at which time the property was sold to none other than royalty! Princess Amelia, King George II’s favourite daughter. Up until her 1786 death, along with using it as a place of entertainment for guests and a summer retreat, she built a summerhouse, grotto and even a bathhouse. Under Amelia’s ownership, the Temple was built by William Chambers, and backing onto the Temple are Italian gardens laid out in the 19th century.
After her death in 1786, the estate had a number of owners before John Morley acquired it in 1800. In 1801 he decided to demolish the mansion and sell the land in 13 divided lots. The lots eventually were bought by only 2 people. Thus 2 separate estates emerged, each with a separate house. On the larger estate called ‘Gunnersbury Park’ there was built the ‘Large Mansion’, and on the smaller estate a small mansion and grounds were referred to as ‘Gunnersbury House’.
Behold, the Rothschilds! In 1835, Nathan Mayer Rothschild purchased the property, but died before he could have any influence over the property. Eventually the once united, then divided estate was brought together once again as the Rothschilds bought the Small Mansion and its grounds in 1889. One notable creation by the Rothschild family is the Potomac Tower in the Potomac Lake.
Nathan’s grandson Leopold de Rothschild died in 1925, and Leopold’s wife, Maria, and son, Lionel, sold the estate to Ealing Borough Council and Acton Borough Council. Future Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain opened the park on 21 March 1926, where he ‘rejoiced that the people had come into the possession of so magnificent and historical park…’
Today, the park is home to a museum, hosts a ParkRun, and has an outdoor sporting facility, And the large mansion was restored at a cost of £50 million after 4 years in 2018 with its re-opening.
Growing up, Gunnersbury Park has just been a local escape from the noise of life. But nothing more. However, once one acknowledges its historical richness having been owned both by British royalty and one of the most powerful European families, visiting the Grounds feels just that bit more golden. This is not just any park. This is majesty's park.
