"Back when this was still being turned from fields into homes, in 1876 local resident Katherine Buchan paid for four almshouses to be built next to St Mark's Church in memory of her father. They continued providing accommodation for poor single ladies of the parish until the 1970s, by which time the four homes were in a state of disrepair and were demolished."
"The large mounds around the park are actually piles of rubble from the old almshouses, left behind for landscaping. The information boards were added in 2023, albeit partially obscured by festive greenery on my visit, which is both a bit annoying if you want to read them, but I smiled as they're a sign of the community spirit that looks after the park."
"The William Hobbayne charity also returned last year, providing initial and seed funding to replace the walkway posts, allowing the team to apply for match funding through various grants. The meadow has been awarded a Green Flag quality mark from Keep Britain Tidy most years since 2018/19 and achieved a gold award from London in Bloom in 2023."
The Hanwell pocket park occupies a plot once home to four almshouses built in 1876 by Katherine Buchan to house poor single parish women; those houses were demolished in the 1970s. The William Hobbayne charity continues a long tradition of local philanthropy and returned recently to fund improvements. In 2016 community funding replaced the lawn with an urban meadow and redesigned paths and seating. New features include winding benches, a bench around a tree, a bug hotel, stag beetle habitat, and rubble mounds reused as landscaping. Information boards were added in 2023. The meadow has received Green Flag quality marks and a London in Bloom gold award.
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