Park Royal
| Park Royal | |
| Middlesex | |
|---|---|
 Park Royal station | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ195828 |
| Location: | 51°31’45"N, 0°16’53"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | London |
| Postcode: | NW10, W3 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Brent / Ealing |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Brent Central / Ealing Central and Acton |
Park Royal is an area in western Middlesex. It is the site of the largest business park in the county.
Despite intensive existing use, the area is, together with adjacent Old Oak Common, intended to become the United Kingdom's largest regeneration scheme.[1] This arises from the area’s relatively central location and also the strong and improving transport links which will include (at Old Oak Common), HS2 and Elizabeth Line. The scale of redevelopment has led to the Park Royal and Old Oak area being described as a potential "Canary Wharf of West London".[2][3]
Park Royal was the site of two of the early homes of Queens Park Rangers Football Club.
The Grand Union Canal runs through the middle of the Park Royal industrial estate, with pedestrian access by the towpath.
History
The name Park Royal derives from the short-lived showgrounds opened in 1903 by the Royal Agricultural Society as a permanent exhibition site for the society's annual show. After only three years the society sold the site, and returned to a touring format for its shows. With its road, rail and canal links, Park Royal was subsequently developed for industrial use, mainly during the 1930s.
For many years it was a centre of engineering, with firms including Park Royal Vehicles, GKN and Landis and Gyr.[4]
Queens Park Rangers F.C. played on two grounds in Park Royal. The first was the Horse Ring, later the site of the Guinness brewery, which had a capacity of 40,000. When the Royal Agricultural Society sold the grounds in 1907, QPR moved to the Park Royal Ground, 400 yards south, an almost exact replica of Ayresome Park, with a capacity of 60,000. The club was forced to move out in February 1915 as the ground was taken over by the Army.[5]
On 12 December 1908, the first ever rugby league test match between Great Britain and Australia took place at the Park Royal Ground in front of 2,000 fans. The match ended in a 22-all draw and was played as part of the first ever Kangaroo Tour.[6]
The Guinness Sports Club hosted some of the field hockey events for the 1948 Summer Olympics.[7]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Park Royal) |
References
- ↑ Park Royal Development: GLA
- ↑ Evening Standard article on the potential of the area https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/famous-institution-will-move-to-old-oak-common-culture-zone-a3166166.html
- ↑ Financial Times article on the area https://www.ft.com/content/a73f05a6-a19f-11e4-bd03-00144feab7de
- ↑ A History of the County of Middlesex - Volume 7 pp 23-30: Acton: Economic history (Victoria County History)
- ↑ Inglis, Simon: Football Grounds of Britain, page 304. ISBN 0-00218426-5
- ↑ Great Britain vs Australia 1908 at Rugby League Project
- ↑ 1948 Summer Olympics official report. p. 46.