- Belair Park
Belair Park is located in
West Dulwich part of theLondon Borough of Southwark .History
Formerly, the grounds belonged to
Belair House , a country home built in Southwark's only Grade II* listed landscape. There are also listed structures within the park, including the park lodge, entrance gate and an old stable building.The original estate consisted of two farms. Some time in the seventeenth century the estate was leased to John Willes, corn factor of Whitechapel, who erected a house in the style of, or possibly by Robert Adam. This house was named College Place. The lake was mentioned by Willes when he first leased the land from Dulwich College, which would indicate that the original boundary of the estate was beyond that point.
After John Willes death there was a new owner, Charles Ranken, a solicitor, who renamed the house Belair which is the name it has been until relatively recently.
Today
The park is bordered by the
South Circular Road and Gallery road. It has recently been refurbished with the tennis courts being upgraded and a skate board facility built.London Borough of Southwark has further plans for the park to make it more widely accessible.Houses
Belair House inWest Dulwich , oppositeWest Dulwich railway station , was designed in 1785 for John Files. It remained a private house until 1938 when it came into the hands of Southwark Council. It fell into disrepair in the 1990s but was bought in 1998 and refurbished and turned into an upmarket restaurant, and renamed Beauberry House. The house has a large park ground attached which is now public, including tennis courts and a children's play area. This area used to be the fields for its farm. The lake is the only substantial stretch of the ancientRiver Effra remaining above ground. [ [http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCommunity/Dulwich/dulwichgreenspaces.html Dulwich Green Spaces] ]References
External links
* [http://www.belairpark.org.uk/ Friends of Belair Park]
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