Greenhill Gardens, New Barnet facts for kids
Greenhill Gardens is a lovely public park in New Barnet, located in the London Borough of Barnet. It's about 1.6 hectares in size, which is like four football fields! The park's main attraction is a beautiful lake with a small, wooded island. This island is a favorite spot for many different birds. You'll also find a big grassy area with lots of old, tall trees. Greenhill Gardens is so special for nature that it's officially recognized as a "Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation."
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A Journey Through Time: The Park's History
Greenhill Gardens is actually a small piece of a much larger old country estate called Pricklers. This estate got its name from a medieval family called Prittle.
From Old Estates to New Owners
For a long time, the Pricklers estate belonged to the Marsh family. When Captain William Marsh passed away, his daughter, Margaret Marsh, inherited the estate. Margaret first married John Nicholl and had a daughter, also named Margaret. Later, in 1694, she married John Woolfe, who soon became a knight, Sir John Woolfe. Sir John and Dame Margaret Woolfe had three daughters and a son named Marsh Woolfe.
When Dame Margaret died in 1713, she left Pricklers to her son, Marsh Woolfe. He was only thirteen years old at the time! Until he was old enough, the estate was managed by the people named in her will. These were Margaret Nicholl (Dame Margaret's daughter from her first marriage) and John Godden Woolfe (Sir John Woolfe's son from a previous marriage).
The family always called the house "Pricklers." In 1748, Marsh Woolfe left his estate to his half-nephew, Thomas Brand of The Hoo. Thomas was the son of Dame Margaret Woolfe's daughter, Margaret. Around the year 1800, someone even painted a beautiful picture of the house.
How the Park Was Created
Most of the land from the original Pricklers estate was used to build houses in the 1900s. But in July 1926, the East Barnet Council bought the land that is now Greenhill Gardens. They paid £20,000 for it, making it a public park for everyone to enjoy.
In 1965, East Barnet became part of the London Borough of Barnet. Since then, the London Borough of Barnet has owned and taken care of Greenhill Gardens.
Visiting Greenhill Gardens
You can easily get into Greenhill Gardens from two different places: Pricklers Hill and Greenhill Park.
Images for kids
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The peaceful lake at Greenhill Gardens
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Birds enjoying the lake at Greenhill Gardens
