Photo Blog: Eastcote House and Gardens

Eastcote House and Gardens in Hillingdon has undergone a major transformation since my last visit. Given the recent heavy winds and rains, the volunteers did an excellent job of putting on a such a tidy display of late summer colour and topiary.

Eastcote House Walled Garden looking towards the Dovecote

I savoured the garden from every angle, before making my way towards the wilder parts of the gardens towards Long Meadow and the River Pinn.

River Pinn

There are some magnificent old trees in Long Meadow. I paused under the magnificent, sunlit canopy of the old Oak Tree below.

 

I returned to the house where old cars were on display for the Open House London weekend.

Old car with Eastcote House in the background

One of the vintage cars in Eastcote Gardens

A quiet bench beckoned as I realised that I had missed the next 282 bus home.

 A chance to enjoy the last of the dappled September sunshine under the gardens' trees.

 Eastcote House and Gardens is open daily.

Ruislip on the Map

'Where is Ruislip?' This question has been raised so many times that I thought I had better answer it in a blog, especially for my international contacts. Ruislip is very accessible and is surprising close to many places you all know well. It is in the London Borough of Hillingdon with Heathrow airport just 15 minutes away by car. Hillingdon is the white area to the west on the map below.

ACCESSIBILITY

My nearest underground station is South Ruislip. This station is two stops before the end of the Central Line into central London. This gives me direct access to:

• Oxford Street shopping and businesses
• Soho's creative sector
• Holborn for the French Chamber of Great Britain
• Chancery Lane for the legal sector
• Liverpool Street and Bank for the City of London and the financial sector.

Underground Connections

Ruislip Manor and Ruislip Stations give access to both the Piccadilly and Metropolitan Lines. South Harrow via 114 bus is another option for the Piccadilly Line. 

This is an important connection for the French Institute, Imperial College London, a large French community and famous museums in South Kensington.

Railway Connections

South Ruislip also has access to Chiltern Mainline. This means that I have easy access to:

• Wembley Stadium and business park
• London's Marylebone station in around 20 minutes.
• Euston and King's Cross to change to tubes for mainline UK routes to the north of London
• Most importantly, Eurostar connections from St Pancras International Station to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Amsterdam, etc.
• The Chiltern Line was extended to Oxford in December 2016.

Accessibility will improve even further once Crossrail or the Elizabeth Line opens. Ruislip is also part of the planned route for HS2.

Road Connections

Ruislip offers easy access to a number of motorways:

• M40/A40 into Central London going east; Oxford and Birmingham heading north-west.
• M25 London's orbital motorway to Gatwick Airport.
• M4 corridor is the base for a number of IT companies heading towards Maidenhead (the Prime Minister's Constituency), Reading, Swindon, Bath, my native city of Bristol and Wales.
• M1 for Luton Airport and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) at Milton Keynes.

Local Business Meetings

For local business meetings the Ramada London South Ruislip Hotel is within walking distance of South Ruislip Station and my home. Manor Farm and Winston Churchill Hall also offer conference and theatre facilities.

MEANING AND PRONUNCIATION

Ruislip’s name probably comes from Old English words for "rush" and "leap", meaning a place where the local river Pinn was narrow enough to jump across.

Ruislip is not pronounced as it looks. My apologies to non-native English speakers! 

[ˈraɪslɪp]

Pronounce the first 3 letters as you would the cereal crop 'Rye'. Audio

HISTORY

Ruislip dates back to Saxon times, when Manor Farm belonged to the landowner, Wlward Wit. Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, his land passed to a new Lord of the Manor, Ernulf de Hesdin.

Ruislip Manor Farm boasts a Motte and Bailey site protected for its archaelogical significance. 

Manor Farm House was built in 1508 and is still standing today. The lordship of Ruislip Manor passed to King's College Cambridge in 1451.

Ruislip Manor Farm House

LOCAL MPS

The local Member of Parliament (MP) for Uxbridge and South Ruislip is Boris Johnson. He is the former Mayor of London and is now the UK's Foreign Secretary. 

The MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner is Nick Hurd. He is the Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). He is the eldest son of Douglas Hurd, former Foreign Secretary under Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

Karen Andrews is a freelance French to English translator, transcreator, content writer and editor. She has a strong background in global marketing.

Email Karen for further information via karenanglicityen@gmail.com in French, German or English.

New Year's Day Parade

The New Year's Day Parade took place today in Central London. It continued despite the rain that gradually turned into a heavy downpour. Below are a few photos of the day and some short video clips.

The parade followed a route from Green Park and along Piccadilly via Trafalgar Square to Westminster. I found a spot opposite the Canadian Embassy just off Trafalgar Square.

The donkeys were popular with the crowd

Tonbridge Scout Band

There were several marching bands from the UK and USA.

Keeping your line can be difficult when you follow donkeys and horses.

The rain started as the Virginian marching band reached the Canadian Embassy.

I enjoyed the American cheerleaders, tap dancing and flag waving troupes.

American cheerleaders singing enthusiastically

There were a number of floats with walking participants behind.

Penguin and Sweep dancing behind Mary Poppins float

There were all sort of vehicles - from mini steam engines to an assortment of cars.

There were a number of charities represented, including St Christopher's celebrating their 50th Anniversary and Polio prevention.

Bear walking for polio eradication charity

Miss Great Britain retained her composure in the back of an open-top car as the rain got heavier.

There were dancers and musicians from a variety of countries. All the participants deserved an award for carrying on so stoically as the rain poured and the crowds ran for shelter. The animation below shows dancers from Berlin carrying on enthusiastically in the rain.

I walked in the direction of Green Park, the start of the parade. On my way, I saw my local borough's entry. The side of Hillingdon's vehicle wished everyone a Happy New Year.

The show went on despite the British weather.