Sudbury, which is a part of the London borough of Brent, does not immediately strike one as a foremost tourist attraction but it’s near where I’m staying and there is a sweet open space, with romantic connections for us, called Barham Park.

I realize that I’ve already posted something about the park at

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/barham-park-sudbury/

We returned to it the other day as part of our permitted exercise walk on a particulary beautiful day.

Barham park is named after a landowning family who possessed a herd of dairy cattle. In the nineteenth century, Sir George Barham realizing that the milk generally supplied to the capital was of a poor quality and recognizing that this was because of the conditions in which dairy cattle in London were raised decided to change the situation and founded Express Dairies (remember them?) in 1864.

(An Express dairies milk float – now a rare sight in London)

This was the first company to use glass milk bottles, pasteurize milk, carry 30, 0000 gallons of milk by train into London every night, and supply milk to Queen Victoria. Sir George wanted to provide top quality milk to his customers and so arranged to transport fresh milk into town from the countryside by railway, hence his choice of name “Express Milk Company.”

His son, Titus, opened a range of Tea Shops and Bakeries,. My wife remembers shopping, as a girl, with her mum at the Express Dairies of Pont Street, Knightsbridge. She states in those days one bought butter cut on the spot by the shop assistant from a large pat and then wrapped upfor the customer in grease-proof paper.

When the dairy herds moved further out of London because of increasing urbanization Sir George’s son Titus, in 1937, donated his estate to Wembley Borough Council.  To this day Barham Park remains essentially an 18^th-century landscaped garden.

Unfortunately, whilst the council continued to maintain the park  they neglected Barham’s mansion and it was demolished as being unsafe in 1956. What remains is the much older ‘Crabs’ House: It’s now used as the parks office and as a library. There’s also a games room, veteran’s club (am I old enough to join it?) and a Nepalese club. Sadly all three are now closed for the duration. 

One feature that was there on our previous visit, a delightful ornamental well in Crabs house courtyard

is no longer there!

We wonder where it is and whether this attractive feature will ever be restored.

Barham park also has a walled garden,

a coniferous plantation and a war memorial adorned with a particularly sad lion.

Unfortunately the children’s playground is closed for the duration. How long that will be is anyone’s guess…

Barham Park is just one of London’s ‘lungs’. There’s nothing particularly outstanding to draw the occasional visitor to it but on the very sunny day we had it was a lovely place to walk about in and enjoy. For it’s not how important a sight is in London which draws one to it but it’s how one relates to it that gives it its special significance.

The  park certainly regained its significance for us again, reminding of our walk there the day after we married.

Ours was the garden;

fresh flowers spread before us

 blessing our wedding.