page_title: Gladstone Park, London
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Gladstone Park, London / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Gladstone Park, circa 1900.
context_page_description: Gladstone Park is situated in the Dollis Hill area of north-west London. It is about 35 hectares in area.
  Dollis Hill House was an early 19th-century farmhouse, located within the northern boundary of the park.
context_section_description: It was chiefly the loss of sports grounds at Neasden by the arrival of the Great Central Railway towards the end of the 19th century that motivated local public backing for a new park at Dollis Hill. Hence, there was very strong support at Neasden for the idea that the District Council should buy from the Finch family the part of their estate that lay south of Dollis Hill Lane, for £50,000. However, considerable opposition to the proposal, mainly on cost grounds, arose from other parts of Willesden, largely driven by the editor of the Willesden Chronicle from his office in South Kilburn.
  In the end the issue was resolved at an inquiry held by an inspector from the Local Government Board. He recommended acquisition of the land. Middlesex County Council agreed conditionally to put up £12,500 towards the cost; London County Council, £3,000; Hampstead £1,000; and Hendon £500, while the Ecclesiastical Commissioners made a £5,000 loan available on easy terms. The Municipal Borough of Willesden was left to find the rest of the money from their ratepayers and from donations. It would eventually cost nearly £52,000.
  The contract to purchase the house, garden, and estate from "Robert Augustus Finch and others" was signed by the Council on 9 August 1899, and soon afterwards, notices to terminate existing tenancies (except that for the house and gardens) were sent out. Despite some reservations by local Conservatives, on 12 December 1899 it was formally agreed to name the park after William Ewart Gladstone, the old Prime Minister who had died the previous year, and who had spent many happy hours there. Purchase was completed early in 1900.
  The Earl of Rosebery, recently twice Prime Minister, had promised to perform the opening ceremony on Saturday 25 May 1901, but was prevented from attending by the death of his mother. In his absence, the park was declared open by the Earl of Aberdeen.
caption: Gladstone Park c.1900
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