Restoration work at Eastcote House Gardens began this week - slightly later than first expected - to enhance and improve the park and gardens which were once part of the grounds of historic Eastcote House.
An impressive £1.28million, secured by Hillingdon Council from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund, will go towards repairing and upgrading the listed 16th century stables, and 18th century dovecote and walled garden, in the parkland in High Road Eastcote.
A new building will house a cafe and amenities, and the new facilities also include an outdoor classroom and nature trail to be used by schools and uniformed groups to support science, geography, maths, art, ecology and conservation lessons.
Volunteer group the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens (FEHG) are trying to raise some funding to purchase equipment needed for these lessons - especially for river exploration, way markers and leaflets for the nature trail.
They are calling it the In Tune with Nature project - to encourage young people to learn about, work with, and enjoy the natural world away from computers and televisions- and are asking for funding from the Lloyds Bank Community Fund.
Four local causes across Harrow and Hillingdon will be awarded funding depending on the number of votes they receive. The group with the most votes will get £3,000, the next £2,000, £1,000 and finally, £500.
The FEHG are asking supporters to vote for them by going online to https://lly-cf.com/TCH and voting by email or Twitter, or by texting VOTE TCH to 61119, or by visiting your local Lloyds Bank branch.
According to FEHG chairman Lesley Crowcroft, the contactors Messenger Conservation Construction originally had a start date of August 11 and a completion of March 31, 2015.
Work actually started on September 1, and the first area of work is expected to be excavating the foundations for the new cafe building and behind the south wall of the walled garden to create a Gardener’s compound.
The project’s estimated date of completion is now summer 2015.
