The London/Hertfordshire boundary - Batchworth Heath


The London, Hillingdon/ Hertfordshire boundary goes north east up White Hill but at the end of a line of trees it turns east to Farm Road.
TQ 07718 92382

Area of heathland, woods and fields - mainly actually very posh and exclusive golf courses. Faux country pubs, and, surprisingly, a chalk mine.

Post to the east Northwood
Post to the south Mount Vernon

Sites on the Three Rivers, Hertfordshire side of the boundary

Batchworth Heath
14 Prince of Wales. Lap dancing and private table dancing.

Batchworth Heath Hill
Howard Spring
Whipping Spring
Batchworth Heath Farm stud farm since the 1980s
Ye Olde Greene Manne - chain pub with a huge garden. Allegedly dates from 1728 and also visited by Dick Turpin. Appears in the film “Genevieve’.
Home Farm
Grigg’s Field, derelict quarry. Considered as a waste tip.
Coal duty post at the point at which the road name changes on the west side outside the Prince of Wales

Batchworth Lane
The junction is the site of a scene in the film ‘Genevieve.’
Gatehouse one of three entrances to Moor Park. Designed by Robert Adam

Moor Park Golf Course. Covers part of the grounds of Moor Park. In 1919 the estate was auctioned off and 470 acres of grounds were bought by Lord Leverhulme who converted it into a country club, but this did not prosper and it became a golf course

Temple Gardens
Named for Sir William Temple 17th gardening expert who died at Moor Park.

Bath End Clump
6 Veerayatan U.K. vegetarian pharmacy college. Sensational modern house of the 1930s by Connell, Ward and Lucas

White Hill
Bishops Wood Hospital. Private hospital within the grounds of Mount Vernon.

Sites on the London,Hillingdon side of the boundary

Kewferry Drive
Northwood Chalk Mine. The entrance shaft is sealed and lies beneath the drive of a bungalow. Brickwork on the entrance shaft was, dated as 17th century. The debris heap at the foot, of the shaft was excavated and found to contain the complete skeletons of a horse and cow, old tin cans, a complete metal trough, a tin trunk that contained parts of a gin trap, some dissecting needles, parts of a windlass, an excavation tool and two bone implements used for making pins. The shaft seems to have been open in the 1920s, but sealed after several animals were. Lost, it was covered with railway sleepers. It was rediscovered by a Mr Roy in 1946. Within two days of returning from war service he fell through the rotted sleepers and seems never to have recovered from the shock, and died six months later from cancer. The shaft was wide, circular, brick lined and 60ft deep. The plan shows a fairly compact mine with work benches. The tunnel height was 20ft

Rickmansworth Road
Land last bit of common leased road act in 1729.
Northwood Golf Club. Founded 1891. This is the one that had the TV programme made about all the snobbery there.

Sources
Chelsea Speleological Society. Newsletter
London Encyclopaedia
London Transport. Country Walks

Moor Park Golf Course. Web site
Northwood Golf Club. Web site
Ye Olde Greene Manne. Web site

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