Leavesden Country Park’s newly restored entrance nears completion

Cast iron railings, period stonework and brickwork at the entrance of Leavesden Country Park, in Abbots Langley, have been lovingly restored in intricate detail by a team of experts as part of a project funded by Three Rivers District Council.

The Country Park was originally the Leavesden Asylum, St Pancras Orphanage and Hospital first built in 1867 and closed in 1995. Now the site is partly housing along with a 38 hectares Country Park.

The original brick walls to the road have been repaired and repointed with weather struck pointing, and the cast iron railings have been replicated using the exact same manufacturing techniques used in the Victorian period undertaken by a foundry in London that has existed since then. The old railings were put into sand to make a cast mould for cast metal to be poured into and made into the new railings. The original railings were prepped and repaired where sections had come off over the years and repainted to preserve and maintain them.

Visitors will also notice that on the new combined access gate to the park, two pineapple finials have been added. These match the finials that were put in place on the South aside of the park in the Edwardian Garden and are a nod to the Victorian designers of that time.

The restoration work is one part of a wider project to improve the entrance to the park, which also includes widening the road at the entrance and installing a new gate, traffic island, new railings and higher kerb stones to improve security and prevent anti-social behaviour.

Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, (who also represents Leavesden ward) said: “This project is very close to my heart. Leavesden Country Park is one of the most beloved parks in this district, and the county. The site also has a long and fascinating past, and it is important that it is honoured and this restoration projects does just that.

“I am delighted to see such care and attention to detail going into this project – it means that the heritage of Leavesden Country Park is being protected and enhanced not just for today, but for future generations.”

The restoration of the perimeter wall and railings are part of the wider works for Leavesden Country Park is funded by monies secured when the parkland was handed to the Council to maintain it.

PHOTO 1: Council leader Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst pictured earlier in 2024 surveying the restoration work.

PHOTO 2: Grant Smith, one of the contractors, pictured during re-pointing work.