The history of Cranford Park
Originally the site of 2 medieval manors - one of which was controlled by the Knights Templar and Hospitaller - it passed from church to private ownership during the reformation.
After the dissolution of the monasteries. both manors were confiscated by Henry VIII, who presented them to Andrew, Lord Windsor and they remained in the Windsor family until 1594.
In 1604, the park was brought by Sir Roger Aston, an officer of the Court of James I. He held the impressive offices of Barber, Gentleman of the Bedchamber and Keeper of the Great Wardrobe. He would have served the king closely, as the profession of barber was allied to that of a modern-day surgeon.
In 1618, after the death of Sir Roger, Lady Elizabeth Berkeley, widow of Sir Thomas Berkeley, purchased the park for £7,000. We know that during this period the park had a dovecote, icehouse, brew house, dairy, granary, dog kennels, rectory, lodge house, windmill skittle ground, croquet lawn, wilderness and several orchards.
George Berkeley, the 1st Earl, was a founding member of the Royal African Company and a member of the East India Company. The 3rd Earl, James Berkeley, served as the First Lord of the Admiralty from 1717 to 1727.
The 5th Earl of Berkeley and his wife Mary stand out amongst the residents of Cranford Park. Fredrick Augustus Berkeley inherited the title of Earl of Berkeley in 1755 and held it until his death in 1810. His marriage to Mary Cole (also known as Mary Tudor), the daughter of a Gloucester butcher, was a constant cause of controversy. The date of their wedding was disputed, with the earliest confirmed date taking place in 1796, by which point they already had six children with a seventh on the way. At this time, the family's doctor was Edward Jenner, a man more famous now for developing the first vaccines.
The Earl was famous for other eccentricities. This included his public statements on highwaymen, where he claimed that it wasn't a disgrace to be overcome by superior numbers, but that he would never surrender to a lone assailant. Allegedly, this theory was tested whilst travelling across Hounslow Heath. Stopped by a lone highway man, the Earl is reported to have looked over the man's shoulder and told him he could see his accomplices hiding in the shadows. The man, who was alone, panicked at the thought that someone was behind him and turned to see who it was. As he did, the Earl is said to have pulled out his own pistol and shot the highwayman dead.
Following a period of near abandonment, which started when the Berkeley's quit the site in 1918, the main house was demolished in 1945, leaving only the cellars, stables, stable courtyard, kitchen garden and ha-ha surviving.
Archeology in Cranford Park
As part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported restoration project, a 4-year community archaeology project was undertaken in Cranford Park.
This video covers the last year of the excavations, the incredible work of our community volunteers, and the amazing finds they made.