Time Travel in Southall

Event on Saturday at Manor House

Residents will be invited to step back in time on Saturday, 7 May, when Southall Manor House hosts an ‘Old Time Village Fete’ in celebration of the area’s local history.

The event, which runs from 2-5pm, will recreate the original opening of the grounds to the public 100 years ago and will see actors taking on the roles of the owner of the house, the gardener and a fair-ground showman.

It is the final event in a year-long community history programme, sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which has seen local school children and volunteers collecting memories of the park from the area’s older residents. These oral histories have been turned into banners that will be displayed on the day.

Visitors will be able to try traditional fairground games, such as the coconut shy, help to plant a flower bed and try their hand at Victorian cake decorating. The Fulham Brass Band will be providing the music.

At 3pm, the Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing, Councillor Rajinder Mann, will take part in a ceremony recreating the original 1913 opening of the park.

Councillor Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council and cabinet member for Regeneration, said: “Southall is one of the most culturally rich and diverse parts of the country and this project has captured some fascinating local histories.

“I hope that people will take the time to visit on the day, learn more about people’s memories of the area and be a part of the ongoing story of the house.”

Repairs to the park’s historic pool and fountain have just been completed. The historic Elizabethan manor house is currently undergoing an £560,000 repair and refurbishment programme. Work is scheduled to finish in 2012.

For more information call Jan Anderson on 020 8825 8934 or e-mail andersonja@ealing.gov.uk.

4 May 2011