Blondin Park is an public park in Northfields in the

London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing () is a London borough in West London. It comprises seven major towns: Acton (W3), Ealing (W5, W13, NW10), Greenford (UB6), Hanwell (W7), Northolt (UB5), Perivale (UB6) and Southall (UB1, UB2). With a population of 3 ...

. It has allotments area and sports pitches. It is owned by Ealing Council and managed by the Council together with the Friends of Blondin Park. An area of in the south-west corner is a Local Nature Reserve, and the nature area and allotments are a

Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature ...

History

The site was acquired by the

Municipal Borough of Ealing Ealing was a local government district from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Ealing which formed part of the built up area of London until 1965, where it became part of Greater London. History A local board of health was formed for the southern pa ...

in 1928 and opened as a public park called Northfields Recreation Ground. In 1957 it was renamed Blondin Park after

Charles Blondin Charles Blondin (born Jean François Gravelet, 28 February 182422 February 1897) was a French tightrope walker and acrobat. He toured the United States and was known for crossing the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope. During an event in Dublin in ...

, who lived locally in Niagara House. The Blondin Nature Area was created in 1997.

Ecology

The nature reserve has a variety of habitats, including a wildflower meadow and a pond, where wetland plants have been introduced such as lesser pond-sedge,

sharp-flowered rush ''Juncus acutiflorus'', also called sharp-flowered rush, is a rush or a grassy plant of the genus ''Juncus''. As the name suggests, the plant has notable sharp-looking flowers, flowering between July and September. Description The plant has lea ...

and greater spearwort.

Access

There is access from Boston Manor Road.

References

External links

Friends of Blondin Park
{{Authority control Nature reserves in the London Borough of Ealing Local nature reserves in Greater London Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Ealing