The original building dated from the early seventeenth century when it was known as Place House and had many illustrious residents enjoying the country life in Little Ealing. It was substantially rebuilt at the end of the eighteenth century and renamed Ealing Park. It used to have very extensive gardens, lakes, etc. (85 acres) which were quite famous. Sadly most of the land was sold off for housing in the late nineteenth century. The house was used as a convent from 1903 and became very run down in its later years as St Anne's Convent, when a fire caused quite extensive damage. King Fahad Academy bought it from the Convent and spent a lot of money on a pretty thorough refurbishment and restoration (it is well worth having a look round if you get the chance), though this was never completed. We are hoping KFA will re-open the school, rather than selling for the inevitable residential development. It would be such a shame to see the building divided up into flats or even falling into neglect again. If you are interested in the Little Ealing area can I put in a plug for our little local history book: Little Ealing: a walk through history (see the website http://www.littleealinghistory.org.uk/index.htm)
Helen Johnson ● 6629d