Where can I find a picture of The Cedars

I have been looking for a picture of The Cedars, the home of the Blackwell family, of Crosse and Blackwell pickles. I have looked under the name of the owner, Thomas Blackwell. A search under The Cedars has now revealed the name of the architect of the building, Robert Lewis Roumieu, who created a distinctive building in the centre of London, and many others. So I'm sure The Cedars was a great house.

Mr Crosse and Mr Blackwell were employees of a pickle producing company. They bought it and developed it, buying chef's recipes, and acquired the royal warrant.

I am really sorry that the house was destroyed. It's a struggle to find even a photo of the house or the two men, whose names are so well known. Several streets and buildings in Harrow or Harrow Weald are named after Blackwell.

Another interesting fact is that one of them, William Blackwell I think, married into the heiress of the local family who produced bricks, so prevalent in London. In England the term redbrick applied to provincial universities, as opposed to the older and more prestigious Oxford and Cambridge with their grey stones. London soil is red clay, hence the red bricks.

Local newspapers and websites report on The Cedars, the park which is open to the public, with just the grand gates, which I photographed and showed in my previous post.

William Blackwell was buried in All Saints church near Crosse. I went to All Saints Church when Harrow Writers Circle performed an evening of poetry and readings in the church for their festival arts week. As I walked around the grounds my eye was immediately drawn to the two grand mausoleums, one of which is seven foot high.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lewis_Roumieu

I just did a search for Crosse and Blackwell and found my previous article on them and a picture of St Anselm's church and a pickle label.

I found the Crosse and Blackwell website. I typed this message:
I would like photos of Mr Blackwell and Mr Crosse and a picture of the now demolished house where Blackwell lived. Thank you very much. If you can send me the pictures or references to where they may be found I would be most grateful. Wikipedia has articles on them and I have photographed the park, the gates of the house, and the graves of the two men at All Saints Church in Harrow Weald. I would like to see statues of them in the centre of Harrow, or, failing that, in Hatch End where Blackwell gave land for St Anselm's Church.

Up pops the reply that they are sorry my message was not uploaded so please give them a quick call. But they don't have the phone number.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Visit Cedar Park, given to Harrow by Mr Blackwell of Crosse and Blackwell Pickles

I had often driven past the grand gateway and magnificent cedar trees on the Uxbridge Road opposite the Bannister Sports Ground named after Roger Bannister who ran the four minute mile. I had not realised that the cedar park is so pleasant nor that it has such an interesting history.

I like to take a walk every day for health reasons and one day decided I should take a daily walk in a local park of place of interest. The map of north west London's Harrow region offers many walks. You can walk the loop from Hatch End railway station, as far as Grimsdyke House hotel, which was once the home of Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan fame.

But I didn't want to walk for half a day. And I had got tired of walking around shopping centres. So I decided to explore some of the parks and earn their history.

The Cedars

The grand gates set between elaborate pillars and curved railings either side are now closed. But you have a choice of entry points, such as the one in a side road offering free parking next to the youth centre.

Near the entrances are panels telling you the history of the park. It was once the home of Mr Blackwell who founded the Crosse and Blackwell pickle company. Mr Blackwell's neighbour was another world famous man, Gilbert, the local magistrate, better known as the writer of the words for Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

both Crosse and Blackwell have fine Mausoleums further along the Uxbridge Road near the entrance to All Saints Church. Inside the church is a bust to Gilbert. Gilbert is not buried there. His wife was cross with him because he died after saving their a young girl, their protege, a young singer and her friend, who had been swimming in the nude in the mansion's garden lake and got into difficulties. The exertion and excitement gave Gilbert a heart attack it would seem.

Gilbert and his wife were buried alongside each with a fine gravestone recalling them and the singer who inherited from them, who is also buried there.

Apparently Gilbert and Blackwell exchanged words when Blackwell's dog ran into Gilbert's land. You can read all about these families on the Harrow Council website and in Wikipedia.

I walked all around the park with my tree guide trying to identify the trees. Of course I could recognise an oak. But what kinds of fir was the fine tall tree with the cones. Silly me, or course it must be the tree which gives its name to the park a cedar.

I must admit that I could hear noise from the nearby Uxbridge Road. But nonetheless it was a very refreshing and peaceful walk.

In addition to giving this land to Harrow for the use of the public, and being buried in the churchyard of the church next to the former Leefe Robinson pub, Blackwell gave the area the land for St Anselm's church in Hatch End, another fine old building surrounded by grand trees.

I was looking for a picture of Blackwell's house. What a pity it is not still standing.

The gates along suggest it must have been a wonderful building.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

More About Mr Blackwell, Co-founder of Crosse and Blackwell, donor to St Anselm's Church and All Saints Church

I was in St Anselm's Church, Hatch End, where I learned that the land for the church had been owned (and then given for the building of the church) by Thomas Blackwell who co-founded Crosse and Blackwell.

I remembered seeing the grave, an impressive memorial, at All Saints Church just in front of the church.

Crosse died first and Blackwell is buried near him.

For a picture of both grave memorials see

http://www.blackwellhall.co.uk/?page_id=274

From this website I learned that Crosse and Blackwell were donors to the church and the founders had decided to have a long path leading up to the church from the road to give the church a country feel.


Drive or take a bus from Hatch End to All Saints Church is further East along the Uxbridge Road.

All Saints Church has a memorial inside it to the other local VIP, magistrate Gilbert, of Gilbert & Sullivan fame.

Reading about the Crosse and Blackwell products, I was amazed how large the Crosse & Blackwell company grew, how many different products, and how big the Branston's pickle brand became, along with the Crosse and Blackwell soups.


The census records list both Crosse and Blackwell and their wives and children and a will. See:
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Edmund_Crosse

You can see a picture of Blackwell's grave on Findagrave.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=61451958

More about the two families:
http://www.cooksinfo.com/crosse-blackwell

I haven't yet found any pictures of the Crosse or Blackwell families. But every time I look on line I find more information.

Crosse and Blackwell

St Anselm's Church, Hatch End

Photo copyright Angela Lansbury

All Saints Church

  © Copyright John Salmon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence from Wikipedia

St Anselm's Church, Hatch End, welcomed associated Mrs Beeton, Blackwell the soup mogul, the Spooner family and more

Mrs Beeton, the cookery writer, whose home is commemorated by the plaque in Hatch End High street was one of the well known parishioners of St Anselm's Church. After admiring her plaque take a walk along the bustling high street towards the station and turn down Westfireld Park, a cup-de sac, to the church, which is still an oasis of peace amongst the tall trees and birdsong. It's so quiet you could hear a pine cone drop.

The soup mogul, Mr Thomas Blackwell, famous for Cross and Blackwell soup, owned the land near what is now Hatch End station. (When another station was built, the station in Hatch End was renamed Hatch End and the newer station was called Pinner.)

If you search on Google you'll find several other churches called St Anselm's but St Anselm actually had a connection to this Harrow.

Here is St Anselm

When can you see inside the church?

Pinner Arts Week is 26 Sept to 5 Oct 2014 and at the weekend of Saturday 5 October and Sunday 6 October 2014 there is free entry to Discover St Anselm's. 11-3 pm.
 'Tours highlighting the Louis Davis stained glass windows, Charles Spooner's carved oak rood screen, World War One memorial, Millennium tapestry, embroidered vestments, displays, music and refreshments.'
(For more about the church see next post under construction - come back later for more.)