Harlow: A walk to Parndon Hall and Oakwood Pond

Bus No 5 from Harlow Bus Station stops at the Princess Alexandra Hospital which is next to the Addison House Surgery.

Parking is available at the small, pay and display, multi storey car park a a short way from Addison House Surgery on the other side of Hamstel Road.

This route includes cycle tracks and care should be taken to keep to the pedestrian side and be alert for cyclists.

[1] From the Addison House Surgery, go out onto Hamstel Road and turn left. Walk a short way, round a bend, along the left pavement till you come to the blue cycle path sign.

[2] Turn left onto the path, then immediately take the path on the right, towards the hospital. Follow this path till you come to the hospital access road, by a pedestrian crossing.

[3] Cross the access road carefully at the crossing and bear left on the path to walk beside the car park, keeping the main hospital buildings on your left. Carefully cross the entrance to the car park then cross a road where there is a building on your right with a tall, white, 4 part chimney

[4] Cross another turning, You will see a sign on the left pointing to Parndon Hall, by a pedestrian crossing. Walk into the car park on your right and turn left to keep the hedge on your left. You will soon see the front of the building in the trees on your right. Though Parndon Hall is looking a little battered now, it is still worth seeing. It is a 19th century Italianate red brick mansion, now used as a medical library. Unfortunately it is not possible to see the very elaborate decoration inside the building.

[5] Once you have looked at the building, turn back and walk back through the car park to the pedestrian crossing by the car park entrance.

[6] Cross this pedestrian crossing and turn left towards the large Hospital Guide sign. Turn right here and follow the arrows on the pavement.

[7] Follow this road all the way through the hospital grounds to the main road. When you see the eye unit on your right, cross the road and turn right past the bus stop and pass the Cellular Pathology building. Near the sign to the Birthing Unit, cross the pedestrian crossing towards the car park and turn left towards the road.

[8] As you leave the hospital, turn right and you will notice two paths, one on the left, beside the road, leading towards a bus stop and the other on the right leading between a hedge and a wall. Take the onto the cycle/foot path, on the right, and follow this until the brick wall on your right ends near a green dog waste bin. There is a small gap with the start of a path on the right just after the wall.

[9] Take the path into the wooded area on your right. Follow the path as it goes slightly up and round to the left. You will soon see a large pond on your left with a bench near a concrete waste bin.

[10] Stop to enjoy a rest while watching the mallard ducks, moorhens and squirrels. When you leave the pond, turn right onto the same path to retrace your steps back to the entrance to the woods that you came in by.

[11] When you come back to the entrance, turn left onto the cycle/foot path and walk back beside the brick wall.

[12] When you come to the hospital access road, cross carefully over to continue along the path until reaching a small car park for The Square pub.. Keep to the path as it forks left to pass behind the Square Pub.

[13] Cross carefully over another hospital access road, continuing on the path until you come to Hamstel Road, opposite the ambulance station.

[14] Turn right onto Hamstel Road and follow it back to the surgery.

A. Princess Alexandra Hospital was officially opened by its namesake in April 1965. A scene from the controversial 1971 film, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ was filmed in one of the hospital wards (Arkwright Ward).

B. Parndon Hall is an Itailianate redbrick mansion with Portland stone dressings. It was built in 1867 for the Great Grandson of Sir Richard Arkwright, who invented the first powered mechanism for spinning cotton. It has beautiful ceiling, wall and door panel paintings by Elizabeth Arkwright. The building is now used for hospital administration and medical training. It is not open to the public.

C. Oakwood pond is one of many areas preserved from before the new town was built. In 2006 it had deteriorated so much that it had to be drained and a large amount of money spent to bring it back to life. 750 fish were moved during the operation.