Boston Manor House Revealed, but still much to be done to save it

In 2004 scaffolding went up on Boston Manor House for important stabilisation works which were scheduled to take one year to complete.  For several years and complaints from local residents, Councillors and the Friends of Boston Manor, eventually work started in 2010 at rather a snails pace. 2011 has seen this work completed and the scaffolding was removed in the summer.  Last week saw the removal of the hoarding and at last Boston Manor House can be seen in full glory.

Linda Massey, who is the CEO of Friends of Boston Manor, said that with the house being closed for so long (it was opened for one day only on the day of the Brentford Festival) people are going to think that all is hunky-dory but they are mistaken.  The house considered at risk by English Heritage still needs a vast sum of money to be spent on it but first Hounslow Council who own the building need to find out the best use of the building.  The consultants JURA were commissioned by the council in 2010 to do a feasibility study.  The Friends of Boston Manor hope that this Options Appraisal will be released in November to allow members of the public to give their view. 

Further activity was seen in Boston Manor Park last week when the flowerbeds throughout the park were removed to make way for new plantings.  Park users were offered the plants, already potted up, to take home with them for free.  Linda Massey estimates that at least 300 plants were taken which is so much better than them all being composted.  That said, a composting area within the park has been set up to accommodate the excess green waste generated from the park.  Community Payback, who work in the park several times a week, will take this project on to “turn the vegetation” so that in time the compost can be reused in the park.

October 20, 2011