The Hidden History of Northala Fields

Head west on the A40 past Perivale and you might spot some rather interesting features in the landscape off to your left – Northala Fields.

The main feature of Northala Fields are the four circular hills which run in a curve alongside the main road. Each about 100 feet high they resemble ancient barrows, but that appearance is deceptive. In fact they’re spoil heaps – the thousands of tons of concrete that used to make up the original Wembley Stadium lie under these huge mounds. When the stadium was demolished in 2003 to make way for its shiny new replacement, most of the debris was brought the half a mile distance to what was then a piece of derelict land – the rubble was piled up and the area landscaped with the park opening to the public in 2007.

northala fields london

northala fields london

northala fields london

The tops of the hills provide a fantastic vantage point over west London and, at the moment, they’re also occupied by some interesting stuctures – Red Earth have built enigmatic wooden structures on the tops of three of them as part of the Mayor of London’s ‘Secrets – Hidden London‘ locations. Last night a special ceremony involving fire and flame took place on the hilltops which was associated with the Paralympics – given what they resemble I imagine that anyone with an active imagination could quite easily have thought themselves to be in a scene from 1973’s ‘The Wicker Man’!

Northala Fields are just a brisk walk away from Northolt station on the Central Line, and there is also parking nearby – it’s a lovely spot, and clearly very popular with local families as the park contains lots of play facilities for kids too. You can see a small gallery of photographs on Google Plus here.