Cannizaro Park is a park in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. It is located to the south of Wimbledon Common and is known for its ornamental landscaped gardens with ponds and sculpture. Wimbledon is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton seven miles (11. ... The London Borough of Merton is a London borough in southwest London. ... Wimbledon and Putney Commons consist of a large open space south west of London comprising 1140 acres (4. ...

History

The park is the remnant of the gardens of the former country house at its centre (now a hotel). The house, originally known as Warren House, was built in the 18th century and was owned by the Grosvenor and Drax families who, for most of its history, let it to a series of wealthy tenants. The adjacent Royal Wimbledon golf course and the western parts of Wimbledon village were also once parts of the estate. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The title of Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Richard Grosvenor, the 3rd Marquess of Westminster. ... Golfer teeing off at the start of a hole Golf is an outdoor sport where individual players or teams hit a small ball into a hole using various clubs. ...

Between 1785 and 1806, Home Secretary and Secretary of State for War, Viscount Melville occupied the house. During his tenure, the house was a major social centre for royalty and senior politicians (George III and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger both stayed there regularly). Dundas organised the landscaping of the gardens, the basic structure of which remains today. Lady Jane Wood in the gardens is a memorial to his wife. 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Home Secretary (official full title Secretary of State for the Home Department) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, a British cabinet-level position, first applied to Henry Dundas (appointed in 1794). ... Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (April 28, 1742 - May 28, 1811) was a British statesman. ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738–29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... A prime minister may be either: the chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the civil service and execute the directives... The Right Honourable William Pitt, the Younger (28 May 1759–23 January 1806) was a British politician during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ...

In 1817, Sicilian Francis Plamonte, Count St. Antonio and his Scottish wife Sophia leased Warren House and held regular parties and concerts whose attendees included Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington and Mrs Fitzherbert, mistress of George IV. The Count left his wife and returned to Italy in 1832 when he inherited the title Duke of Cannizzaro. The Duchess remained at Warren House until she died in 1841. After her death the house came to be know by her husband's title (with a variation in the spelling). 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Sicilian (Lu Sicilianu, Lingua Siciliana) is the Romance language spoken in Sicily, Italy. ... The Most Noble Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, PC, FRS (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ... Maria Anne Fitzherbert, wife of King George IV Plaque at Maria Fitzherberts burial place in Brighton Maria Anne Fitzherbert (1756-1837), née Smythe, married George IV (then the Prince of Wales) in December 1785. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 29 January 1820. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

A major fire a the beginning of the 20th century destroyed much of the house but it was rebuilt and extended to its current arrangement. In the 1920s Cannizaro House was owned by Admiral Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax. He sold it to the Wilson family, its last private owners. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Since the closing of the 20th Century, the 1920s has drawn close associations with the 1990s, and particularly in the United States. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ... Admiral The Honourable Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (1880-1967), KCB, DSO, JP, DL, was the younger son of John William Plunkett, 17th Baron of Dunsany (1853-1899) and his wife, Ernle Elizabeth Ernle-Erle-Drax (d. ...

The Wilsons owned the house until the late 1940s and carried out a series of improvements in the gardens with the planting of new trees, Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camellias. In 1947, the house and gardens were sold to Wimbledon Borough Council. The gardens were opened to the public shortly after and the house was for a time used as a nursing home. // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... Subgenera Azaleastrum Candidastrum Hymenanthes Mumeazalea Pentanthera Rhododendron Therorhodion Tsutsusi Source: RBG, Edinburgh Rhododendron (from the Greek: rhodos, rose; dendron, tree) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. ... Azaleas are flowering shrubs making up part of the genus Rhododendron. ... Species About 100–250, including: Camellia assimilis Camellia brevistyla Camellia caudata Camellia chekiangoleosa Camellia chrysantha – Golden Camellia Camellia connata Camellia crapnelliana Camellia cuspidata Camellia euryoides Camellia forrestii Camellia fraterna Camellia furfuracea Camellia granthamiana Camellia grijsii Camellia honkongensis Camellia irrawadiensis Camellia japonica – Japanese Camellia Camellia kissii Camellia lutchuensis Camellia miyagii Camellia... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The council sold the house in the 1980s and it was subsequently converted to a hotel. The gardens remain in council ownership and open to the public. // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ...

External links

• Friends of Cannizaro Park
• Map and aerial photo of Cannizaro park from Multimap.com
• Other map and aerial photo sources

Multimap. ...