Cannizaro park
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
Between 1785 and 1806, Home Secretary
and Secretary of State for War
, Henry Dundas, 1st 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.
In 1817, Sicilian
Francis Platamone, 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 King 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 known by her husband's title (with a variation in the spelling).
A major fire at 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.
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, Rhododendron
s, Azalea
s and Camellia
s. 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.
The London Borough of Merton
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.
shelvy coast of Eastern Sicily
between Aci Castello
and Catania
.
One of the main Etnean medical centre bears the name of Ospedale Cannizzaro since it has been built within its territorial bounds.
This toponym likely uprises from:
A) the Low Latin term Canniciarium, "a place that abounds with reeds
, a site made of reeds, a grove of reeds";
B) the Arabic
expression Ayn An-Nisar, meaning "the Spring water of Sacrifice".
In both cases the primeval scenery that gave inspiration to the local naming has been ravaged during the centuries by umpteen changes that were due to frequent lava streams
and blasting eruptions.
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
in the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
. It is located to the south of Wimbledon Common and is known for its ornamental landscaped gardens with ponds and sculpture.
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 GrosvenorGrosvenor
-Baronets/Marquesses/Dukes of Westminster::*Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet *Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet , son of 1st baronet*Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet , grandson of 2nd baronet...
and Drax families who, for most of its history, let it to a series of wealthy tenants. The adjacent Royal Wimbledon golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course and the western parts of Wimbledon village were also once parts of the estate.
Between 1785 and 1806, Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
and Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville PC and Baron Dunira was a Scottish lawyer and politician. He was the first Secretary of State for War and the last person to be impeached in the United Kingdom....
occupied the house. During his tenure, the house was a major social centre for royalty and senior politicians (George III and Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
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.
In 1817, Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
Francis Platamone, 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
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
and Mrs Fitzherbert
Maria Anne Fitzherbert
Maria Fitzherbert , was the woman with whom the future George IV secretly undertook a form of marriage, and his companion for a large part of his adult life. However the marriage in England was invalid under English civil laws concerning royal marriages...
, mistress of King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
. 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 known by her husband's title (with a variation in the spelling).
A major fire at 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
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax. He sold it to the Wilson family, its last private owners.
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, Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, Azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s and Camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s. In 1947, the house and gardens were sold to Wimbledon Borough Council
Municipal Borough of Wimbledon
Wimbledon was a local government district in north-east Surrey from 1866 to 1965 covering the town of Wimbledon and its surrounding area. It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District....
. The gardens were opened to the public shortly after and the house was for a time used as a nursing home.
The London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
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.
A few curiosities about the place name "Cannizzaro"
Cannizzaro (which was a property belonging to the family Platamone di Sant’Antonio) is a touristy locality situated on the IonianIonian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
shelvy coast of Eastern Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
between Aci Castello
Aci Castello
Aci Castello is a city and comune in the Province of Catania in Sicily, Italy. The city is located 9 km north of Catania on the Mediterranean coast. The primary economic sectors are agriculture and industry...
and Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
.
One of the main Etnean medical centre bears the name of Ospedale Cannizzaro since it has been built within its territorial bounds.
This toponym likely uprises from:
A) the Low Latin term Canniciarium, "a place that abounds with reeds
Arundo donax
Arundo donax, Giant Cane, is a tall perennial cane growing in damp soils, either fresh or moderately saline. Other common names include Carrizo, Arundo, Spanish cane, Wild cane, and Giant reed....
, a site made of reeds, a grove of reeds";
B) the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
expression Ayn An-Nisar, meaning "the Spring water of Sacrifice".
In both cases the primeval scenery that gave inspiration to the local naming has been ravaged during the centuries by umpteen changes that were due to frequent lava streams
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
and blasting eruptions.