Park Royal's new free visitor guide

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Not many business parks can boast a 2000-ton Italian marble Hindu temple, an art gallery, a world-famous bikers’ café and a football stadium known as the spiritual home of the game.

That’s why Park Royal, the largest business park in Europe, has launched a new guide to highlight the sights, shops and restaurants found on and around its estate, in the hope of attracting as many leisure-lovers as businesspeople to the area.

The light, fold-away guide, which has been produced by the Hammersmith & Fulham Visitor Development team in conjunction with the Park Royal Partnership, details the many attractions located across the four corners of the park, including Neasden’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple in the north, Ealing’s PM Gallery in the south, the new Wembley Stadium in the west and the Wormwood Scrubs park and nature reserve in the east. The guide also recommends the best restaurants and cafes for a good bite to eat, points out architectural gems like the 1930s’ Elizabeth Arden perfume factory and suggests fun and unusual ways to spend a day, including a walk down the towpath of the Grand Union canal and a rummage in the Salvage Yard on Acton Lane.

The aim is that the guide will attract more first-time visitors and tourists to Park Royal, and encourage the estate’s 40,000 workers to spend their lunchtimes and evenings discovering exactly what the area has to offer.

One of the most famous places featured in the leisure guide is the Ace Café London, a legendary hang-out for bikers and motor fanatics since 1938. Mark Wilsmore, the current owner and recent winner of a national ‘car enthusiast of the year’ award, says: “We hold a regular pattern of meetings, events and reunions, and get visitors coming here from as far a field as Argentina, Japan and Sri Lanka - because anyone who’s into petrol, whether it’s Mini Coopers or Harley Davidsons, knows about the Ace Café. One guy rode here from Pakistan on his Triumph motorbike a few years ago, and has come back every year since to spend a month touring the UK.

“I think Park Royal deserves its own leisure guide because it has a lot going for it, not least the ease of access from the North Circular and the good connections on the Tube. There’s also a great feeling of space here, which you don’t get in much of London, and it’s very conducive to relaxation and ease. The area definitely has a great future ahead of it too, with the advent of football at Wembley stadium next year. Huge numbers of people will be stopping in Park Royal on their way to the ground, and that’s bound to have a terrific impact.”

David Scott, head of business at Park Royal Partnership, says: "Park Royal is a real giant of industry with roughly 1800 businesses operating here. However, Park Royal is not just about business; it provides people in the area with a whole host of amenities, which we are seeking to improve and develop over time, making Park Royal a place that meets the needs of workers and also visitors to the area."

Catherine Knight, visitor development officer for Hammersmith & Fulham, says: “I’m very pleased to be involved in the production of this guide, which will undoubtedly make people take a second look at the Park Royal area and the leisure facilities available there. As visitor development officer for Hammersmith & Fulham, a borough which borders on the Park Royal estate, I believe it’s vital for the whole of West London to work together in promoting tourism, business and leisure. In this way we can show that our region is a vibrant and exciting visitor destination for residents, Londoners and international tourists alike.”

Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the Park Royal leisure guide can call Danielle Mothes at Park Royal Partnership on 020 8621 6304 or email Catherine Knight at tourism@lbhf.gov.uk

 

August 14, 2005