Former Riding School Of Syon Park

The former riding school of Syon Park, built between 1819 and 1826, is now a garden centre. It was constructed for Hugh Percy, the 3rd Duke of Northumberland, who took office in 1817. The building is made of brick with a slate roof. The west elevation features a nine-window range above a bare ground-floor plinth, with each bay highlighted by broad pilasters in contrasting brick and a Diocletian window. There is a blocked round-arched window in the north gable end, and the parapet coping has a Tudor effect. The east elevation is mostly hidden by a 20th-century shed; it is faced in yellow brick and lacks pilasters, featuring a battlemented section in the center.

A notable feature of the building is its 28-bay iron roof, constructed using composite truss design. While it is challenging to pinpoint an exact date for this roof, its early design suggests it belongs to the early history of iron construction. It is likely attributed to either Charles Fowler, known for his work with all-iron roofs at Syon, or Thomas Cundy I, who recased Syon House in Bath stone in the early 1820s. The riding school exemplifies the late 18th and early 19th-century revival of tightly controlled dressage and is part of a group with the nearby stable block. Alterations made during its conversion to a garden centre around 1967 have obscured the north end where it connects to the stable block. The floor is thought to date from the early 20th century when the riding school served as a war hospital.