County Oak Corner
Summer 2026
There is a prominent site that effectively forms part of the entryway to County Oak and to those businesses based in Metcalf Way and other areas of County Oak Way. With parts of the site owned by different organisations, the site had become somewhat neglected and, after negotiation with the various landowners, the Manor Royal BID proposed that this underused area be transformed into a more attractive pocket park.
The design integrates informal seating, native planting, and bespoke public art. It responds to both community wellbeing and environmental priorities, supporting Biodiversity Net Gain and enhancing the ecological value of the site.
The intent is to create welcoming, usable and accessible spaces with quality plaza-like furniture, nestled within a naturalised green space, rich in biodiversity and seasonal change.Zone 1 (Yellow Zone) Opposite the entrance to County Oak Retail Park. The site is located on the west side of Manor Royal, adjacent to the Wickes building and close to Pets at Home
Drawing on the material collected to inform the Manor Royal Arts & Heritage Trail Narrative (2019), the concept involves creating a tapestry of heritage told through image and word.
A curated collection of designs celebrating Manor Royal’s rich past; blending colourised historical photographs with textured overlays, and interwoven with stories, reflections, and quotations cut into Corten steel.
These panels are thoughtfully clustered near the ‘public rooms’ to create a strong visual presence across key crossing points, while a scattering of others appears more playfully along the length of the green wall.
Together, they evoke the feel of shifting pixels from afar, an abstract homage to Manor Royal’s legacy of innovation and technology.
Artist: Richard Wolfstrome, Wolfstrome Design https://wolfstrome.place/
County Oak Retail Park and County Oak Way take their name from a historic oak tree that once stood at this location and marked the ancient county boundary between Sussex and Surrey, hence the “County Oak”.
