WORK to enhance Eastcote House Gardens begins this week following a successful bid by Hillingdon Council to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund for £1.28m.

The application was supported by a volunteer group, the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens.

The grant is being used to significantly restore and improve the historic site, known for its timber-framed 16th century stables and mature parkland, which were once part of the grounds of Eastcote House.

The money will also enable the repair and upgrading of the listed stables, 18th-Century dovecote and walled garden for community use, while a new building will house a new café.

The project's estimated date of completion is summer 2015.