Description
The borough boundary between RB Kingston and LB Sutton cuts north-south across the park, which is a remnant of commonland, the boundaries of which have not changed for at least 150 years. It was shown on a Tithe Map of 1839 as Back Green and prior to the building of the railway in the 1850s it used to be linked to the main area of Lower Green, which is now the main road through Worcester Park. Upper Green was located near the junction of Malden Road and Church Road. Nearby is a further remnant of commonland, Malden Green, which remains as a strip of grass by the main road with Lombardy poplars, but otherwise has disappeared.
Practical Information
| Site location | access from Green Lane, Worcester Park |
|---|---|
| Postcode | KT4 |
| What3Words | ///cliff.rental.occupy |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | none |
| Public Transport | Rail: Worcester Park |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
By 1968 the land to the south was laid out as sports pitches and the fields to the north had been built over. There was once a pond along the northern edge of Back Green, no longer there. There also used to be elm trees growing here. Back Green remains in the ownership of the Warden and Scholars of Merton College, Oxford who also own part of Malden Green.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ224663 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | The Warden and Scholars of Merton College, Oxford |
| Site Management | LB Sutton, Parks |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Common (CL55 & CL56) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Green Corridor |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Plough Green is common land, owned by the Warden and Scholars of Merton College, University of Oxford, which also continues to own or part-own Malden Green, Back Green and Rushett Common. Plough Green within the old village of Malden is named after the Plough Inn, which has been here from the C15th and which tradition has it was where Dick Turpin once hid. Plough Pond was one of the three ponds that were once in Malden, situated along Church Road. The Green consists of grass with a few trees, and maintains a semblance of a village atmosphere despite the busy Malden Road. Near the Green are a number of C19th cottages.
Cuddington Cemetery and St Philip's Churchyard are divided by a hedge and trees; the old churchyard now closed to burial. Accessible from Lindsay Road, Cuddington Cemetery was laid out c.1901, and opened in 1902, the earliest grave also of this date. Formally laid out in a rectangular grid, the cemetery has a WWI war memorial and the entrance is lined with trees including an occasional yew.. To the west lies the former churchyard of St Philip's Church, which was built in 1872-73 and demolished in 1972. This part of the site is overgrown and remains untended.
The site, once part of the estate of Morden Manor, was acquired in 1931 by Merton and Morden UDC and transferred by way of a conveyance 24th October 1935. The Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields were opened as a public amenity and named in memory of Sir Joseph Hood, MP, former Mayor of Wimbledon and a local benefactor. Part of the site is largely grassed and used as playing fields, with a bowling green and 1950s pavilion fronted by rose gardens in the north. To the west a path leads to the Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Wood, which was established as a nature reserve in 1994. The Beverley Brook runs through the woodland. In 2000/2001 10,000 trees were planted as a Millennium Wood adjacent to the wood and to the south of the Playing Fields.