Description
Baxter's Field is on sloping land that remained open land as housing gradually surrounded it from the late C19th. The OS Map of 1952/3 shows the north-west part in use for allotments, with playing fields to the south-east crossed by a line of trees, and provided with a drinking fountain, but it is unclear whether this was public open space or part of the adjacent Sydenham School grounds. By 1970 it all appears to be one site, crossed by a path on the line of the former boundary between allotments and playing field. A plaque erected by the Sydenham Society in 1980 at the west entrance gives information about George Baxter (1804-1867) after whom the park is named. Now sandwiched between suburban housing the park is largely grass with railed shrubberies, a few trees, a perimeter path and another path crossing the park between the entrances.
Practical Information
| Site location | Radlet Avenue/Charlecote Grove |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE26 4BP |
| What3Words | ///round.hungry.tune |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Lewisham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - sunset |
| Special Conditions | www.lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/openspaces/parks |
| Facilities | Playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Forest Hill then bus. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
According to the plaque on the site George Baxter was an engraver and printer who lived in The Retreat, Peak Hill. In 1827 he married Mary Harrild, daughter of printer Robert Harrild who lived at Round Hill Cottage near the park. Harrild manufactured printing equipment and was developer of the Sydenham Park Estate. Baxter developed a more economical method of printing in colour, which he patented in 1835. He died in an accident with a horse drawn vehicle and is buried at Christ Church Forest Hill (q.v.).
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ348724 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.99 |
| Site Ownership | LB Lewisham |
| Site Management | Greenscene Department, Glendale Grounds Management |
| Dates | 1950s |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Lewisham |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public Open Space |
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
Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Woods to the west are survivors of the Great North Wood, which once covered large tracts of land here, a chain of oak woods and wooded commons that extended from Selhurst to Brockley. After 1787 Dulwich tenants lost their common rights following the Enclosure Acts, although the woods survived until the development of Crystal Palace following the Great Exhibition, which led to housing development. The steep slope of woodland running west from Sydenham Hill became the gardens of several Victorian houses, since demolished, their gardens are now back within the woodland. Although the gardens have disappeared, evidence remains in the form of exotic garden trees, and fragments of built features. Also within the woods is the disused railway track of the Crystal Palace High Level Railway.
Horniman's Triangle is a small park close to Horniman Museum and Gardens, a triangular area of sloping grassland, hedged to the road with trees and mounds. It was previously a smallholding with a house adjacent to Sydenham Rise known as Sydenham Rise Cottage and was incorporated into Horniman Gardens in the early 1950s, and now owned by LB Lewisham. There was once a paddling pool in the park, now converted to a sandpit.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Horniman Museum and Gardens were donated to the LCC in 1901 by Frederick Horniman, an avid collector who had first opened his house here as a private museum in 1888. As his collection grew he also opened the adjacent grounds, which form the basis of the present park. By 1890 Horniman's house was so full that he had moved to nearby Surrey Mount, and when his collection outgrew Surrey House in 1897 he commissioned a new museum on its site, now the Horniman Museum. In 1901 he gave the museum and contents, and 8.5 hectares of gardens to the LCC. Surrey Mount was demolished in 1960 following WWII bomb damage. The gardens were extended in 1911, c.1930 and in the 1950s, and in 1988 the conservatory from another house owned by the Horniman family was rebuilt here. The gardens have an Arts & Crafts sunken garden, now including botanical displays that unite indoor and outdoor collections and reflect themes such as those in the Museum's World Gallery and Music Gallery.
The Horniman Museum and Gardens were donated to the LCC in 1901 by Frederick Horniman, an avid collector who had first opened his house here as a private museum in 1888. As his collection grew he also opened the adjacent grounds, which form the basis of the present park. By 1890 Horniman's house was so full that he had moved to nearby Surrey Mount, and when his collection outgrew Surrey House in 1897 he commissioned a new museum on its site, now the Horniman Museum. In 1901 he gave the museum and contents, and 8.5 hectares of gardens to the LCC. Surrey Mount was demolished in 1960 following WWII bomb damage. The gardens were extended in 1911, c.1930 and in the 1950s, and in 1988 the conservatory from another house owned by the Horniman family was rebuilt here. The gardens have an Arts & Crafts sunken garden, now including botanical displays that unite indoor and outdoor collections and reflect themes such as those in the Museum's World Gallery and Music Gallery.
