Description
The Bedfont area remained rural until the mid C20th and had formerly been used for agriculture and market gardening, with numerous cherry orchards here. From the 1950s council housing began to be developed over the land. Bedfont Recreation Ground was laid out by the 1930s with surrounding land used for allotments and orchards. By 1960 there were facilities for football, cricket, bowls and tennis, with a paddling pool and playground. It has been the ground for Bedfont Football Club, who later leased the ground, renovating the pavilion and improving its facilities.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hatton Road, Bedfont |
|---|---|
| Postcode | TW14 9QS |
| What3Words | ///beam.income.burst |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Hounslow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | cricket, tennis, play area, car park |
| Public Transport | Rail: Feltham then bus. Tube: Hatton Cross (Piccadilly) then bus. Bus: 203, H25, H26. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Robin Rendell in 'A Bedfont Teenager in the 1950s' recollects that 'playing at Bedfont Recreation Ground was just like playing at Wembley'. The OS Map of 1963 shows the recreation ground as a rectangular space, still with fields and old cart tracks around it, and having tennis courts, bowling green, playground and two ponds, with a main path leading from the entrance on Hatton Road flanked by an avenue of trees to the pavilion, with sports field behind. Bedfont Football Club, which has been in existence since the C19th, played at various local sites, including Bedfont Green (q.v.) and Rectory Meadow (q.v.) in Hanworth, and later on Bedfont Recreation Ground, which it now leases. The club has taken over the pavilion and renovated it, and among new facilities are pitch and putt.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ093746 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 5.42 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hounslow |
| Site Management | John Laing Integrated Services |
| Dates | 1930s |
| 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 | Hounslow |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Park |
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
Fairholme Estate is a low-rental housing development in Arts and Crafts style built by T Cecil Howitt as a result of a bequest by Elizabeth Jones, a resident of Fulham. It consists of 72 houses set around a large quadrangle and communal garden. The one- and two-storey houses have a variety of Dutch gables and tile-hung walls; the community hall has a central colonnade and clock tower. The well kept gardens fronting onto Staines Road have shrubberies and ornamental beds, with a carved sundial on the lawn near the main entrance.
Blenheim Park is bounded to the north by the Longford River, which was constructed in the 1630s on the orders of Charles I in order to supply the ornamental waters at Hampton Court Palace, the water brought from the River Colne. It remains in the ownership of the Crown, managed by Royal Parks. Blenheim Park is largely open grassland with football pitches. Once fields, it remained open land when the area was gradually built up with housing.
Bedfont is mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086 and St Mary's church dates from the C12th, with various later extensions to the building. Overlooking Bedfont Green, the church's small churchyard has a low brick wall at the front, with a higher wall to the rear. Either side of the path to the church door are two ancient yew trees, famous for their peacock topiary. They were originally created in 1704 and for centuries were the pride of the village, apparently created to shame two haughty spinsters of the parish. The practice of churchyard topiary, popular in the C18th, later lapsed, but the peacocks were later restored in 1990.