Description
Benhill Recreation Ground is open grassland with a steep bank to the west along Benhill Road. There are occasional mature and many young and semi mature trees especially towards the south end. The 1st edition OS map of 1867 shows the site as open land with two small buildings marked ‘Brickfields' at the south end.
Practical Information
| Site location | Benhill Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SM1 4HZ |
| What3Words | ///sings.glad.mouth |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Sutton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children’s Play Park at north end of the site |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sutton; Carshalton. Bus: 53, 154. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Pending further research
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ266647 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.44 |
| Site Ownership | LB Sutton |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | C20th |
| 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 | Sutton |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Royston Park is a small neighbourhood park that has its original iron railings and gates. In the OS map of 1867 the site was a single field lying to the west of brick fields, with trees marking the field boundary. Trees fringe the present perimeter of the park, which now has a large modern pavilion.
Warren Park is open grassland with the railway on the north and south boundary, screened by mature trees. The 1st edition OS map of 1867 shows the area of open land, wedged between railway tracks. A C19th house in the north-east corner was probably attached to the land in the mid-to late C19th. A clump of mature trees survives in the centre of the grassland.
In 1914 Sutton UDC acquired Manor Park House, a C19th house, and converted its grounds, then neglected and overgrown, into a public park; the house was used as a school then from 1937 as Sutton Public Library until it was demolished in the 1970s. Manor Park's original bandstand was replaced by a new one in 1923, its site now that of sports pitches. The park was created to its current extent over a period of time as land from neighbouring properties was added. In 1921 Sutton's War Memorial was erected on the site of two houses to the east, purchased for the purpose. The park is on sloping land, sub-divided into areas by hedges, fences and trees, which include fine mature and semi-mature evergreen and deciduous trees. A fountain, now surrounded by formal planting, was donated by the Chairman of Sutton UDC in 1924-5.