Description
The site that is now Bostall Gardens was acquired by the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich in 1938. After WWII it was decided to develop the area as a public garden, which was laid out and opened in 1952. In 1960 a bowling green and pavilion were added and the sloping land laid out as a series of terraces. In 2004 the old bowls pavilion was extensively refurbished, and a new children's playground and a young people's basketball court were opened on the site of the old bowling green.
Practical Information
| Site location | Viola Avenue/Rochdale Road/McLeod Road, Abbey Wood |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE2 |
| What3Words | ///blaze.belly.shock |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Greenwich |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - dusk |
| Facilities | Basketball court, tennis courts, children's playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Abbey Wood then bus. Bus: 180. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The site of Bostall Gardens was acquired by the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich in 1938. A thatched barn on the site was demolished around the time of World War II and it was decided to develop the land as a public garden. These were laid out and officially opened by the Mayor on 26 April 1952. In 1960 a bowling green and pavilion were provided and the sloping land laid out as a series of terraces. The responsibility for the garden was taken over by London Borough of Greenwich and the small park had tennis courts as well as the bowling green and ornamental planting. The old bowling green was yew-hedged on three sides with seating around it and overlooked to the east by its small pavilion.
Over the years the park became run down and in 2001 a group of local residents formed Friends of Bostall Gardens, working with Greenwich Council to renovate the gardens and built structures, the bowling green pavilion having been vandalised, and the Bowls Club had now re-located. Funding was raised from organisations such as the London Marathon Trust and the Onyx Trust, which awards grants for environmental projects. As a result in 2004 the old bowls pavilion was extensively refurbished as a community building, and a new children's playground and young people's basketball court were opened on the site of the old bowling green.
There is interesting architectural detailing in the park's infrastructure of paths, walls and steps. The highest terrace at the south of the site has steps leading up to a path running east/west that is inset with a brick, cobbled and flagstone pattern, and this overlooks the tennis courts, then the bowling green, and finally a sloping lawn leading down to McLeod Road; a central flight of steps leads down to an entrance gateway. The lower wall to the tennis courts is inset with brick and stone patterning, again with a design set into the path. The lowest terrace is grassed with a number of flower beds with rocks set into some of these, and shrub beds on Rochdale Road and McLeod Road boundaries; there are trees within the park including evergreens around the boundary.
Over the years the park became run down and in 2001 a group of local residents formed Friends of Bostall Gardens, working with Greenwich Council to renovate the gardens and built structures, the bowling green pavilion having been vandalised, and the Bowls Club had now re-located. Funding was raised from organisations such as the London Marathon Trust and the Onyx Trust, which awards grants for environmental projects. As a result in 2004 the old bowls pavilion was extensively refurbished as a community building, and a new children's playground and young people's basketball court were opened on the site of the old bowling green.
There is interesting architectural detailing in the park's infrastructure of paths, walls and steps. The highest terrace at the south of the site has steps leading up to a path running east/west that is inset with a brick, cobbled and flagstone pattern, and this overlooks the tennis courts, then the bowling green, and finally a sloping lawn leading down to McLeod Road; a central flight of steps leads down to an entrance gateway. The lower wall to the tennis courts is inset with brick and stone patterning, again with a design set into the path. The lowest terrace is grassed with a number of flower beds with rocks set into some of these, and shrub beds on Rochdale Road and McLeod Road boundaries; there are trees within the park including evergreens around the boundary.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ466785 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.11 |
| Site Ownership | RB Greenwich |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces Department/Friends of Bostall Gardens |
| Dates | 1938-52; 1960 |
| Designers | Probably by Woolwich Borough Engineers Dept |
| 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 | Greenwich |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Community 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
Bostall Heath was one of the wastes of the Manor of Plumstead; in 1866 it was enclosed by the Lords of the Manor, but this was later revoked as illegal. Much of this ancient woodland and heath was threatened by housing development in the late C19th but in 1877 some 155 acres of Bostall Heath were transferred to the MBW for public use by Act of Parliament. A keeper's lodge was built in 1880 and sports facilities added. Adjoining the heath is Bostall Woods, which was acquired for public use by the LCC in 1891/2 and the joint site was opened to the public on Whit Monday 1893. An area known as Clam Field was purchased in 1894 and added as a recreation ground.
!['Bostal [sic] Heath and Wood', postcard, n.d. Courtesy of Greenwich Local Studies and Archive Centre.](https://secure.londongardenstrust.org/inventory/images/historic/GRN006-H1-hist.jpg)
Plumstead, so-named for being a good area for fruit growing, grew into a fishing village and later the growing population included workers from the nearby Royal Arsenal. The C12th St Nicholas Church was much added to and restored, having fallen into ruins on 2 occasions in the C17th and C19th. To serve the larger population further land for burial was purchased in 1860 and there were over 40,000 burials here, among them veterans of the Royal Artillery and Engineers. The churchyard was later closed for burials and gravestones cleared largely to the perimeter although one monuments remains near the church. Part of the churchyard was later laid out as the adjacent public garden.
This was once part of the former churchyard of the parish church of St Nicholas. Plumstead, so-named for being a good area for fruit growing, became a fishing village and later its growing population included workers from the nearby Royal Arsenal. To serve the larger population further land for burial was purchased in 1860 and there were over 40,000 burials here, among them veterans of the Royal Artillery and Engineers; an unmarked grave is that of Daniel Cambridge, VC. In 1955, following its closure for burial, the churchyard south of the church was laid out as ornamental public gardens and gravestones were cleared largely to the perimeter.
