Description
Once the southern part of Surbiton Common, on the 1838 Enclosure map what is now Causeway Copse was marked as Gooseberry Hill, prior to which it had been known as Gosborough Hyll or Gosbury Hill. The woodland was owned by Merton Priory, and in 1537 was leased to William Saunders, requiring high standards of management. It remains partly wooded and is now a small park with a playground, surrounded by housing, reached through a narrow path from The Causeway by Durbin Road.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Surbiton Common; Gosbury Hill Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | The Causeway, Chessington |
| Postcode | KT9 |
| What3Words | ///worth.lately.games |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Chessington North |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Before the Reformation this was part of lands owned by Merton Priory. In 1537 the Priory leased the 'wood and underwood called Gosborough Hyll with a hedgerow' to William Saunders for £10 for a 6 year period. The Priory required high standards of management in order to maintain a steady source of well-developed trees of different ages from the same wood, allowing Saunders to fell wood only so long as he left 'standing and growing 30 'standers' upon every acre of the wood and make a sufficient hedge about the same for the preservation and safeguard of the young coppys and sprynges thereof'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ184646 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.5 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd |
| 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 | 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 | Yes - Area of Archaeological Significance |
| Other LA Designation | Local 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
The small hamlet of Hook became a separate parish from Kingston in 1839 and in that year the first church was built. It became too small and had damp problems so a larger church was built on a site to the north and consecrated on St Paul's Day in 1883. The WWI War Memorial stands near the site of the original church. The churchyard was extended in 1900. A Garden of Remembrance was created in 1948 as a WWII memorial, at the instigation of the vicar. Among those buried in the churchyard is the Australian pioneering aviator, Harry Hawker, who died in an air crash in 1921.
Formerly private land in agricultural use, the site was reserved for public open space when the small hamlet of Hook was growing as a result of the new railway line serving Surbiton in the C19th. Originally called Hook Recreation Ground, it was opened in May 1901 and renamed for the new King, Edward VII. In 1935 an adjoining plot of land to the north was donated and laid out as a rose garden commemorating George V's Silver Jubilee.
Church Fields Recreation Ground was laid out on fields adjacent to Chessington Parish Church of St Mary to serve the expanding population of the area in the C20th. At the end of WWII, VE Day Services were held in the recreation ground. It is largely open fields with scattered trees, the grass left long in parts and otherwise used for sports with a playground, playing fields and a bowling green leased to a club. Shrubs and trees are on the perimeter and there are small nature conservation areas.