Description
Coronation Gardens Extension came into being in the 1920s when Leyton UDC wished to add to the facilities of the existing Coronation Gardens. Lying across Oliver Road from the more formal landscaping of Coronation Gardens, the Extension provided recreation and sports facilities on former Lammas land, which was acquired piecemeal by the Council from 1904 on. After WWII, people who had lost their homes through bombing were provided with temporary housing built on nine of the tennis courts of Coronation Gardens Extension, with the proviso that the land would be returned to its original state when no longer needed. As a result this area was fenced off and used in this way until 1954. Leyton Orient Football Club had temporary offices on the Extension in 1956 and free use of the tennis courts while their new stadium was built close by.
Practical Information
| Site location | Oliver Road, Leyton |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E10 |
| What3Words | ///crowned.most.gladiators |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - closes half hour before sunset |
| Facilities | playing fields, tennis courts, bowling green, putting green |
| Events | Various events |
| Public Transport | Tube: Leyton (Central). Bus: 58, 69, 97, 158 |
| Research Updated | 18 February 2000 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Council Minutes in October 1923 record agreement for the provision of a new bowling green with shelter, tennis courts and a croquet lawn, the turf to come from Cumberland, and in 1924 the Unemployed Grants Committee provided 60% of the employment costs for the works, providing local unemployed people were used.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ378862 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.9 |
| Site Ownership | LB Waltham Forest |
| Site Management | The Score Project |
| Dates | 1920s |
| 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 | Waltham Forest |
| 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
Coronation Gardens is named for the Coronation of Edward VII and opened in 1903. The site was purchased in 1897 by Leyton Council for a recreation ground and laid out with ornamental gardens, paths and grass areas. It was once part of the medieval manor of Ruckholt and in the C19th this area of Leyton was largely used for watercress beds. The borough's only surviving bandstand was erected here in 1904 and the park became a popular venue for events and concerts. In 1922 a War Memorial Fountain was unveiled near the west entrance and a garden of remembrance was opened at the east end in 1945.
Sidmouth Park is on a strip of sloping land, sandwiched between two streets of housing, the site being over the culverted Filbrook which runs underneath. It was created in the 1970s during the new Waltham Forest Council's first general improvement works in the area. There is some planting of shrubs, flower beds and trees plus a number of playground areas.
The old parish was called Low Leyton before becoming known as Leyton, which meant a farm on the River Lea. The parish church of St Mary with St Edward Church was restored in 1995 but the oldest parts of the building date from the C17th, and one of the bells dates from c.1400. The church has an extensive graveyard in two sections, one surrounding the church, the other backing onto Leyton or John Smith's Almshouses. The well-known antiquarian John Strype (d.1737) was buried here, who re-edited and enlarged John Stow's 'Survey of London'.
