Description
The area was once a stretch of meadowland within the 250-acre estate of Prospect Place, an C18th house whose last owner was Lord Cottenham, after whom the estate was renamed. He had the property from 1831-51, after which it was sold and large-scale development of the land began. Initially known as Melbury Gardens, Cottenham Park Recreation Ground was the first such amenity to be provided in this area, opening in 1897. A diagonal path across the park marked by trees and hedging is a remnant of an avenue that once stretched across the whole estate. A number of old trees survive including an oak probably planted shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar, and some of the London plane trees along the park boundary date from 1898. Facilities for cricket, football, tennis and bowling were provided, all but the bowling green remaining today, and permission for concerts by local bands was granted in the park's early years.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Prospect Place (meadows); Cottenham Park Estate; Cottenham Recreation Ground; Melbury Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Cambridge Road/Melbury Gardens |
| Postcode | SW20 0QR |
| What3Words | ///locked.smiled.dull |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Merton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am (weekdays)/9am (weekends/Bank Hols) - dusk |
| Facilities | Tennis courts, children's playground, cricket pitches; toilets (only open when staff present). Hire of Cricket pavilion (contact Merton Civic Centre) |
| Events | Occasional children's events |
| Public Transport | Rail: Raynes Park then bus. Bus: 200. |
| Research Updated | 16 March 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The area around Copse Hill was once extensive woodland from Wimbledon Village to Coombe Lane and in 1481 the area was described as 'from ancient times, arable, but for many years overgrown', possibly due to depopulation following the Black Death. The recreation ground is on an area of woodland and meadows that from c.1800 was taken into the estate of Prospect Place after it was purchased by Parliamentary Agent James Meyrick.
Prospect Place was built c.1750, and in c.1768 was purchased by Moses Isaac Levy, Vice-President of the Board of Jewish Deputies and a wealthy man, who laid out fine gardens here. The topographer J Edwards, in his book 'A Companion from London to Brighthelmstone' published in 1787, praised the 'handsome villa' as well as the 'judiciously laid out gardens' and 'extensive view to the south'. Levy sold the estate to James Meyrick in 1789 who extended the house, adding a new porch and stories onto the wings of the house and also increased the estate lands from 60 to 250 acres. He engaged Humphry Repton to lay out 'decorative gardens' near the house, with hothouses and fine trees, a few of which survive near Atkinson Morley Hospital (q.v.). The rest of the land, which extended to Coombe Lane in the south and Copse Hill in the north, was used for wheat or cattle. The estate was then sold in 1825 to the Hon. John Lambton, Whig MP and later Earl of Durham, who passed it on in 1831 to Charles Pepys, Lord Cottenham, hence the name Cottenham Park.
After the Earl's death in 1851 the estate was sold off for housing development, although by 1893 much of the area between Cottenham Park Road and Cambridge Road still remained largely undeveloped. The OS Surrey Sheet VII of 1865 shows the future site of the public park, with the diagonal line of trees running across the fields. Development accelerated once trams began to serve the area in 1907. The recreation ground opened in 1897 as Melbury Gardens and was the first such amenity to be provided in the locality. A map of 1920 shows the recreation ground laid out much as it is today: from the entrance on the south-east corner is a line of plane trees along the east boundary and an area of grass crossed by a diagonal path marked by trees leading to a hedge, beyond which the land opens out to playing fields which form the main area of the park. The diagonal path across the park marked is a remnant of an avenue that once stretched across the whole estate. A number of old trees survive including an oak probably planted shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar, and some of the London plane trees along the park boundary date from 1898. Facilities for cricket, football, tennis and bowling were provided, with a drinking fountain located north of the bowling green; permission for concerts by local bands was granted in the park's early years. The pavilion was constructed some time post 1952, shown on the OS map 1:1250, revised August 1973 (TQ2269NE-C), which also marks the playground. Amenities today include the pavilion, cricket pitch, playground and tennis courts, with the bowling green now disused. There are perimeter paths and trees, including mature oaks.
On 31 August 2003 a group of local residents proposed setting up a Friends group to develop and improve the park's facilities, holding a Tea Party in the park to raise awareness of what they wanted to do. The Friends of Cottenham Park was inaugurated on 26 November 2003 at a meeting held in the Pavilion and continues to work with Merton Council and with involvement and support of the local community. £15,000 was raised in the early days and enabled tree planting including along the line of the ancient hedge; planting of spring flowering bulbs, new beds in the pavilion garden, a wildlife friendly garden in the south-west corner of the park and a shrub garden in the north-west corner, together with a Friends noticeboard, new benches, and picnic table and bench by the children's playground. In 2010 £95,000 of grants was raised from Viridor Waste Management and The Marathon Fund, which have paid for a new safety fence next to the children's playground, new railings along Melbury Gardens, the playground railings moved and refurbished in order to enlarge the area, refurbishment of existing playground equipment as well as installation of new equipment. Architecture students from Kingston University have used the park for a planning project with ideas discussed with residents. Merton has provided further funds since then to undertake enhancement works. In March 2022 a Prunus Sunset Boulevard cherry tree, with plaque was planted near the Pavilion in memory of Michael Woods, local resident, founding member and original Chair of the Friends group, who had died in 2021.
Prospect Place was built c.1750, and in c.1768 was purchased by Moses Isaac Levy, Vice-President of the Board of Jewish Deputies and a wealthy man, who laid out fine gardens here. The topographer J Edwards, in his book 'A Companion from London to Brighthelmstone' published in 1787, praised the 'handsome villa' as well as the 'judiciously laid out gardens' and 'extensive view to the south'. Levy sold the estate to James Meyrick in 1789 who extended the house, adding a new porch and stories onto the wings of the house and also increased the estate lands from 60 to 250 acres. He engaged Humphry Repton to lay out 'decorative gardens' near the house, with hothouses and fine trees, a few of which survive near Atkinson Morley Hospital (q.v.). The rest of the land, which extended to Coombe Lane in the south and Copse Hill in the north, was used for wheat or cattle. The estate was then sold in 1825 to the Hon. John Lambton, Whig MP and later Earl of Durham, who passed it on in 1831 to Charles Pepys, Lord Cottenham, hence the name Cottenham Park.
After the Earl's death in 1851 the estate was sold off for housing development, although by 1893 much of the area between Cottenham Park Road and Cambridge Road still remained largely undeveloped. The OS Surrey Sheet VII of 1865 shows the future site of the public park, with the diagonal line of trees running across the fields. Development accelerated once trams began to serve the area in 1907. The recreation ground opened in 1897 as Melbury Gardens and was the first such amenity to be provided in the locality. A map of 1920 shows the recreation ground laid out much as it is today: from the entrance on the south-east corner is a line of plane trees along the east boundary and an area of grass crossed by a diagonal path marked by trees leading to a hedge, beyond which the land opens out to playing fields which form the main area of the park. The diagonal path across the park marked is a remnant of an avenue that once stretched across the whole estate. A number of old trees survive including an oak probably planted shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar, and some of the London plane trees along the park boundary date from 1898. Facilities for cricket, football, tennis and bowling were provided, with a drinking fountain located north of the bowling green; permission for concerts by local bands was granted in the park's early years. The pavilion was constructed some time post 1952, shown on the OS map 1:1250, revised August 1973 (TQ2269NE-C), which also marks the playground. Amenities today include the pavilion, cricket pitch, playground and tennis courts, with the bowling green now disused. There are perimeter paths and trees, including mature oaks.
On 31 August 2003 a group of local residents proposed setting up a Friends group to develop and improve the park's facilities, holding a Tea Party in the park to raise awareness of what they wanted to do. The Friends of Cottenham Park was inaugurated on 26 November 2003 at a meeting held in the Pavilion and continues to work with Merton Council and with involvement and support of the local community. £15,000 was raised in the early days and enabled tree planting including along the line of the ancient hedge; planting of spring flowering bulbs, new beds in the pavilion garden, a wildlife friendly garden in the south-west corner of the park and a shrub garden in the north-west corner, together with a Friends noticeboard, new benches, and picnic table and bench by the children's playground. In 2010 £95,000 of grants was raised from Viridor Waste Management and The Marathon Fund, which have paid for a new safety fence next to the children's playground, new railings along Melbury Gardens, the playground railings moved and refurbished in order to enlarge the area, refurbishment of existing playground equipment as well as installation of new equipment. Architecture students from Kingston University have used the park for a planning project with ideas discussed with residents. Merton has provided further funds since then to undertake enhancement works. In March 2022 a Prunus Sunset Boulevard cherry tree, with plaque was planted near the Pavilion in memory of Michael Woods, local resident, founding member and original Chair of the Friends group, who had died in 2021.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ225695 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.21 |
| Site Ownership | LB Merton |
| Site Management | Leisure and Culture Services; Friends of Cottenham Park |
| Dates | 1897; 2003 |
| 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 | Merton |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Public 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
Holland Garden was created as a public garden in 1929 after Lady Holland donated the site to Wimbledon Council in 1928 as a memorial to her late husband. The small garden was provided with hard tennis courts and a thatched summer house, which caught fire in the 1950s. It is on a sloping site with an entrance at the top through an iron gateway with a plaque relating to the donation of the land. From here a path leads down to an area of formal gardens with a mature oak in the centre and shaped beds set into lawn. Tennis courts are surrounded by roses and at the lowest point is a hedged playing field, adjacent to which is a small pavilion.
Morley Park is a new public park created on part of the former site of Atkinson Morley Hospital. The hospital closed in 2003 and the site was later purchased by Berkeley Homes for their Wimbledon Hill Park development. As part of the planning consent, land for a public park was leased to Merton Council and the new park opened in 2019. Morley Park comprises playing fields, a pavilion, woodland and meadow. Atkinson Morley Hospital had been built near the former site of the C18th Prospect Place, which had gardens laid out by Humphry Repton in the late C18th/early C19th. Later known as Cottenham Park, the estate was sold for development in the early 1850s. Part of the site was acquired for the new hospital in 1863, which opened in 1869; the old house was pulled down and the hospital laundry built on its site. The wooded hospital grounds were on a sloping site, with an area of lawn levelled south of the hospital and the north-east woodland developed on an abandoned orchard and garden. Some trees from the former planting remain.
Prospect Place was an C18th estate with formal gardens and a spectacular view to the south. Most of the 250-acre estate was sold for development in the early 1850s, the new owners renaming it Cottenham Park after the previous owner. In 1863 the house was demolished and 28 acres were acquired by St George’s Hospital for a convalescent hospital, the coach-house surviving in hospital use. Cottenham House was built in 1869 as a private residence, but taken over by Atkinson Morley’s Hospital from 1942 until 1995. It was then restored as a private home and renamed Prospect House. The house and grounds together occupy a substantial part of a modern housing development with the historic name Prospect Place. In 1999 and again in 2006 the grounds of Prospect House were re-landscaped; some mature trees remain from the mid-C18th. The original Prospect Place coach-house/stable block has been converted into 2 private homes within the Prospect Place estate.