Description
Cottons Park, originally called Cottons Recreational Ground, takes its name from the estate of the C16th landowner, Nicholas Cotton. The land for the park was acquired by Romford UDC from the Cottons family in 1920 and the park was laid out with planting, paths and a bandstand, beyond which to the north and west were playing fields for rugby, soccer and cricket as well as tennis courts. A children's playground and sand pit were located near the main entrance to the east. During WWII the land was given over for war-time allotments, public air-raid shelters and a decontamination centre was constructed, which was later converted into a pavilion and café. Six wooden sculptures were installed in 2009 to commemorate six civilians who lost their lives in the park during bombing in October 1940.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Cottons Recreational Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | London Road/Recreation Avenue/Pettley Gardens, Romford |
| Postcode | RM7 7LN |
| What3Words | ///feed.solo.carbon |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | closed dusk |
| Facilities | Car park, playground, football/rugby pitches |
| Events | Various, including Havering's annual 'Wacky about Wildlife' environmental education programme, and summer festival |
| Public Transport | Rail: Romford. Bus: 86, 252 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Cottons Park was originally called Cottons Recreational Ground, the name derived from Nicholas Cotton, who owned Cottons Estate in 1570, with a fine house located near the current Brewery Roundabout on Waterloo Road, a prominent position in the C16th town of Romford. The Cottons family continued to own the estate although the house and grounds, which included paddocks and orchards, fell into dereliction by the C20th. After considerable negotiation with the family solicitors, in 1920 15 acres of estate land was acquired for £4,500 by Romford Urban District Council. The land was cleared and 6 tennis courts and a putting green were laid out; 53 lime trees were donated by R H Page in 1922 and in 1927 it became Cottons Park. Much of the labour was provided by the unemployed under the Unemployment Committee's scheme, and the park was laid out with planting and paths in the area by the main entrance on London Road, from where the path led towards the bandstand. Beyond the bandstand to the north and west were playing fields for rugby, soccer and cricket as well as tennis courts, and a children's playground and sand pit near the main entrance to the east.
During WWII the land was given over for war-time allotments, public air-raid shelters and a decontamination centre was constructed, which was later converted into a pavilion and café. On 17 October 1940 bombing in the area caused the deaths of 6 people in the park as there was no blast wall in front of the public shelter. Six wooden sculptures were installed in the park in 2009 to commemorate these civilians. In 1947 the park was the venue of the joint Romford, Dagenham and Hornchurch Councils 'Three Town Show', which drew large crowds to events at the bandstand. Exhibits included bees and honey, rabbits, poultry, handicrafts, model railway and aquaria, but there was an emphasis on home-grown produce, praised by one of the judges as 'among the best I had seen this year'.
The park was extended in the 1960s when houses backing on to the park in Marks Road were compulsorily purchased and demolished. This was to compensate for land lost to the park when the Rotunda retirement homes were built. Friends of Cottons Park was set up in November 2002 and since that time the park, which had fallen into neglect, has been restored. Facilities today include an outdoor gym, a play area for younger children and a purpose-built activity area for teenage activity, the first provided in Havering, with multi-use ball court, and a skate park opened in 2008. There has been extensive replanting of shrubs and trees to enhance both the entrance to the park and to create year-round colour and interest; seasonal bedding is planted in raised beds near the children's play area, and is funded and maintained by the Friends.
During WWII the land was given over for war-time allotments, public air-raid shelters and a decontamination centre was constructed, which was later converted into a pavilion and café. On 17 October 1940 bombing in the area caused the deaths of 6 people in the park as there was no blast wall in front of the public shelter. Six wooden sculptures were installed in the park in 2009 to commemorate these civilians. In 1947 the park was the venue of the joint Romford, Dagenham and Hornchurch Councils 'Three Town Show', which drew large crowds to events at the bandstand. Exhibits included bees and honey, rabbits, poultry, handicrafts, model railway and aquaria, but there was an emphasis on home-grown produce, praised by one of the judges as 'among the best I had seen this year'.
The park was extended in the 1960s when houses backing on to the park in Marks Road were compulsorily purchased and demolished. This was to compensate for land lost to the park when the Rotunda retirement homes were built. Friends of Cottons Park was set up in November 2002 and since that time the park, which had fallen into neglect, has been restored. Facilities today include an outdoor gym, a play area for younger children and a purpose-built activity area for teenage activity, the first provided in Havering, with multi-use ball court, and a skate park opened in 2008. There has been extensive replanting of shrubs and trees to enhance both the entrance to the park and to create year-round colour and interest; seasonal bedding is planted in raised beds near the children's play area, and is funded and maintained by the Friends.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ506886 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.44 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces; Friends of Cottons Park |
| Dates | 1920-27 |
| 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 | Havering |
| 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
St Edward the Confessor was the first king to be associated with Havering, establishing a palace at Havering-atte-Bower in what is now Havering Country Park. Romford was one of the three parishes within the Royal Manor; the parish church stands on the site of a small chapel of 1410, possibly the first permanent building when Romford moved to higher ground to avoid the River Rom's frequent flooding. The new, larger church was erected in 1849/50 to serve the town's growing population. Until 1860 church and churchyard were separated from the market place by butchers' Shambles. Enclosed by C19th railings with an arched entrance, the front area of the churchyard has a number of chest tombs and fine horse chestnut trees. In c.1950 the larger area behind the church was laid out as a public garden, the headstones cleared to the edges with a path made up of headstones.
Crow Lane or Romford Cemetery was established by the Romford Burial Board in 1871 when space ran out in the parochial cemetery. The cemetery was taken over by Romford UDC in 1900 and is now run by South Essex Crematorium. It remains partially enclosed by its C19th railings, with ragstone gate-piers and two ragstone chapels joined by a gothic porte-cochère. The cemetery contains utilitarian monuments, with older graves near the chapels, and trees include holly, cedar and flowering cherry, rows of common lime and horse chestnut.
The name is presumed to derive from the Marshall family who owned the estate in the C12th. By 1618 Marshalls comprised some 40 acres and by 1816, when it was purchased by Rowland Stephenson, it was 112 acres; the sale catalogue described its grounds having 'water well-stocked with fish'. Stephenson enlarged the house as a gentleman's residence. In 1924 the estate was sold for development and the parkland largely built over. The stables and house remained, the latter used as the Conservative Club until after WWII, then as an annexe for Romford County Technical School, but eventually demolished in 1959. It had been a 5-bay stuccoed building facing a stretch of water with a small C18th bridge, which remains visible from Lake House. A remnant of the serpentine lake also survives, now surrounded by a development of early C20th private houses.