Description
Crouch Hill Park is a new community park that opened in late 2012, but part of the site was once Crouch Hill Recreation Centre and its gardens, which existed from the 1920s. After it closed in 2004 it subsequently became derelict. Redevelopment of the site began in April 2011 and in addition to the public park, the site includes new buildings of Ashmount Primary School, CAPE Play and Youth Project and Bowlers Community Nursery, as well as improvements to the existing multi-use games area.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Crouch Hill Recreation Centre |
|---|---|
| Site location | Crouch Hill/Hillrise Road/Warltersville Road, Crouch Hill |
| Postcode | N8 9EG |
| What3Words | ///dare.milk.appeal |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Crouch Hill then bus. Bus: W7. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2013 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Crouch Hill Recreation Centre was a well-hidden site, accessed via a carved gateway on Crouch Hill leading to a much graffitied Youth Centre at the top of a bank below which to the north was the former railway line, now Parkland Walk (q.v.). Beyond this was Bowlers Nursery and finally Crouch Hill Recreation Centre, a picturesque building of the 1920s or '30s overlooking gardens, which was used for educational and recreational activities. The history of the site is somewhat mysterious although it is known that it was used by American GIs in the 1920s and bunkers apparently existed under the building. The Recreation Centre was independently run by a Committee of Trustees, and provided various activities including children's activities.
After it closed in 2004, the Recreation Centre building and gardens became derelict, and its redevelopment was spearheaded by Islington Council Children's Services who were keen to find a new site for Ashmount School, a primary school built in 1954. The architects for the £16.5m scheme were Penoyre and Prasad, and the site encompassed a new community park as well as improvements to the existing nursery, to be relocated, youth project and sports pitch. The park combines an area of open space and also part of the Parkland Walk. The aim was to provide the setting for the school, nursery and youth project, to create a place where people who use all the facilities could meet and socialise, as well as a space that could be used for outdoor events and activities.
A new building for Bowlers Nursery at Crouch Hill was the first of the facilities to be completed, opening in August 2012. The Cape Youth Project re-opened in November 2012, offering after-school and weekend play facilities, adventure play and a wide range of activities for children and young people. The new community facilities, including the re-landscaped park and multi-use games area opened in December 2012. Improved lighting and entrances mean the park is safer and more accessible, while a new ramp and pathways provide wheelchair access. Ashmount Primary School's new state of the art building opened after the Christmas holidays in early 2013, and has been described as 'the first carbon neutral school in the country'.
After it closed in 2004, the Recreation Centre building and gardens became derelict, and its redevelopment was spearheaded by Islington Council Children's Services who were keen to find a new site for Ashmount School, a primary school built in 1954. The architects for the £16.5m scheme were Penoyre and Prasad, and the site encompassed a new community park as well as improvements to the existing nursery, to be relocated, youth project and sports pitch. The park combines an area of open space and also part of the Parkland Walk. The aim was to provide the setting for the school, nursery and youth project, to create a place where people who use all the facilities could meet and socialise, as well as a space that could be used for outdoor events and activities.
A new building for Bowlers Nursery at Crouch Hill was the first of the facilities to be completed, opening in August 2012. The Cape Youth Project re-opened in November 2012, offering after-school and weekend play facilities, adventure play and a wide range of activities for children and young people. The new community facilities, including the re-landscaped park and multi-use games area opened in December 2012. Improved lighting and entrances mean the park is safer and more accessible, while a new ramp and pathways provide wheelchair access. Ashmount Primary School's new state of the art building opened after the Christmas holidays in early 2013, and has been described as 'the first carbon neutral school in the country'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ300877 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Islington |
| Site Management | Greenspace |
| Dates | 1920s/30s; 2011/12 |
| Designers | 2011/12: Penoyre and Prasad |
| 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 | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - (adjacent) Metropolitan Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local/Strategic view corridor |
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
Elthorne Park is a public park dating from when the area was being largely reconstructed post WWII. From the 1960s Islington Council began building new housing provision in the area, which included the Elthorne estate, built in the 1970s. Within the municipal park is a walled garden commemorating Nobel Peace Prize winner Philip Noel-Baker, which opened in 1984. The Peace Garden was designed by Steve Adams and echoes Modernism in style, with rectilinear components, including paving and a water feature. Two sculptures were installed in the park in 1985, one within the Peace Garden. The park has a conservation area with an avenue of silver birch trees, native hedgerow and a perennial meadow.
The Holly Park Estate was built in 1952 retaining original parkland trees from the earlier landscape, which include mature pedunculate and Turkey oak, beech and plane trees in the areas between blocks of flats. There are also thickets of holly and dog rose. The estate landscaping comprises grass, trees and paths that run through it, with a number of play areas provided.
The Parkland Walk is the disused track of the former Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace Railway. The first section of the line was in use by 1867, with the final section completed by 1873. Use of the line diminished by the 1920s and the last passenger train ran in 1954, with the tracks finally lifted in 1971. In 1990 it was declared a Local Nature Reserve and laid out as a public walk, with former railway structures still visible.