Description
Durnsford Park was created in the early C20th and is now part of the Wandle Valley National Park. It is open grassland with a perimeter path; trees include mature willow in the east. It is surrounded by housing and a school, and has clumps of shrubs and new tree planting. In the 1990s the existing wetland next to the railway was extended into Durnsford Recreation Ground itself. A hedgerow was planted set into the park along the northern edge in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II diamond jubilee in 2012.
Historically there was a bowling green and tennis courts. A sizeable playground with fake boulders exists now. There is also a separate smaller triangular shaped playground leased to the adjacent school during school hours and surrounded by high fencing. Brooklands Avenue Allotments lie adjacent to the park in the North East corner near the woodland and pond - this area of land was formally part of the recreation ground.
Historically there was a bowling green and tennis courts. A sizeable playground with fake boulders exists now. There is also a separate smaller triangular shaped playground leased to the adjacent school during school hours and surrounded by high fencing. Brooklands Avenue Allotments lie adjacent to the park in the North East corner near the woodland and pond - this area of land was formally part of the recreation ground.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Dursnford Park; Durnsford Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | Lucien Road/Wellington Road |
| Postcode | SW19 8EY |
| What3Words | ///sizes.cups.speak |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Merton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am (weekdays)/9am (weekends/Bank Hols) - dusk |
| Facilities | Play area, kickabout area, climbing boulders |
| Public Transport | Rail: Earlsfield. Tube: Wimbledon Park (District). Bus: 156. |
| Research Updated | 27 March 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Prior to 1865 the area was part of land belonging to Wimbledon Park Farm. In 1895 the area remained as fields though it is not clear from maps whether this was still farmland or separately owned plots. In a map published in 1920 (Surrey Sheet VII.NE) the land is shown for the first time as a recreation ground with a school adjacent that still exists today. To the north east, land is attributed to the 'Incandescent Mantle Works'. By 1933 the land occupied by the Mantle Works had become part of the recreation ground and turned into an Athletics Ground with a bowling green and tennis courts introduced at the south west corner. From 1938 the Athletics Ground had disappeared, though the land remained part of the park - the tennis courts and bowling green are still shown. Sometime between 1968 and 1970 a remnant of the Athletics Ground had become a triangular plot for allotments.
By 2002 (and probably sometime earlier) the bowling green and tennis courts were removed and the land turned to grassland and in part given over to a playground and basketball pitch. Between 2004 and 2006 fake climbing boulders were added to the playground. In 2013 a more formal basketball pitch was created with hard-standing. In 2015 a smaller triangular playground with hard-standing and play equipment surrounded by wooden slatted fencing was created to the east of the school to extend the school play area. This smaller playground is available for public use outside school hours.
In the 1990s the existing wetland next to the railway was extended into Durnsford Recreation Ground itself. A hedgerow was planted set into the park along the northern edge in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II diamond jubilee in 2012 incorporating apple, pear, plum, quince, hazel and cherry trees together with raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries. The Wimbledon Park Residents' Association is currently the friends group for this site.
By 2002 (and probably sometime earlier) the bowling green and tennis courts were removed and the land turned to grassland and in part given over to a playground and basketball pitch. Between 2004 and 2006 fake climbing boulders were added to the playground. In 2013 a more formal basketball pitch was created with hard-standing. In 2015 a smaller triangular playground with hard-standing and play equipment surrounded by wooden slatted fencing was created to the east of the school to extend the school play area. This smaller playground is available for public use outside school hours.
In the 1990s the existing wetland next to the railway was extended into Durnsford Recreation Ground itself. A hedgerow was planted set into the park along the northern edge in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II diamond jubilee in 2012 incorporating apple, pear, plum, quince, hazel and cherry trees together with raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries. The Wimbledon Park Residents' Association is currently the friends group for this site.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ254724 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.71 |
| Site Ownership | LB Merton |
| Site Management | Leisure and Culture Services |
| Dates | early C20th |
| 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. Green Corridor |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Garratt was a hamlet in the south of the parish of Wandsworth, mentioned in the records of Merton Priory as ‘tenement of the Garrett, manor of Durnsford' in 1538. Garratt Park was opened as a public park ‘for children's recreation' in May 1906. It was laid out on the former grounds of Garratt House, demolished in 1890, which had been owned by the proprietors of Garratt Mills from the C18th. The park is in two parts, a more formal area with lawns and shrubberies, children's playground, cycle track and sports court, and an informal area of open grassland.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The municipal park is a remnant of the C18th landscape park that Capability Brown laid out for Earl Spencer of Wimbledon House, an estate that dated from the C16th, once owned by Queen Henrietta Maria and later by the Duchess of Marlborough. The estate was broken up from the late C19th, and in 1914 Wimbledon Borough Council purchased the northern part of the parkland and opened Wimbledon Park as a public park. The lake is a survivor from the earlier landscape and is one of the largest in London. Land to the west was purchased for Wimbledon Golf Course and in c.1930 the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) was established to the west. The Golf Club closed in 2023 after the land was acquired by AELTC in 2018.
The municipal park is a remnant of the C18th landscape park that Capability Brown laid out for Earl Spencer of Wimbledon House, an estate that dated from the C16th, once owned by Queen Henrietta Maria and later by the Duchess of Marlborough. The estate was broken up from the late C19th, and in 1914 Wimbledon Borough Council purchased the northern part of the parkland and opened Wimbledon Park as a public park. The lake is a survivor from the earlier landscape and is one of the largest in London. Land to the west was purchased for Wimbledon Golf Course and in c.1930 the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) was established to the west. The Golf Club closed in 2023 after the land was acquired by AELTC in 2018.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The municipal park is a remnant of the C18th landscape park that Capability Brown laid out for Earl Spencer of Wimbledon House, an estate that dated from the C16th, once owned by Queen Henrietta Maria and later by the Duchess of Marlborough. The estate was broken up from the late C19th, and in 1914 Wimbledon Borough Council purchased the northern part of the parkland and opened Wimbledon Park. Land to the west was purchased for Wimbledon Golf Course and in c.1930 the All England Lawn Tennis Club was established to the west. The lake is a survivor from the earlier landscape and is one of the largest in London.
The municipal park is a remnant of the C18th landscape park that Capability Brown laid out for Earl Spencer of Wimbledon House, an estate that dated from the C16th, once owned by Queen Henrietta Maria and later by the Duchess of Marlborough. The estate was broken up from the late C19th, and in 1914 Wimbledon Borough Council purchased the northern part of the parkland and opened Wimbledon Park. Land to the west was purchased for Wimbledon Golf Course and in c.1930 the All England Lawn Tennis Club was established to the west. The lake is a survivor from the earlier landscape and is one of the largest in London.