Description
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Eckington Gardens Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | Monson Road / Casella Road |
| Postcode | SE14 5QN |
| What3Words | ///vision.crazy.ridge |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Lewisham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - sunset |
| Facilities | Playground, paddling pool, multipurpose ball court |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Rail: New Cross Gate. |
| Research Updated | 4 June 2024 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Eckington Gardens is originally the name of the residential street in New Cross, in an area that suffered bomb damage in WWII and became derelict. In 1974, the area was declared as unfit and in an uninhabitable state by LB Lewisham, and site clearance was proposed. In 1980 Swift contractors submitted a bid for works to lay out and equip Eckington Gardens and extend the space. By 1981 the work was complete and it opened as Eckington Gardens Park. The grounds have in recent years been enhanced with colourful signage and floral displays with low maintenance but attractive planting schemes. There are ornamental gardens at the entrance, with clipped hedges in geometric patterns and the park has various play and sports facilities and a bandstand.
This area is in the old Manor of Hatcham, owned by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. The Manor House was rebuilt in the early 1770s for Joseph Hardcastle, whose family lived here from 1788-1819. A prosperous merchant and founder of the London Missionary Society, Hardcastle supported the abolition of slavery. After his death Hatcham Manor reverted to the Haberdashers' Company, who began to lease its land for speculative development when the value increased following the arrival of the railway in the 1830s. Hatcham Manor House was demolished in 1869. The site of the park was probably part of the land around the manor house or its surrounding farmland. Friends of Eckington Gardens was set up by local residents to look after the neglected gardens, and undertook their first clear-up in 2018.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ356771 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.89 |
| Site Ownership | LB Lewisham |
| Site Management | Greenscene Department, Glendale Grounds Management; Friends of Eckington Gardens |
| Dates | 1981 |
| 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 | Lewisham |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Hatcham |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes |
| 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
Besson Street Community Garden is a thriving green space and community hub. It was established under the auspices of the New Cross Gate Trust in 1990 on a derelict site that was formerly housing in an area that was once the historic Manor of Hatcham. The garden was developed by Michael Prime and a working party of local people. With funding from the Department of the Environment, the space was landscaped and fenced, before planting commenced. The site now has a seating area, a kitchen garden, and a panoply of diverse plants and trees including Eucalyptus, Palms, and Black Mulberry, that reflects the neighbourhood’s diversity. Besson Street Community Garden is managed by the New Cross Gate Trust, which offers educational, gardening, and community events to the surrounding area and nearby schools.
Hatcham Gardens, despite being a small public park, is notable for being the only open space within some distance and as a result is well-used. It contains a grass rectangle on approximately a third of the site, with the remainder given over to play facilities. Prior to re-landscaping by East architects in 2010/11 it had been described as 'an unloved grassy field with some metal play frames and poorly lit routes'. East's design was drawn up in consultation with the local community, including nearby Kender Primary School. A grid of Albizia (Persian silk trees) was planted around the new play area, which included a large sandpit, the first one in the borough. A fenced-in dog area was provided, and plaques on the new benches were inscribed with poems about love and kindness written by local schoolchildren in a workshop with local poets. Hatcham Gardens is part of the North Lewisham Links programme, which is aiming to improve local walking and cycling opportunities in order to offer residents healthy pastimes. Since 2018/19 a proportion of the park including a number of the new trees, was boarded off by hoardings while The Pomeroy, a new housing development by Peabody was under construction. Hatcham Gardens was restored once the scheme was completed and reopened in May 2024, re-landscaped for community use.
