Description
Elmhurst Gardens is an oblong municipal park laid out on land once part of Elmhurst Estate, acquired by Woodford UDC in 1921. The gardens were opened in July 1927 as Woodford Recreation Ground. The land was purchased from Mr Lister Harrison of Elmhurst, having been separated from the house and remainder of the estate by the railway in 1856. The gardens have notable beech, oak and lime, and retain much of the original layout as well as a picturesque brick sundial and small pavilion, and an area of formal planting with seats.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Gordon Fields |
|---|---|
| Site location | Gordon Road, South Woodford |
| Postcode | E18 1DH |
| What3Words | ///occurs.varieties.evenly |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Redbridge |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Daily 8am-dusk (check site owner for closing time); closed Christmas Day |
| Facilities | Bowling green, children's play area, tennis courts |
| Public Transport | Tube: South Woodford (Central)./Walthamstow Central (Victoria) then bus. Bus: 179, 549, W14. |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In the early C19th the land here was fields within the estate of Elmhurst (q.v.), which in 1832 may have been held by Alexander Steward. In 1856 land to the east had been annexed for constructing the railway and the future site of the park was separated by the new railway line from the house and immediate grounds of Elmhurst. In the early C20th the site was leased to Woodford Urban District Council and used for allotments. In 1920 3 lots were sold off by the owner, Mr Lister Harrison, and the UDC purchased the freehold of Lot no. 3 in 1921, most of which later became the public park. It was opened in July 1927 as Woodford Recreation Ground, laid out with paths and planting included ornamental beds.
The gardens now possess notable beech, oak and lime, many in groups or rows, and concentrated at the east end of the site. Just off the path by the entrance, now near the busy A406, is a picturesque brick sundial, which had been erected by 1930, and near the Gordon Road entrance is a small pavilion where there is also an area of seating and formal planting, which takes the form of a series of rose beds; a circular central bed is surrounded by four semi-circular beds within a circular tarmac path with four areas of shrubs around it. This circular layout is depicted on the OS Map of 1939. Two lateral paths meet up with the park's perimeter path. Recreational facilities include a bowling green (used by the South Woodford Bowling Club), tennis courts, and under 13s children's playground. The Friends of Elmhurst Gardens were formed in 2008.
The gardens now possess notable beech, oak and lime, many in groups or rows, and concentrated at the east end of the site. Just off the path by the entrance, now near the busy A406, is a picturesque brick sundial, which had been erected by 1930, and near the Gordon Road entrance is a small pavilion where there is also an area of seating and formal planting, which takes the form of a series of rose beds; a circular central bed is surrounded by four semi-circular beds within a circular tarmac path with four areas of shrubs around it. This circular layout is depicted on the OS Map of 1939. Two lateral paths meet up with the park's perimeter path. Recreational facilities include a bowling green (used by the South Woodford Bowling Club), tennis courts, and under 13s children's playground. The Friends of Elmhurst Gardens were formed in 2008.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ411904 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.66 |
| Site Ownership | LB Redbridge |
| Site Management | Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Ltd; Friends of Elmhurst Gardens |
| Dates | 1921-27 |
| 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 | Redbridge |
| 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 | Local Open Space |
Gallery
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
The Shrubberies, a terrace of six identical pairs of houses with a detached house at the east end, was built in the late C19th and remain fronted by the original strip of landscaping, laid out as a setting to the terrace. Built as a speculative residential development when the area was becoming built up following arrival of the railway, these simple Edwardian-style houses retain most of their original features. The garden strip is laid out with grass, some flower and shrub beds and a few trees, including a row of limes.
Elmhurst, an C18th house with an area of garden to the front, is a fragment of a gentleman's estate. It was originally known as Grove House, having been built to the designs of Joel Johnson of Walthamstow in 1771 by Sylvanus Grove who came to Woodford in 1770. It was later owned by a Quaker tea merchant, Smith Harrison, whose wife Jane was a sister of Lord Lister. Part of the estate was separated from the house when the railway came through the area and was later laid out as a public park, Elmhurst Gardens. The large front garden had two stone urns and was largely lawn with some shrubs and notable trees, including cedar and horse chestnuts; a C20th red brick wall divided the property from High Road. A photograph of c.1900 shows the house front with the cedar tree relatively unchanged. By 1939 it was in use as a hostel, and tennis courts had been built behind the house, and it later became a conference centre connected to Queen Mary College. Elmhurst was sold for residential development with the house converted as part restaurant and part offices.
Rectory Court is on the former site of the old vicarage of St Mary the Virgin Woodford. The C18th building became the offices for the new borough of Wanstead and Woodford in 1937 and was subsequently used as Woodford Crown Court, a Magistrates Court from 1968-88. The site has now been developed as private housing. In the C19th its garden off Woodford High Road had a circular carriage sweep, mature cedar, and other trees. Within the curtilege was a garden designed by Humphry Repton in c.1801 for John Maitland of Woodford Hall, most of which was destroyed with the construction of the neighbouring court house. As a boy, William Morris lived at Woodford Hall with his parents who have a memorial in the adjacent churchyard.