Description
The site is shown as farmland on OS Map of 1871. Farnborough Recreation Ground was in existence by 1935, adjacent to Tugg Mutton or Tugmutton Common. A largely level area of mown grass, the park has sports pitches, tennis courts and children’s play area. Near the entrance to the car park is a low bank topped by mature and semi mature oak trees, which runs north/south and is probably an old field boundary. Shrubs and immature trees are along the fenced boundary of the park.
Practical Information
| Site location | off Starts Hill Road and Lovibonds Avenue, Farnborough |
|---|---|
| Postcode | BR6 7AA |
| What3Words | ///posed.shirts.weds |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (car park closed at dusk) |
| Facilities | Children’s play area, goal mouths, cricket square, tennis courts |
| Public Transport | Rail: Orpington c 2.5km to west. Bus: 61, 353, R3, R4. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The park is now managed by idverde UK, which in June 2015 was contracted by Bromley Council for the management of the borough's parks, green spaces and countryside service, a relationship that was extended in April 2019 for a further 16 years.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ435651 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 10 |
| Site Ownership | LB Bromley |
| Site Management | idverde |
| Dates | c.1935 |
| 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 | Bromley |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local 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
The park is formed from the former grounds of Hollydale, an C18th house built for the Kirkpatrick family who lived here for four generations. It was extended considerably to east and west, and the small parkland and lakes were created, with a lodge and entrance drive with an avenue of lime trees, some of which remain. The house had a sizeable stable and a walled kitchen garden, part of its walls surviving. The estate appears to have changed little until 1933, when the local council bought some of the land and mansion, which was demolished. By 1936, the northern and eastern parkland had been extensively developed. However the lake and some woodland around it survived as a Recreation Ground, which remains as the public park today.
A church has existed here for centuries, but the date of its dedication to St Giles the Abbot is unknown although in 1292 the village of Farnborough was granted licence by the King to hold a weekly market and an annual fair on the Feast of St Giles. The churchyard may have been in use as a burial ground from as early as 1000 AD and it has been extended a number of times over the years as the need for more burial space arose. There are interesting tombstones in the churchyard, the oldest dating from 1725. the Lubbock Cross commemorates the Lubbock family who lived at High Elms. The Garden of Remembrance was established in 1956.
In March 1973 Sparrow Wood and Crofton Heath, the former West Kent Golf Course, were threatened with an application to develop 139 acres of the land for housing, but a public enquiry led to opposition by Petts Wood Residents Association and other amenity groups. As a result the heath and woodland were preserved, comprising Crofton Woods, Crofton Heath, Sparrow Wood, Gumping Common and Roundabout Wood.