Description
Garratt Green was previously within lands owned by the Manor of Wandsworth and was one of the last commons to come within the responsibility of the LCC. When the rest of Wandsworth Common was transferred to the public in 1871, Earl Spencer, Lord of the Manor, retained Garratt Green until November 1899 when it was transferred to the LCC subject to it being maintained for public use. Until 1796 the Green had long been the site of the election of a mock mayor of the hamlet of Garratt, whose duties were to protect the common rights of the Green. Garratt Green today is largely grass with trees and shrubbery around the border and a perimeter path.
Practical Information
| Site location | Aboyne Road/Burntwood Lane |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW17 |
| What3Words | ///damage.rally.gosh |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Playground, sports pitches |
| Public Transport | Tube: Tooting Broadway (Northern) then bus. Bus: G1 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Garratt Green was transferred to the LCC for £110 subject to it being maintained for public use. The common rights had been extinguished under the Wandsworth Common Act 1871. Garratt was a small hamlet adjoining the Green, which had long been associated as a place where election of a mock mayor of Garratt was held, a practice which took place until 1796, the duties being to protect the common rights of the Green. This was a practice in villages throughout the country often 'characterised by great buffoonery and rowdiness' and was the subject of a farce by Samuel Foote.
Garratt Green today is largely grass with trees and shrubbery around the border and a perimeter path. Along the west side of the path is an unused prefabricated building, previously used as a scout hut, next to which is an area planted with trees and shrubs on mounded earth, which is set back and divided from the rest of the park by a metal fence with gaps allowing access. This small open area is leased from an adjacent landowner.
Garratt Green today is largely grass with trees and shrubbery around the border and a perimeter path. Along the west side of the path is an unused prefabricated building, previously used as a scout hut, next to which is an area planted with trees and shrubs on mounded earth, which is set back and divided from the rest of the park by a metal fence with gaps allowing access. This small open area is leased from an adjacent landowner.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ265723 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.2 |
| Site Ownership | LB Wandsworth (part of site leased from private landowner) |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | 1899 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Common (CL14) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Wandsworth |
| 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 | Other Larger Protected Open Space Sites |
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
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.
Almshouses erected by St Clement Danes Holborn Estate Charity on a 6-acre site, previously farmland, purchased for the purpose in 1848, which incorporated a large garden at the front that contained an Artesian well to supply the residents. The plans for the grounds were devised by the managers of the Charity and implemented by Robert Mackay, Nurseryman of Stoke Newington, Middlesex. When the charity moved to new almshouses in Sydenham the almshouses were purchased by LB Wandsworth and are predominantly council housing.
Streatham Cemetery was set up by Streatham Burial Board in 1892. The cemetery has a formal layout with two chapels facing each other on either side of a circular processional route directly opposite the main entrance. The stone lodges and chapels were designed by William Newton-Dunn in the gothic style. Some of the older headstones have now been laid flat. Interesting monuments include the pile of granite blocks on the Krall grave (1903) and Henry Budden's small blue terracotta temple (1907). The cemetery is well planted and there are a number of historically interesting tombs, including that of Sir Wyke Bayliss (d.1905), President of the Royal Society of British Artists.