Description
The Grapsome is the remains of ancient woodland managed as coppice wood with standards, now a small copse on the western boundary of the borough. The site was eroded when the Esher By-pass was built in 1974/5. The area was previously known as Graplingeham, probably so-called after an early owner and is thought to be a moated manor from before the Norman Conquest. By the C19th it is marked as woodland called The Grapsome on the first OS map of 1865.
Practical Information
| Site location | Footpath from Merrit Gardens, off Leatherhead Road, Chessington |
|---|---|
| Postcode | KT9 |
| What3Words | ///lines.feel.fees |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Chessington South |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ170636 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.1 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston? |
| 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 | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance I |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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 recreation ground is named after Sir Francis Barker (d.1922) who had lived at Burnt Stub, a mansion house built between 1906-1911, and he later lived at Barwell Court to the west of the Recreation Ground. Barker gave land for the recreation ground on Leatherhead Road and for relaunching Chessington Cricket Club in 1919, which still has its home here. The recreation ground is largely grassed with some planting of hedges and conifers as boundaries to sports facilities and is bounded by housing to the north with open landscape rising to Winey Hill to the west. The playground was refurbished in 2004 and in 2021 new facilities were added.
Winey Hill is a pleasant grassy hilltop located in the south of the borough that includes scattered trees, horse-grazed pastures, dense scrub, a large stock pond and some old boundary hedgerows, where several nationally declining birds breed. In 1937 Alderman Clement Hugh Bridge of Chessington Grange in Garrison Lane negotiated with Lady Barker of Barwell Court to enable Surbiton Borough Council to purchase Winey Hill, which was within her Barwell Court Estate, as permanent open space. As a result c.10 hectares were acquired for £5,000 in September of that year. The hill has fine views from the top, at 75 m above sea level. Here a viewpoint has been erected that indicates what can be seen in all directions, from Canary Wharf 17 miles to the north-east and Guildford 13 miles to the south-west to more local sites such as Horton Country Park 1.5 miles to the south east and St Matthew's Church 2.5 miles to the north.
Church Fields Recreation Ground was laid out on fields adjacent to Chessington Parish Church of St Mary to serve the expanding population of the area in the C20th. At the end of WWII, VE Day Services were held in the recreation ground. It is largely open fields with scattered trees, the grass left long in parts and otherwise used for sports with a playground, playing fields and a bowling green leased to a club. Shrubs and trees are on the perimeter and there are small nature conservation areas.