Description
Grove Hall Park is on part of the former site of Grove Hall Private Lunatic Asylum, which was established c.1820 for ex-servicemen. The Asylum had well-planted grounds, which are referred to in Charles Dickens's 'Nicholas Nickelby' (1839). The site was purchased in c.1906 and opened as a public park in 1909. It was extended in 1930 with the addition of the garden of St Catherine's Convent to create the small memorial garden that abuts the park.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Grove Hall Private Lunatic Asylum; St Catherine's Convent |
|---|---|
| Site location | off Fairfield Road, Jebb Street/Baldock Street, Bow |
| Postcode | E3 |
| What3Words | ///rich.vibrate.pipe |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | playground |
| Public Transport | Tube: Bow Road (District/Hammersmith & City). Bus: 25 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Grove Hall Park is on part of the former site of Grove Hall, which in the C19th was owned by the Byas family and run as Grove Hall Private Lunatic Asylum, established c.1820. Many of the inmates were ex-servicemen. The gardens featured in Charles Dickens's 'Nicholas Nickelby' (1839). The asylum was purchased for the public and the 1906 auction prospectus describes the 'beautiful park-like land, studded throughout with numerous trees of luxuriant growth'. The park was opened to the public in 1909. There is a notable alley of London plane trees, planted c.1909, running east/west across the park.
The park was extended in 1930 with the addition of the garden of St Catherine's Convent, which had been founded at 181 Bow Road in 1866 with the Church of Our Lady with St Catherine's built as a chapel. The nuns left during the War and the nunnery was later used for artists' studios and exhibition space. The small memorial garden abuts the park, with the war memorial situated at one end surrounded by an arrangement of beds, with the remainder of the garden set to grass, and perimeter trees and flowering shrubs that include rhododendron and camellia. Gates inscribed with the words ‘Memorial Gardens' lead via an alley onto Bow Road. Part of Grove Hall Park has been hard surfaced with a new children's playground area, with the fine row of trees following approximately a tarmaced path running to the entrance at Baldock Street.
Adjacent to the park from the west a new development has been built, in the style of almshouses and having a clock tower. There are various entry points to the park, one of which leads to tennis court/sports pitch.
The park was extended in 1930 with the addition of the garden of St Catherine's Convent, which had been founded at 181 Bow Road in 1866 with the Church of Our Lady with St Catherine's built as a chapel. The nuns left during the War and the nunnery was later used for artists' studios and exhibition space. The small memorial garden abuts the park, with the war memorial situated at one end surrounded by an arrangement of beds, with the remainder of the garden set to grass, and perimeter trees and flowering shrubs that include rhododendron and camellia. Gates inscribed with the words ‘Memorial Gardens' lead via an alley onto Bow Road. Part of Grove Hall Park has been hard surfaced with a new children's playground area, with the fine row of trees following approximately a tarmaced path running to the entrance at Baldock Street.
Adjacent to the park from the west a new development has been built, in the style of almshouses and having a clock tower. There are various entry points to the park, one of which leads to tennis court/sports pitch.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ375830 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.1934 |
| Site Ownership | LB Tower Hamlets |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1909 |
| 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 | Tower Hamlets |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Fairfield Road |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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 church of St Mary, Stratford Bow dates from the C14th, originally built as a chapel of ease to Stepney Parish Church. Built 'in the King's Highway', it remains on an island site at the east end of the busy Bow Road, and is the only reminder of the medieval village of Bow. The churchyard was expanded and laid out in 1825 when adjoining buildings were removed. After the churchyard was closed to burials, it was laid out as a public garden by the MPGA, designed by Fanny Wilkinson with plans modified by CR Ashbee who designed features inside the church. The main path and benches in the west churchyard were added at a later date. The east churchyard provides a further garden area, and was laid out by Madeline Agar in 1911.
Bromley Public Hall is a stone-faced building with balustraded parapet, built in 1879/80 as the vestry hall for the new parish of Bromley St Leonard, which was formed when it split from the medieval parish of Stepney. The parish church of St Mary with St Leonard originated as the priory chapel of St Leonard's Priory, a Benedictine nunnery that was dissolved in 1536. The parish came within the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar in 1899, which from 1965 became part of the new London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Bromley Public Hall is now Tower Hamlets Register Office and is used for various occasions, from weddings and vow renewals, to naming and citizenship ceremonies. To the rear of Bromley Public Hall is a pleasant small garden, popular as a setting for wedding and other photography.
St Leonard’s Priory is part of the former churchyard of Bromley St Leonard Church, which originated with a C12th Benedictine nunnery dedicated to St Leonard. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the priory lands passed into private hands. The old priory chancel was rebuilt in 1843 as the parish church of St Mary with St Leonard but was bombed in WWII. Part of the churchyard had been lost to house building by the early C19th. All that remains is part of the boundary wall and the How Memorial Gateway erected in 1894, which forms the entrance to what remains of the churchyard. In the 1990s part of the site became a children's playground, the remainder managed for wildlife. The site has been cleared of undergrowth and laid out with paths in 2011.
