Description
The land north of Upminster remained rural into the C20th. As house building gradually took place on the east side of Hall Lane, the site of Hall Lane Miniature Golf Course remained open land and was in use as a private 9-hole golf course before WWII. It was acquired by the War Department for an Assault Course during the war, after which it was purchased by Upminster Council who laid out the 18-hole miniature golf course in 1950/51. By this time the site was surrounded by housing. At the northern boundary was a large copse of trees and there remain mature oak and ash at the eastern end where a field pond was levelled; the golf course is well planted with numerous trees of various species.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hall Lane Miniature Golf Course |
|---|---|
| Site location | Hall Lane, Upminster |
| Postcode | RM14 1AQ |
| What3Words | ///print.engage.skins |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Saturday/Sunday 10am-dusk, school holidays (Golf Hut closed 12.30-1pm) |
| Special Conditions | Charges 2010: £5 adults, £3 concessions, 16 & under, students, over 65 |
| Facilities | Golf course |
| Public Transport | Rail/Tube: Upminster (District). Bus: 248, 347 |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The land north of Upminster town centre remained rural into the C20th, and the site of Hall Lane Miniature Golf Course is shown as a field on OS Map of Essex of 1921, remaining as open land as house building gradually took place on the east side of Hall Lane beyond Courtenay Gardens in the interwar period. By 1938 The Fairway was partially built on the northern side of the site, with Ingrebourne Gardens built to the south and Holden Way to the east. Its use as a golf course predated WWII when it was in private ownership and laid out as a 9-hole golf course. During the war it was acquired by the War Department for use as an Assault Course. Following the war Upminster Council purchased the land and laid out the 18-hole miniature golf course in 1950/51, the second such course to be constructed in the borough. The brochure of Council sports and recreation facilities of 1961 described Hall Lane Miniature Golf Course as 'an attractive well-used Course amid very pleasant and picturesque surroundings'. The Council began to fence the site, in 1952/3 a water supply was provided and by 1955/6 the fencing on the north side was completed. A pond in the south-east corner was levelled in 1961/2 and a main drain laid on the south side. By 1965 the small building near the entrance is shown on the OS Map, and the Council brochure for 1970 lists new facilities to be provided in 1971 as a messroom, toilets and ticket kiosk. At the northern boundary was a large copse of trees and there remain mature oak and ash at the eastern end, with trees of numerous species now planted on the course. Near the west boundary a children's pitch and putt course has been laid out.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ563874 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.16 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1930s; 1950 |
| 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 | Havering |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | To be checked |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| 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
Upminster Golf Course and Upminster Hall Playing Field are on land formerly part of the Upminster Hall estate, former hunting seat of the Abbots of Waltham Abbey. The timber-framed Hall is now the clubhouse of Upminster Golf Club, founded in 1928, which acquired the freehold of the Hall and 6.5 acres in 1935. Former gardens in front of the house are now laid out as the 1st and 18th holes of the golf course. A bowling green was laid out behind the clubhouse in 1949.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Upminster Court was built in 1904, prior to which the land was within the Upminster Hall Estate. It was let by the Estate Trustees to Arthur Williams, who commissioned Charles Reilly to design his new house. The gardens continue the Anglo-French theme of the house with organised English-style garden 'rooms' overlaid with a more formal French discipline of paths and vistas. Other features in the grounds included a walled Italian garden, bowling and croquet lawns, and kitchen garden. The Williams family lived here until the late 1920s after which the house was used for offices, later a refugee centre, and in 1946 was purchased with 22 acres by Essex County Council. In 1965 ownership transferred to LB Havering and it opened in 1972 as a respite centre with a borough nursery in the gardens. From 1993-2005 the house was used as the council's Staff Training and Development Centre. In 2007 it was purchased by Uniserve Group.
Upminster Court was built in 1904, prior to which the land was within the Upminster Hall Estate. It was let by the Estate Trustees to Arthur Williams, who commissioned Charles Reilly to design his new house. The gardens continue the Anglo-French theme of the house with organised English-style garden 'rooms' overlaid with a more formal French discipline of paths and vistas. Other features in the grounds included a walled Italian garden, bowling and croquet lawns, and kitchen garden. The Williams family lived here until the late 1920s after which the house was used for offices, later a refugee centre, and in 1946 was purchased with 22 acres by Essex County Council. In 1965 ownership transferred to LB Havering and it opened in 1972 as a respite centre with a borough nursery in the gardens. From 1993-2005 the house was used as the council's Staff Training and Development Centre. In 2007 it was purchased by Uniserve Group.
Upminster Hall Playing Field and the adjacent Upminster Golf Course are on land formerly part of the Upminster Hall estate, former hunting seat of the Abbots of Waltham Abbey, the timber-framed Hall now the clubhouse of Upminster Golf Club. The land that is now the Playing Field was in agricultural use before it was converted for recreation in 1957, extended with further land in 1958/9. An avenue of mature horse chestnut and walnut trees divides the two pieces of land and new trees have been planted. Separated from the Playing Field by woodland, the late C14th/C15th Tithe Barn was probably used by monks from Waltham Abbey.