Description
The land was used for food production during WWII, after which it was developed by Hornchurch UDC for public recreation. It was laid out with ornamental planting and a miniature golf course, football pitches and hard tennis courts. The bowling green was the first to be provided in Hornchurch and its popularity led to those in Harrow Lodge Park and Clockhouse Gardens. Playground equipment was installed from the early 1950s onwards. In 1963 land formerly part of Haynes Park Farm was added to the park, containing fine elm and willow trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | Slewins Lane/Haynes Road/Northumberland Avenue, Hornchurch |
|---|---|
| Postcode | RM11 2DG |
| What3Words | ///finest.goat.booth |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | closed dusk |
| Facilities | car park, playground, netball, tennis |
| Public Transport | Rail: Gidea Park. Bus: 370, 373 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The land was used for food production during WWII, after which it was then developed by Hornchurch UDC for public recreation. The first project undertaken was a miniature golf course laid out in 1948/9, and 2 football pitches and 4 hard tennis courts followed. The bowling green made in 1948/50 was the first to be provided in Hornchurch and its popularity led to those constructed at Harrow Lodge Park (q.v.) and Clockhouse Gardens (q.v.); the pavilion was later extensively improved and enlarged at the expense of the Bowling Club. Playground equipment was installed from the early 1950s onwards. A rhododendron border was planted and flower beds lined each side of the main roadway from the entrance on Slewins Lane, with ornamental planting. In 1963 a further 2.96 acres were added to the park, formerly part of Haynes Park Farm owned by Mrs Wilkin, containing fine elm and willow trees. The Ravensbourne River runs through the park from north/south along the western boundary.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ535887 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 11.1 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1947/8; 1963 |
| 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 | Not known |
| 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
Nelmes Manor, one of 12 manors in Hornchurch in medieval times, took its name from Richard Elms who owned the estate in the C13th and C14th; it later became known as Great Nelmes. The estate remained largely intact until 1895 when the southern part was sold and developed as Emerson Park Estate. The northern section around the C16th manor house was developed from 1901 when the remainder of the 241-acre estate was put up for sale, apart from Great Nelmes (later demolished in 1967), Capel Nelmes and 10 acres. Capel Nelmes was formerly the stable block to Great Nelmes, used as a residence from c.1870. The manor grounds had contained a walled garden, lake, orchard and fine trees; a number of Cedars still stand. To the east is the remains of a moat, now incorporated into a modern development, and a C17th Well Tower, a former conduit house to Great Nelmes, stands in a private garden.
Langtons Gardens is the remains of a landscape garden of an C18th mansion built on the site of a C15th house. Parts of the C18th house and its garden walls, stable-block, orangery and gazebo survive. In the early C19th the gardens were remodelled by Humphry Repton for the Massu family who owned the property until 1850. From 1899 Mr Varco Williams, a prominent local citizen, lived here. In 1929 his daughter Elizabeth Parks gave it to Hornchurch UDC on condition that house and gardens were maintained and unaltered. The grounds opened as a public park and the house was used as Council offices until 1965, becoming the Registry Office for Havering Council in 1976. The walled kitchen garden was used for wartime allotments and underground shelters, but in 1947 became an extension of the park. From the late C18th Hornchurch Cricket Club played on a pitch in Langtons parkland, now known as Fielders Sports Ground.
On the site of a late C19th house and estate, Hylands was initially developed in the 1920s as a trotting and racing track. The first race meeting was held in 1925 and the course apparently a great attraction on race days, and also used for prestigious athletics meetings. It eventually closed down and was bought by Hornchurch UDC and converted into Hylands Park in the late 1920s, one of the first public parks to be provided in the district. An oval path, cricket and football pitches were laid on the former trotting track and a rose garden was planted in an area previously occupied by a static water tank. The stone gate piers with wrought iron gates at the Osborne Road entrance were from Grey Towers, the C19th castellated mansion built by Colonel Holmes of Langtons.