Description
Higham Hill Recreation Ground is on land that was originally part of Higham Hill Common, also known as Millfield and Bramleylands, which was the largest of the three commons in Walthamstow. Enclosed in 1850, together these commons had covered an area of over 83 hectares, of which around 11 hectares were retained for 'spade husbandry, recreation and gravel digging'. In 1935 Higham Hill Recreation Ground was listed as having 9 tennis courts, a bowling green and an open-air draughts board. It has recently been remodelled and is now laid out as fenced sports pitches, bisected by a central poplar-lined pathway, the site of a spring from Essex Hall, the former house on the site.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hecham Close/Sutton Road/Norfolk Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E17 |
| What3Words | ///luck.organs.rounds |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - half hour before sunset |
| Facilities | playgrounds, basket ball and multisport area, dog exercise area, bowling green (Higham Hill Bowls Club) |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Tube (Victoria): Blackhorse Road then bus. Bus 158, W12 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Friends of Higham Hill Recreation Ground was formed in July 2010.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ361905 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.01 |
| Site Ownership | LB Waltham Forest |
| Site Management | Urbaser Ltd as part of the Street Care and Associated Services contract with LB Waltham Forest; Friends of Higham Hill Recreation Ground |
| Dates | C20th |
| 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 | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| 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
Stoneydown Park is called after Stoney Doun(s), the name of a large field in the locality. The park consists of two areas. The first to be provided as a public amenity was the ornamental gardens, then known as Stoneydown Gardens, which were opened in 1920. In 1955 Stoneydown Recreation Ground was created from former farmland. It was acclaimed at the time as Walthamstow's most up-to-date recreation ground and children's playground. It was laid out with numerous facilities for children of all ages, including a plot of land left in its natural state and an adventure section. A footpath was created to link it to Stoneydown Gardens, and the whole area then became known as Stoneydown Park.
Lloyd Park was once known as Winns Playing Fields and was formerly part of an extensive estate. The Water House, now the William Morris Gallery, was built c.1750 and became Morris's boyhood home from 1848-56; the grounds contained a moat that still exists today. It became the home of the wealthy newspaper owner Edward Lloyd, whose family gave the house and its grounds to Walthamstow UDC for a new public park in 1898. It opened to the public on 28 July 1900, with formal gardens near the house and moat with island to the north. Between 1912-21 it was extended when c.6.5 hectares of the adjoining Aveling Park Estate were purchased, providing sports pitches, playgrounds, tennis courts and bowling greens. To commemorate the centenary of Lloyd Park, a time capsule was buried in the lawn outside the Gallery on 28 July 2000. The park and gallery underwent major works in 2011/12, including restoration of historic features as well as provision of new facilities.
Sir George Monoux College moved to its present location in Walthamstow in July 1927, but the origins of the school date back to 1527 when Sir George Monoux founded a school and almshouses adjacent to the parish church of St Mary Walthamstow. For over three centuries the school remained in Walthamstow Village but it then moved twice in the C19th before the site was purchased from the Chestnuts Farm Estate for the new school, built by Essex County Council. The main school building has a long red brick facade, set back from the main road behind an expanse of lawn and formal gardens, with sports fields on either side.
