Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hyland Way/Globe Road/Osborne Road, Hornchurch |
|---|---|
| Postcode | RM11 1BS |
| What3Words | ///sound.farm.agent |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | locked dusk |
| Facilities | Car park, playground, cricket, football, tennis, outdoor gym |
| Events | Various, Summer Fun, Participates in Havering's summer environmental education programme, Wacky About Wildlife |
| Public Transport | Tube: Hornchurch (District). Rail: Romford. Bus: 193, 294 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
On the site of a late C19th house and estate, Hylands was initially developed in the 1920s by the French family, who owned the Oak public house in Victoria Road, Romford and purchased the property in 1920. The land included an orchard and was originally used for grazing and a piggery. In 1925 it was converted into a trotting and racing track with the winning post and finishing enclosure backing onto Osborne Road, the whole area encircled with corrugated iron fencing. It was laid out by Mr Hastings, a developer from Stoke Newington, who built the track, stands, stables and other facilities, and the first race meeting was held on Whit Monday 1925. Hornchurch UDC had tried to prevent the track going ahead but Mr Hastings was allowed to continue, following an appeal to the Minister of Health. The course was apparently a great attraction on race days, creating interest among owners of trotting horses from all over the country. The track was also used for prestigious athletics meetings, including the London Ladies Athletic Association Championship in which many of the athletes of the day took part. However, the popularity of the track waned and it eventually closed down and became derelict, but since 1925, following a public enquiry, Hornchurch UDC had been negotiating with the owners to acquire the site for use as public open space.
It was purchased in 1927 and laid out as Hylands Park by 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. An avenue of poplars along the entrance from Globe Road was planted as a windbreak, and a rose garden was planted in an area previously occupied by a static water tank funded from monies provided for land reinstatement. The surviving stone gate piers with wrought iron gates at the Osborne Road entrance are probably C20th, but came from Grey Towers, the C19th castellated mansion built by Colonel Holmes who also owned Langtons (q.v.). Grey Towers was demolished in 1931 to make way for residential development.
During WWII the land to the rear of Globe Road was temporarily used for allotments and the park suffered some bomb damage towards the end of the war when the Park Keeper's hut was destroyed. On 12 October 1940 a Spitfire fighter plane narrowly missed crash landing in the park, crowded with people at the time. After the war the allotments were reinstated as grass, the first children's playground was provided, grass tennis courts were converted to hard courts and a cricket square was laid out. Hornchurch Athletic Sports Club, founded in 1936, has long associations with Hylands Park, its Football Club moving here in 1947/8 joined in 1953 by its Cricket Club. A plan of the park in 1961 shows 10 tennis courts, cricket and football pitches, children's play area, with a pavilion, drinking fountain, kiosk as well as tree planting.
Hylands Park Action Group was established in 2004. The Action Group are involved in fund-raising and improvement projects as well as events such as an annual Summer Fun Day.
It was purchased in 1927 and laid out as Hylands Park by 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. An avenue of poplars along the entrance from Globe Road was planted as a windbreak, and a rose garden was planted in an area previously occupied by a static water tank funded from monies provided for land reinstatement. The surviving stone gate piers with wrought iron gates at the Osborne Road entrance are probably C20th, but came from Grey Towers, the C19th castellated mansion built by Colonel Holmes who also owned Langtons (q.v.). Grey Towers was demolished in 1931 to make way for residential development.
During WWII the land to the rear of Globe Road was temporarily used for allotments and the park suffered some bomb damage towards the end of the war when the Park Keeper's hut was destroyed. On 12 October 1940 a Spitfire fighter plane narrowly missed crash landing in the park, crowded with people at the time. After the war the allotments were reinstated as grass, the first children's playground was provided, grass tennis courts were converted to hard courts and a cricket square was laid out. Hornchurch Athletic Sports Club, founded in 1936, has long associations with Hylands Park, its Football Club moving here in 1947/8 joined in 1953 by its Cricket Club. A plan of the park in 1961 shows 10 tennis courts, cricket and football pitches, children's play area, with a pavilion, drinking fountain, kiosk as well as tree planting.
Hylands Park Action Group was established in 2004. The Action Group are involved in fund-raising and improvement projects as well as events such as an annual Summer Fun Day.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ522882 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.6 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1925; 1927 |
| 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
Park Lane existed as a route before the surrounding farmland was developed as housing. The area remained rural into the 1920s, and by 1938/9 the houses of Clydesdale Road had been built, although open land remained to the south. Park Lane Playground was laid out in the early 1950s for the use of local residents and schools. The facilities included a football pitch, children's playground and toilets and the layout included planting of shrubs. When Park Lane Housing Estate was built, a new entrance was made to the recreation ground.
St Leonard's Cottage Homes was established on former farmland of Harrow Lodge by the Poor Law Guardians of the Parish of St Leonard in Shoreditch, desirous of re-locating the destitute children of their parish to healthier, rural surroundings. The pioneering scheme had 11 2-storey 'cottages', each housing 30 children, built facing each other across a wide gravelled roadway that ran south from the entrance and Warden's lodge on Hornchurch Road. It was provided with a school, swimming bath, workshops and infirmary, and landscaping was an important component. A communal green space, front and back gardens as well as vegetable gardens and orchard, tennis courts and cricket were provided. The homes closed in 1984, becoming largely derelict, but from 1990 has been converted for private residence. Although the unity and much of the detail of the original layout are lost, it preserves a sense of its former character.
Havering Well Garden is a small public garden on the site of a former burial ground for the Independent Church. In 1952 the Trustees of the burial ground conveyed the site to Hornchurch UDC, who were covenanted to lay it out as a garden of rest and register it with the Charity Commissioners. The landscaping consisted of grass with shrubs and trees around the border with a commemorative stone as a centrepiece and two gravestones set into the ground. There were flower beds to the front of the garden and wooden seats were provided.