Description
Formerly private land in agricultural use, the site was reserved for public open space when the small hamlet of Hook was growing as a result of the new railway line serving Surbiton in the C19th. Originally called Hook Recreation Ground, it was opened in May 1901 and renamed for the new King, Edward VII. In 1935 an adjoining plot of land to the north was donated and laid out as a rose garden commemorating George V's Silver Jubilee.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hook Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | Hook Road, Chessington |
| Postcode | KT9 1PL |
| What3Words | ///dating.sketch.gets |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Special Conditions | no dogs in playground, bowling green, rose garden |
| Facilities | Children's playground, tennis courts, cricket and football pitches, toilets. Hook and Southborough Bowling Club |
| Events | Site for Annual Scout Fair |
| Public Transport | Rail: Surbiton, Chessington North then bus. Bus: K2, K4, 46. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Hook was a small hamlet well into the C19th, with farm cottages and a few grand houses; development accelerated once the railway arrived and to the north Surbiton town grew, with Hook merging with Surbiton Borough Council in 1894. As the area around Hook Road was being developed for housing, the Council reserved 6 acres of land adjacent to the main road for a public recreation ground and set up a Committee to undertake this. It was formerly private land in agricultural use and an original boundary field hedge was left in the new recreation ground, which was opened by Lady Foley of Barwell Court on 28 May 1901. The recreation ground was first known as Hook Recreation Ground and later renamed for the new king, Edward VII. Cricket matches were played here from the outset. A drinking fountain was donated in 1906 by Francis Stephen Clayton who lived in Haycroft House, now built over by Ace Parade. A new parish hall, designed by C Marriner Mace, was built adjacent to the park in 1926.
In May 1935 Alderman Walter Morgan Willcocks presented a plot of land opposite Brockett House where he lived and to the north of the recreation ground for a garden in commemoration of George V's Silver Jubilee. This was laid out with lawns and rose beds, as well as a shelter and seats, and contains a number of specimen trees. Bounded by a hedge, the entrance is via a gate off the main path that runs west through the park from the main entrance at Hook Road, where there is a small area of raised beds. An avenue of trees flanks the path and trees are also planted along the Hook Road boundary. The Hook and Southborough Bowling Club, established in 1905, leases the bowling green.
In May 1935 Alderman Walter Morgan Willcocks presented a plot of land opposite Brockett House where he lived and to the north of the recreation ground for a garden in commemoration of George V's Silver Jubilee. This was laid out with lawns and rose beds, as well as a shelter and seats, and contains a number of specimen trees. Bounded by a hedge, the entrance is via a gate off the main path that runs west through the park from the main entrance at Hook Road, where there is a small area of raised beds. An avenue of trees flanks the path and trees are also planted along the Hook Road boundary. The Hook and Southborough Bowling Club, established in 1905, leases the bowling green.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ179650 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 4.13 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd |
| Dates | 1901 |
| 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 | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | part of Proposal Site 45 |
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 small hamlet of Hook became a separate parish from Kingston in 1839 and in that year the first church was built. It became too small and had damp problems so a larger church was built on a site to the north and consecrated on St Paul's Day in 1883. The WWI War Memorial stands near the site of the original church. The churchyard was extended in 1900. A Garden of Remembrance was created in 1948 as a WWII memorial, at the instigation of the vicar. Among those buried in the churchyard is the Australian pioneering aviator, Harry Hawker, who died in an air crash in 1921.
Once the southern part of Surbiton Common, on the 1838 Enclosure map what is now Causeway Copse was marked as Gooseberry Hill, prior to which it had been known as Gosborough Hyll or Gosbury Hill. The woodland was owned by Merton Priory, and in 1537 was leased to William Saunders, requiring high standards of management. It remains partly wooded and is now a small park with a playground, surrounded by housing, reached through a narrow path from The Causeway by Durbin Road.
Southborough House, originally known as Southborough Park and designed by John Nash in 1808, now stands in the middle of the Southborough Estate, which was developed between the 1890s and 1930s. In the grounds of Southborough House is a one-storey Summerhouse, possibly also by Nash; the garden today is 2/3 of an acre with vistas over the surrounding district. Southborough Lodge, formerly part of the outbuildings of Southborough Park, is now a separate dwelling as 16 Ashcombe Avenue, the division taking place sometime between 1934 and 1944. Part of the original carriage drive remains in front of Southborough House.