Description
King George's Playing Field was originally known as Mawney Park, named after the old manor of Mawneys. As Romford expanded, the Mawneys estate was sold for housing development in 1883 although the land here remained as fields, then partly allotment gardens, until 1928 when it was acquired and laid out as a recreation ground. Later Romford Borough Council received funding of £3,000 from the King George's Fields Foundation, and as a consequence it was renamed King George's Playing Field. It remains a triangular site, its boundaries little changed from those of the old fields, although the southern boundary is now the Eastern Avenue. The River Rom forms the easterly boundary of the park.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Mawney Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | Mawney Road/Eastern Avenue, Romford |
| Postcode | RM7 |
| What3Words | ///hotels.sample.baking |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | closed at dusk |
| Facilities | Car park, playground, bowls, café, football, multi-use ball court |
| Public Transport | Rail: Romford then bus. Bus: 66, 296, 252, 511. |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
King George's Playing Field was originally known as Mawney Park, acquired and laid out as a recreation ground in 1928, infilled with rubble from the Blitz. Prior to that time the land to the east of Mawney Road was fields in the Manor of Mawneys, which originated in 1200 when King John leased 'the wood at Romford' to the Earl of Norfolk for a rent of 5 shillings a year. From 1280 it was known as the Manor of Romford, the name Mawneys dating from the C14th when the then 140-acre estate was owned by Lord Walter de Mauny. The moated manor house, called Mawneys or Great Mawneys, was located on Mawney Road, north of Romford High Street but was eventually demolished in 1935. In 1758 the Newman family owned the Mawneys estate, and in 1781 the manor of Nelmes in Hornchurch was acquired, and both estates remained in the family until 1883. By that time the Mawneys estate comprised 265 acres, with Forest Road forming the north boundary and Marks Road the south. By this time the town of Romford was expanding and the whole estate owned by the Newmans was sold for housing development. Maps of Essex of 1871 and 1896/7 show the future park site as fields, and by 1921 allotment gardens are shown on part of the site, by which time the area to the west of Mawney Road was built over with houses. Mawney Road itself is marked as an existing route on late C19th maps. The River Rom runs through the park, forming the easterly boundary of the triangular site, which on the OS map of 1938 is shown as Mawney Park. Later funding was received through the King George's Fields Foundation.
The Foundation, set up as a memorial following the King's death in 1936, provided funding for the creation or improvement of a great many playing fields before it was dissolved in 1965. The Map of Essex of 1939 shows the change of name from Mawney Park to King George's Playing Field. The Eastern Avenue now forms the southern boundary of the park. Since 2005 new facilities have been provided, including a children's playsite, multi-use ball court and outdoor gym equipment.
The Foundation, set up as a memorial following the King's death in 1936, provided funding for the creation or improvement of a great many playing fields before it was dissolved in 1965. The Map of Essex of 1939 shows the change of name from Mawney Park to King George's Playing Field. The Eastern Avenue now forms the southern boundary of the park. Since 2005 new facilities have been provided, including a children's playsite, multi-use ball court and outdoor gym equipment.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ501897 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 9.7 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces; Friends of King George's Playing Field |
| Dates | 1928 |
| 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 | Yes - Local Importance (part: River Rom) |
| 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
The name is presumed to derive from the Marshall family who owned the estate in the C12th. By 1618 Marshalls comprised some 40 acres and by 1816, when it was purchased by Rowland Stephenson, it was 112 acres; the sale catalogue described its grounds having 'water well-stocked with fish'. Stephenson enlarged the house as a gentleman's residence. In 1924 the estate was sold for development and the parkland largely built over. The stables and house remained, the latter used as the Conservative Club until after WWII, then as an annexe for Romford County Technical School, but eventually demolished in 1959. It had been a 5-bay stuccoed building facing a stretch of water with a small C18th bridge, which remains visible from Lake House. A remnant of the serpentine lake also survives, now surrounded by a development of early C20th private houses.
Cottons Park, originally called Cottons Recreational Ground, takes its name from the estate of the C16th landowner, Nicholas Cotton. The land for the park was acquired by Romford UDC from the Cottons family in 1920 and the park was laid out with planting, paths and a bandstand, beyond which to the north and west were playing fields for rugby, soccer and cricket as well as tennis courts. A children's playground and sand pit were located near the main entrance to the east. During WWII the land was given over for war-time allotments, public air-raid shelters and a decontamination centre was constructed, which was later converted into a pavilion and café. Six wooden sculptures were installed in 2009 to commemorate six civilians who lost their lives in the park during bombing in October 1940.
St Edward the Confessor was the first king to be associated with Havering, establishing a palace at Havering-atte-Bower in what is now Havering Country Park. Romford was one of the three parishes within the Royal Manor; the parish church stands on the site of a small chapel of 1410, possibly the first permanent building when Romford moved to higher ground to avoid the River Rom's frequent flooding. The new, larger church was erected in 1849/50 to serve the town's growing population. Until 1860 church and churchyard were separated from the market place by butchers' Shambles. Enclosed by C19th railings with an arched entrance, the front area of the churchyard has a number of chest tombs and fine horse chestnut trees. In c.1950 the larger area behind the church was laid out as a public garden, the headstones cleared to the edges with a path made up of headstones.