Description
Latchmere Road Recreation Ground was laid out in the early C20th and during WWII was dug up as part of the war effort.
Practical Information
| Site location | Latchmere Road, Kingston |
|---|---|
| Postcode | KT2 5TT |
| What3Words | ///plans.verbs.neon |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's playground, cricket and football pitches, toilets |
| Public Transport | Rail: Kingston then bus. Bus: K5 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Pending further research
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ186707 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.607 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd |
| Dates | pre WWII |
| 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 | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Space (Public Open Space) |
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 garden of 28 Albany Park Road was among a number of Gertrude Jekyll's commissions in 1923. Most of them were located in Surrey and Sussex, but there were also commissions in Norfolk, Cheshire, Hampshire and Berkshire.
The origins of the Thames Path date from the 1750s onwards as the riverside towpath established by the Thames Commissioners when the Thames was an important trade route to London. In the C20th leisure use replaced trade and much of the old towpath is now the Thames Path, a national trail that opened in 1996 following the river from its source in the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier. It represents important open space in the boroughs through which it passes.
The creation of a public garden here was first proposed by Samuel Gray, who was then elected to the local council and work began in 1889. The first section was completed in 1890 and continued in stages during the 1890s and early 1900s. A bandstand was erected in 1891, donated by a former Mayor of Kingston, and Canbury Gardens became one of the most popular amenities in the town with weekly concerts and beautiful planting displays. By 1933 a pavilion, second bowling green and further tennis grounds were added, infilling the remaining areas of land bordering the Corporation Depot and sewage works, and this remains the extent of the gardens today.