Description
Lyttelton Playing Fields forms part of the Hampstead Garden Suburb, dating from the later phase of development from 1919. This was developed following the Co-Partners' acquisition of 200 acres of land to the north and east of the original suburb. The park is dominated by its open cricket field although in the north, along the Mutton Brook, is a small area of old woodland. This is shown on Rocque's map of 1754 and on 1864 OS maps is marked as Watery Wood. A few mature oaks survive in the park as well as remnant of a hedgerow to the south that once marked the boundary to the Bishop of London's medieval Hornsey Park estate.
Practical Information
| Site location | Kingsley Way/Norrice Lea/Lyttelton Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N2 0DQ |
| What3Words | ///mimic.frozen.rank |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Barnet |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Basketball, tennis, football, hockey and cricket pitches, children's play area, toilets |
| Public Transport | Tube: East Finchley (Northern). Bus 102, H2. |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2000 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Lyttelton Playing Fields form part of the Hampstead Garden Suburb. The original Suburb was built from 1907, extended in 1911 with the 'New Suburb'. In 1919 200 acres to the north and east of the original suburb were acquired from the Church Commissioners by the Co-Partners for commercial development, and while still termed 'Hampstead Garden Suburb', the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust did not have architectural control as it had with the earlier phases. The A-Z of 1925 shows a large recreation ground in this area, with the Mutton Brook running along the north as it does in the current park, but the site configuration differs. The Mutton Brook is a tributary of the Dollis Brook and runs from Highgate where it rises, to Hendon, where it joins the Dollis Brook. In the north of Lyttelton Playing Fields, along the north bank of the brook, is a small area of woodland with old oak, horse chestnut, hornbeam and field maple; this woodland appears on Rocque's map of 1754 and in 1864 appears on the OS maps as Watery Wood. A few mature oaks survive in the park as does an old oak, hawthorn and blackthorn hedgerow to the south, which was once the boundary of the Bishop of London's medieval estate of Hornsey Park, a large enclosed park dating from the C13th.The land is registered under the Commons Registration Act of 1965.
Recreational facilities included a Bowling Green shown on OS Maps of 1919-39, along with tennis courts and playing fields. Today the park has playing fields to the south, and a beech hedge encloses a children's playground, a red brick 1930s pavilion is now the Pavilion Children's Centre. Also on the site is Bishopswood Bowls Club, surrounded by yew hedge/shrubs,
Recreational facilities included a Bowling Green shown on OS Maps of 1919-39, along with tennis courts and playing fields. Today the park has playing fields to the south, and a beech hedge encloses a children's playground, a red brick 1930s pavilion is now the Pavilion Children's Centre. Also on the site is Bishopswood Bowls Club, surrounded by yew hedge/shrubs,
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ263888 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 9.1 |
| Site Ownership | LB Barnet |
| Site Management | Leisure and Youth Services, Green Spaces Division/Friends of Lyttelton Playing Fields |
| Dates | Between 1919 &1925 |
| 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 | Barnet |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Hampstead Garden Suburb |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance (part/Mutton Brook) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Premier Park. Article 4 Direction |
Gallery
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
Northway Gardens is a linear park comprising three areas of gardens through which the Mutton Brook runs in a channel, lined in parts by weeping willows. It was laid out as part of the 'New Suburb' developed from 1911 when 112 acres of land were purchased to the east of the original Hampstead Garden Suburb. The gardens have woodland and grass to the west, formal gardens and tennis courts in the middle area, and ornamental shrubs and trees in the most easterly section.
Big Wood has existed as woodland for over 1000 years, probably part of land given to the Bishop of London in c704AD. When Hampstead Garden Suburb was being planned in 1907, its instigator, Dame Henrietta Barnett, was committed to providing green spaces within the housing, planting trees and preserving those that existed. When additional land was acquired to extend the Suburb in 1911, Big Wood was leased from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and preserved as woodland. In 1933 Finchley UDC took on the freehold. Now designated a Nature Reserve, there are a great variety of trees here including Wild Service Trees, associated with ancient woodland.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Until the mid-C19th the undulating site was farmland. The Burial Board of the Parish of St Marylebone purchased the land for the cemetery and held a competition for its design in 1854. Winning architects Barnett and Birch Ltd built its two chapels, lodge and entrance building and St Marylebone Cemetery was consecrated in March 1855. The cemetery, catering largely for the affluent middle-classes, has numerous important monuments. The C19th layout is largely intact, with three main avenues describing an oval arrangement. Two cedars were planted near the entrance in 1856, with trees and shrubs throughout the cemetery and flanking the avenues. In 1893 the cemetery was extended to the west, laid out on a square grid plan. In 1937 St Marylebone Crematorium was built, to the south of which are lawn graves and an informal memorial garden. Owned since 1965 by Westminster City Council, this was one of 3 cemeteries that WCC controversially sold in 1987 for 15p in order to pass on the maintenance costs, but which resulted in their neglect. In 1988, following public outcry, the Ombudsman ruled that WCC had to buy back the cemeteries, which it did in 1992.
Until the mid-C19th the undulating site was farmland. The Burial Board of the Parish of St Marylebone purchased the land for the cemetery and held a competition for its design in 1854. Winning architects Barnett and Birch Ltd built its two chapels, lodge and entrance building and St Marylebone Cemetery was consecrated in March 1855. The cemetery, catering largely for the affluent middle-classes, has numerous important monuments. The C19th layout is largely intact, with three main avenues describing an oval arrangement. Two cedars were planted near the entrance in 1856, with trees and shrubs throughout the cemetery and flanking the avenues. In 1893 the cemetery was extended to the west, laid out on a square grid plan. In 1937 St Marylebone Crematorium was built, to the south of which are lawn graves and an informal memorial garden. Owned since 1965 by Westminster City Council, this was one of 3 cemeteries that WCC controversially sold in 1987 for 15p in order to pass on the maintenance costs, but which resulted in their neglect. In 1988, following public outcry, the Ombudsman ruled that WCC had to buy back the cemeteries, which it did in 1992.
