Manor Park

Manor Park was created in 1966, its name derived from the residential street of substantial middle class houses that were built here in the late C19th, prior to which the area had been fields. An access path, still existing today, ran between Nos. 40 and 42 Manor Park to an area of open land behind the residential plots bordered by the River Quaggy, which runs through the boroughs of Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich. This open land had varied uses until the park was developed, such as a Piggery recorded in 1951 to the west, and was probably not built on for housing due to the dampness of the ground. Discussions about using the land for public open space purposes began in the 1950s and Lewisham Council gradually acquired the land in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1951 the war-damaged site of No. 40 was compulsorily purchased for £700, followed in 1952 by purchase of land and premises at the rear for £260, and in 1953 approval was given for layout of the site as a small amenity open space. In 1957/8 negotiations took place for the purchase of land at the rear of Nos. 42-56, which had been offered for sale for public open space purposes, and a London Development Plan for this area was drawn up. An old brick and slate coach house used as living accommodation was subject to a demolition order made by the Public Health Committee, the Council required to re-house its tenants. The land was acquired in 1960 except for that at the rear of No. 56, which was purchased in December 1963. In the Council Minutes of 1960-61 the area for proposed purchase extended to all the land at the rear of Nos. 26-56, and by this time No.40 had been ‘laid out as a small amenity garden until required for its final use as an access to the larger part and further section being purchased’. This larger section, which contained the piggery and a slaughterhouse, a car breaker’s yard and a haulage contractors' yard, had been offered to the Council for acquisition. In June 1961 purchase of land including garages at the rear of Nos. 38/40 was being negotiated and in May 1962 was purchased for £1,750. A tender for demolition and clearance work was accepted, the building behind No. 32 the only built structure to remain.

The General Purposes Committee Borough Surveyor's Report of 18 September 1963 showed a proposed layout for the new park that provided gardens and playing areas for young children and teenagers, including a netball pitch and a 5-a-side football pitch, together with the reconstruction of one of the dilapidated buildings ‘to provide public lavatories, an open shelter, accommodation for staff, a small store and kiosk’. It was also proposed that land adjoining the river would be fenced off and ‘laid out as a separate proposition’. In the event agreement was only given for the gardens and a playground for small children. An amended plan of 13 November 1963 was drawn up with shrubberies, seats with views towards the river, a lawn, playground for small children, an aviary and adaptation of existing buildings for public lavatories, a store, kiosk, a mess room, accommodation for gardeners and a shelter. In April 1964 the site at the rear of Nos. 24/54 was being used by caravans, which was being discouraged while ‘taking into account the domestic circumstances of the occupants of such caravans’. Eventually the Minutes of 10 February 1965 recommended approval of the tender for the layout of the park from Norman Hill Plant Hire, at a cost of £36,052 8s 6d.

Manor Park opened in 1966 laid out with shrubberies, formal beds and rose gardens. A straight paved path bordered by mature trees and with grass and beds to the right, led from the entrance down the left of what had been No. 40 Manor Park, running next to the pre-existing access lane between Nos. 40 and 42. The path reached an ornamental circular pond, 8 foot in diameter, which had surrounding beds and benches. To the south of this a grassed area had been planted with trees through which a curving path meandered, bordered on two sides by the River Quaggy on whose banks were mature trees, although this was substantially fenced off. North of the pond was further lawn and beds before reaching the aviary and a pets’ corner with rabbits, guinea pigs and other animals. This amenity was described in LB Lewisham's brochure of the early 1970s, 'The Parks of Lewisham', as the park’s main attraction, a reference also made to the tea house topped with an interesting antique clock and weathervane. This structure was the remaining building behind No. 32 Manor Park. Beyond this to the north was a children’s playground. The park was shaded by mature trees in adjoining back gardens, some having tall sycamore and horse chestnut trees, and there was a fine walnut in the adjacent garden to the park main entrance. The park seems to have been a popular amenity in its early years but in the early 1990s a fire destroyed the pets' corner and all but the walls of the building, and by now the pond had dried up.

Flooding had always been a problem along the River Quaggy, which in the past had been tackled by attempting to contain the river in concrete channelling. A new approach was taken in a Quaggy River Flood Alleviation Scheme proposed by the Environment Agency working with Lewisham's Mayor and Council and local groups such as the Quaggy Waterways Action Group. This proposed creating environmentally-friendly flood defences and a more natural river, and the scheme, which was completed in 2007, focused on 4.3 kilometres of the river between Sutcliffe Park (q.v.) and Lewisham Town Centre. As well as work on the river, the adjacent parks, which included Manor Park, were renovated in an environmentally-sensitive manner.

Renovating Manor Park on these principles involved creating gravel garden beds with drought-tolerant plants by the two park entrances; the pond and surrounding area became a wildflower meadow with a sculpture situated where the pond had once been. Japanese Knotweed had been a problem in the park and approximately 1500 m³ was buried in a sealed containment cell under the wildflower meadow and sculpture. A wetland area was created to the south. In the brick walls of the Quaggy defences gaps were created for bird and plant use. The design of the park was by the Halcrow Group; a Nature Conservation Plan for Manor Park was produced in 2009 to identify all areas of natural interest. The Quaggy River Flood Alleviation Scheme won the Natural Environmental Category in the 2007 Waterways Renaissance Awards from BURA and the Waterways Trust, and a Living Wetlands Award run by RSPB and Chartered Institution of Water and Environments Management (CIWEM). The park has Mediterranean style gardens, wildflower meadow, wetland area by the Quaggy River, new pond, riverside woodland and children's play area.