Description
Where Mansfield Park is situated used to be communal grazing and hay-cropping land, the name Mansfield deriving from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning land held in common. The park is entered at the brow of Mansfield Hill through ornamental iron gates, the design incorporating the park's name and two leaping deer. It opens onto a grassed area with a number of trees planted either side of a central path, which leads through a gateway to the rolling hillside beyond. The park has fine views across William Girling Reservoir.
Practical Information
| Site location | Mansfield Hill |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E4 |
| What3Words | ///firm.views.oasis |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - half hour before sunset |
| Public Transport | Tube: Walthamstow Central (Victoria). Rail: Walthamstow Central; Chingford then bus. Bus: 97, 215 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2020 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Mansfield Park comprises two distinct areas. The formal area at the top of the hill has grassed area with planting of conifers/shrubs and seating either side of a wide central path that leads to railings and gateway, beyond which the wide expanse of open grassland slopes down towards the Reservoir. This unlandscaped area is traversed by some paths and around the perimeter are wooded areas.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ375939 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 9.15 |
| Site Ownership | LB Waltham Forest |
| Site Management | Urbaser Ltd as part of the Street Care and Associated Services contract with LB Waltham Forest |
| Dates | 1920s |
| 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 | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Ridgeway Park is an irregularly shaped site between residential streets, the northern section having tennis courts and park keeper's hut of c.1930s, and open grassland beyond. In the southern section is a very fine miniature railway with an enclosed, landscaped stretch of track erected in the late 1940s by the Chingford Model Engineering Club. Walt Disney, a keen miniature railway enthusiast, visited the railway in c.1954. From 1946 to 1970 the park was the venue for the annual Chingford Day, first held at the instigation of the Chingford Horticultural Society.
All Saints Church was formerly Chingford parish church, erected on a site of worship probably in use since Norman times. By 1710 its name had been changed to St Peter and St Paul, but it ceased to be used when it became structurally unsafe and a new parish church was built on Chingford Green. By the early C20th the old church had become derelict, known as ‘The Green Church’ due to its dense ivy-cladding, and an inspiration to artists. When new housing was built in the area, the church was re-built in 1928 and once more took its old name of All Saints. It has a small churchyard.
Chingford Mount Cemetery was set up by the non-conformist Abney Park Cemetery Company in 1884 when its cemetery in Hackney had become congested. The site purchased was Caroline's Mount or the Mount Caroline Estate, so-called after the wife of the land owner. In 1975 new owners wished to build housing on part of the unused land but this proposal was opposed and the cemetery subsequently became neglected and its chapel and lodges vandalised. In 1977 it was acquired by LB Waltham Forest. The gates at the western main entrance survive from the C19th layout, with a short avenue lined by mature London plane trees, and the cemetery is densely planted with mature trees.
