Description
Millfields Park is former Lammas land in the Manor of Hackney, the name arising from a C14th corn mill on the river Lee/Lea in use until the late C18th. A second mill was built in 1443 at which time the names North Mill Field and South Mill Field came into use. They comprised strips held by tenants of the Manor until at least the mid C18th. The Millfields were saved from development following a petition to preserve 180 acres of common land in Hackney for public use. Millfields Recreation Grounds were laid out and opened in 1884, the LCC having acquired 23.25 acres of Mill Field North and 34.25 acres of Mill Field South. There was a sports stadium in the park from 1894-1913, but this was demolished in 1980 when Millfields Estate was built.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | North Millfields and South Millfields; South Millfields; North and South Millfields Recreation Grounds |
|---|---|
| Site location | Leabridge Road/Chatsworth Road |
| Postcode | E5 0AR |
| What3Words | ///unfair.facing.sleeps |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Play area (north area); tennis courts, football pitch (south area), cricket pitch, basketball, trim trail, athletics track (seasonal). |
| Events | Various |
| Public Transport | Rail: Clapton. Bus: 38. 48. 55, 56, 242, 253, 254, 393, S2 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Now known as Millfields Park, the former Millfields Recreation Grounds were previously Lammas land, which was laid out as a park in C19th and opened to the public in 1884, the LCC having acquired 23.25 acres of Mill Field North and 34.25 acres of Mill Field South. There have been various archaeological finds in the park. The land here became known as the Mill Field after a famous corn mill on the river Lee/Lea built in 1381 that ground corn and flour for the country and London until the end of the C18th. A second mill was built in 1443 at which time the names North Mill Field and South Mill Field came into use. Lea Bridge Road, formerly Mill Lane, was known as Mill Field Lane from the 1580s until the Lea Valley Bridge was built in 1745, when the road was given its present name. The area was developed in the C18th and C19th with the advent of the railways, Clapton Station opening in 1872 and Chatsworth Road cutting the Mill Fields into 3 sections in the late 1860s.
The Mill Fields were divided into strips and held by tenants of the Manor of Hackney until at least the mid C18th, and later were saved from development as a result of a successful petition to enclose and conserve 180 acres of common land in Hackney for public use, and acquired under the Metropolitan Commons Supplemental Act 1872. Common rights were extinguished by an Act of Parliament 1884. There was a sports stadium in the park in 1894 to 1913, but this was demolished in 1980 when Millfields Estate was built. During WWII crops were grown here. Various sports facilities were proposed over the years, such as a gymnasium, refreshment kiosk and paddling pool for North Millfields in 1937/38, and dressing room accommodation and tennis courts in the 1930s in South Millfields. The open character of the park is framed by avenues of mature London plane and elm trees. The Lea Navigation borders the park and links it to Springfield Park (q.v.) to the north and Hackney Marshes (q.v.) to the south. In time there will also be links to the Olympic Park to the south of the park.
The park today consists of three areas of flat green open space either side of Lea Bridge Road, the south area bisected by Chatsworth Road, which are largely grassed with mature perimeter trees such as London plane, and traversed by paths, some of which are flanked by avenues of trees. A small area of ornamental garden with seats is fenced off, and a children's playground is in North Millfields Recreation Ground. There are railings around most of the spaces.
In 2010 National Grid undertook a consultation to explore the possibility of a new access route to the Millfields Substation through Millfields Park and the results are awaited. Biodiversity improvements are due to be implemented in the park.
The Mill Fields were divided into strips and held by tenants of the Manor of Hackney until at least the mid C18th, and later were saved from development as a result of a successful petition to enclose and conserve 180 acres of common land in Hackney for public use, and acquired under the Metropolitan Commons Supplemental Act 1872. Common rights were extinguished by an Act of Parliament 1884. There was a sports stadium in the park in 1894 to 1913, but this was demolished in 1980 when Millfields Estate was built. During WWII crops were grown here. Various sports facilities were proposed over the years, such as a gymnasium, refreshment kiosk and paddling pool for North Millfields in 1937/38, and dressing room accommodation and tennis courts in the 1930s in South Millfields. The open character of the park is framed by avenues of mature London plane and elm trees. The Lea Navigation borders the park and links it to Springfield Park (q.v.) to the north and Hackney Marshes (q.v.) to the south. In time there will also be links to the Olympic Park to the south of the park.
The park today consists of three areas of flat green open space either side of Lea Bridge Road, the south area bisected by Chatsworth Road, which are largely grassed with mature perimeter trees such as London plane, and traversed by paths, some of which are flanked by avenues of trees. A small area of ornamental garden with seats is fenced off, and a children's playground is in North Millfields Recreation Ground. There are railings around most of the spaces.
In 2010 National Grid undertook a consultation to explore the possibility of a new access route to the Millfields Substation through Millfields Park and the results are awaited. Biodiversity improvements are due to be implemented in the park.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ353865/TQ356864 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Hackney (part registered under the Land Registration Acts) |
| Site Management | Hackney Parks Service; Millfields User Group |
| Dates | 1884 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Common (CL21 & CL22) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hackney |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Landscape Character |
| Other LA Designation | Green Link; 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
Clapton Pond today consists of two small enclosures divided by Newick Road, the south side laid out with a bridged pond purportedly dug in the C17th. The pond, once the heart of the village of Clapton, was used as a reservoir for water supplied to the village in the early C18th and then between 1760-1833, the water brought via pipes from the River Lee. In 1898 Hackney District Board acquired Clapton Pond for public gardens. They were re-landscaped in 1977-79 retaining the bridge and most of the trees including a number of semi-mature Willows, the gardens particularly replanted with shrubs.
The Middlesex Filter Beds are important for their industrial heritage as well as for nature conservation. The 6 filter beds were constructed by East London Waterworks Co. in 1852/3 in order to provide safe water to the surrounding area. By 1969 more up-to-date facilities were needed and the filter beds here ceased to be used, becoming overgrown but a haven for wildlife. In 1988 Thames Water, which now owned the site, leased it to Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and it was opened as Middlesex Filter Beds Nature Reserve. Two sculptures were specially commissioned, Kate Malone's 'Rise and Shine Magic Fish' and Paula Haughney's 'Nature's Throne'.
Walthamstow Marshes, now designated a Nature Reserve, is one of the last surviving examples of natural marshland in the London area and still exhibits subtle signs of the post-glacial landscape and of the ancient Lammas lands system of management, under which the marsh was used for the common grazing of cattle, hence its historical name of Walthamstow Common Marsh. From spring to late summer the Marsh was left to grow and cut for hay according to a system of plots. Grazing ceased in 1934, but was re-introduced in 2003. Hay continued to be cut from parts of the marsh in late summer to help maintain its diversity of plants and animals. The site comprises a number of areas, including North Marsh, South Marsh and Leyton Marsh, with some areas, such as Lammas Meadow, Coppermill Fields and Bomb Crater Pond, named to recall its past history.
