Description
This was a landfill site for many years until the mid-1960s, when it was levelled, seeded and fenced. In 1999 the Friends of Muswell Hill Playing Fields was set up to counter a bid to develop the site as a golf course. The playing fields provide sports pitches, playgrounds, a skatepark and other facilities. In 2012 Muswell Hill Playing Fields was granted special status as a Queen Elizabeth II Field, giving protection from development in perpetuity.
Practical Information
| Site location | Barrenger Road, Marriot Road, Osier Crescent, Gilson Place, off Coppetts Road, plus access via Coldfall Wood |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N10 1QZ |
| What3Words | ///most.leave.brains |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Haringey |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | 6 sports pitches, 3 playgrounds, multi-use games area, skateboard park. MUGA also available for hire in evenings (Call Fusion Lifestyle on 020 8881 2323) |
| Public Transport | Tube: East Finchley (Northern) then bus |
| Research Updated | 30 May 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The playing fields are located just north of Coldfall Wood (q.v.) on the north eastern boundary of the borough, close to the A406 North Circular Road. In the 1950s and 60s this was a landfill site that extended from Coldfall Wood almost to the North Circular Road. In the mid-1960s the land was levelled, seeded and fenced. In 2012 the site was granted special status as a Queen Elizabeth II Field, which gives protection from development so that it remains as public playing fields in perpetuity.
The playing fields have 6 usable grass soccer pitches, plus a further pitch that is subject to flooding and one separate space that is historically a cricket pitch. There are three playgrounds: a fenced-in junior playground, a youth playground, and a natural play area that includes fallen trees, logs, grass mounds and boulders. A fenced multi-use games area (MUGA) provides a hard surface games and training area, which is floodlit at night, as are the hard surfaced paths leading up to it. The MUGA is available for hire in the evenings with free public use at all other times or where there are no evening bookings.
The skateboard park is designed as a street plaza, the first of its kind in London.
The playing fields have 6 usable grass soccer pitches, plus a further pitch that is subject to flooding and one separate space that is historically a cricket pitch. There are three playgrounds: a fenced-in junior playground, a youth playground, and a natural play area that includes fallen trees, logs, grass mounds and boulders. A fenced multi-use games area (MUGA) provides a hard surface games and training area, which is floodlit at night, as are the hard surfaced paths leading up to it. The MUGA is available for hire in the evenings with free public use at all other times or where there are no evening bookings.
The skateboard park is designed as a street plaza, the first of its kind in London.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ276907 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 10 |
| Site Ownership | LB Haringey |
| Site Management | Parks Service; Friends of Coldfall Wood and Muswell Hill Playing Fields |
| Dates | 1960s |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Haringey |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
This was the first publicly owned cemetery in London, and was established after the 1852 Metropolitan Interment Act when the St Pancras Burial Board bought over 35 hectares of Horse Shoe Farm on Finchley Common. The railings, gates and northern pair of gatehouses remain of the original buildings, as does the Anglican chapel erected in 1853 by the parishes of St Pancras and St Mary Islington. A further c.38 hectares were added in 1877 for Islington, and in 1896 an Anglican Chapel was built for St Mary Islington. The Crematorium was built in 1937. The large rambling site is bisected by many avenues, and has many fine trees including lime, cedar, monkey puzzle and cypress. There are many fine monuments, including the Mond Mausoleum.
This was the first publicly owned cemetery in London, and was established after the 1852 Metropolitan Interment Act when the St Pancras Burial Board bought over 35 hectares of Horse Shoe Farm on Finchley Common. The railings, gates and northern pair of gatehouses remain of the original buildings, as does the Anglican chapel erected in 1853 by the parishes of St Pancras and St Mary Islington. A further c.38 hectares were added in 1877 for Islington, and in 1896 an Anglican Chapel was built for St Mary Islington. The Crematorium was built in 1937. The large rambling site is bisected by many avenues, and has many fine trees including lime, cedar, monkey puzzle and cypress. There are many fine monuments, including the Mond Mausoleum.
Coldfall Wood is a remnant of ancient woodland, largely oak and hornbeam, which covered over twice its current size until the early C20th. Part of the wood was then felled, used for gravel excavation, and later built over for housing. Hornsey Council purchased the remnant of Coldfall Wood in 1930 for public recreation, and at one time a keeper of the wood was employed. A number of streams run through the wood. Coppicing, which had been practiced until the 1930s, was recommenced in 2006. Coldfall Wood was declared a local nature reserve in 2013.
Coppett's Wood was once part of an extensive area of woodland owned by the Bishop of London, which later became known as Finchley Common. The name comes from 'Coppits Farm', created when an area of woodland was cleared in the C16th. The common was enclosed in 1811. In the C19th, as the area was developing, a sewage works was constructed next to Coppett's Wood on the area now called Scrublands. In 1900 the local council had purchased the wood, installing a sludge digester there. The wood was used for military training and gas mask testing in WWII. The sewage works closed in 1963 and the sludge digester was demolished in 1988; Coppett's Wood Conservationists were formed in 1983 and in 1997 the site was designated a Local Nature Reserve.
