No. 28 Albany Park Road

The origins of the Thames Path date from the 1750s onwards as the riverside towpath established by the Thames Commissioners when the Thames was an important trade route to London. In the C20th leisure use replaced trade and much of the old towpath is now the Thames Path, a national trail that opened in 1996 following the river from its source in the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier. It represents important open space in the boroughs through which it passes.

The creation of a public garden here was first proposed by Samuel Gray, who was then elected to the local council and work began in 1889. The first section was completed in 1890 and continued in stages during the 1890s and early 1900s. A bandstand was erected in 1891, donated by a former Mayor of Kingston, and Canbury Gardens became one of the most popular amenities in the town with weekly concerts and beautiful planting displays. By 1933 a pavilion, second bowling green and further tennis grounds were added, infilling the remaining areas of land bordering the Corporation Depot and sewage works, and this remains the extent of the gardens today.

Normansfield Hospital was founded in 1868 by Dr John Haydon Langdon-Down who converted a private house as a private hospital for subnormal patients. He identified and pioneered treatment for the condition later named Down's Syndrome after him. Believing in the educational value of music and drama as part of their care, an amusement hall was built in 1877. Other therapeutic activities included art and craft workshops and farming, and amenities in the grounds included an orchard and gardens. The hospital transferred to the NHS in the 1950s, later became a day centre for the mentally handicapped, but closed in 2000. The remains of the landscaped grounds contained many fine trees although much of the land had been built over and after closure the site became neglected. In 2008 planning permission was given for its redevelopment as Gabriella Park Gardens, a private housing scheme of 89 dwellings. The Normansfield Theatre, refurbished through a Section 106 agreement, has been opened as part of the Langdon Down Museum of Learning Disability.