Description
Plough Green is common land, owned by the Warden and Scholars of Merton College, University of Oxford, which also continues to own or part-own Malden Green, Back Green and Rushett Common. Plough Green within the old village of Malden is named after the Plough Inn, which has been here from the C15th and which tradition has it was where Dick Turpin once hid. Plough Pond was one of the three ponds that were once in Malden, situated along Church Road. The Green consists of grass with a few trees, and maintains a semblance of a village atmosphere despite the busy Malden Road. Near the Green are a number of C19th cottages.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Malden Pond; Old Malden Pond |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Road/Malden Road |
| Postcode | KT4 |
| What3Words | ///prices.value.pepper |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Malden Manor |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ216666 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Warden and Scholars of Merton College, University of Oxford |
| Site Management | RB Kingston, Parks and Horticultural Services |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Plough Inn |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Common (CL54) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Old Malden Plough Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance (pond) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Significance |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Space (Urban Green 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
The borough boundary between RB Kingston and LB Sutton cuts north-south across the park, which is a remnant of commonland, the boundaries of which have not changed for at least 150 years. It was shown on a Tithe Map of 1839 as Back Green and prior to the building of the railway in the 1850s it used to be linked to the main area of Lower Green, which is now the main road through Worcester Park. Upper Green was located near the junction of Malden Road and Church Road. Nearby is a further remnant of commonland, Malden Green, which remains as a strip of grass by the main road with Lombardy poplars, but otherwise has disappeared.
There has been a church here since medieval times. The medieval flintwork chancel remains although in the early C17th St John the Baptist was rebuilt at the expense of the Lord of the Manor, John Goode (d.1627), to whom a tablet was erected in the chancel. In 1875 a new nave and chancel were built by T G Jackson. The churchyard has a lych gate at the entrance beside which is a war memorial. There are a number of grand tombs and churchyard trees include willow and ash.
This is a small remnant of Malden Common, which until the C20th extended to the east and is now built over by housing. Malden was renamed Old Malden when the station at New Malden opened in 1846 to the north. Malden comes from Mael-dun which meant 'a cross on the hill' in Anglo Saxon, and a church has been here since medieval times. Now renamed Leyfield Open Space, the remnant of the Common has grassland, scrub that is largely hawthorn, and woodland including oak trees to the north and a few Scots pine in the centre. A path runs through the site, which has fine views and to the north it reaches Old Malden church of St John.