Description
Rickman Hill Recreation Ground was formerly an old field with a small woodland, Mother Kitty's Shaw, in the north-east corner. Much of this area was once owned by the Carew family, who had held land at Hartley since the C14th. Later Henry VIII granted the Manor of Coulsdon to Sir Nicholas Carew of Beddington, whose father Sir Richard Carew had bequeathed land at Ruckkenhams, or Rickham Hill, to his widow. The site was purchased in 1927 by Coulsdon & Purley UDC for use as a recreation ground.
Practical Information
| Site location | Rickman Hill, Coulsdon |
|---|---|
| Postcode | CR5 3DU |
| What3Words | ///manliness.crush.payer |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am Mon-Fri/9am weekends - dusk |
| Facilities | Sports ground, football pitches, tennis and basketball courts, children's playgrond, toilets in changing rooms. |
| Public Transport | Rail: Woodmansterne. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Rickman Hill Recreation Ground is on the site of an old field with a small woodland, Mother Kitty's Shaw, in the north-east corner. Much of this area was once owned by the Carew family, who had held land at Hartley since the C14th. In the time of Henry VIII Sir Richard Carew bequeathed land at Ruckkenhams, or Rickham Hill, to his widow and his son Sir Nicholas Carew of Beddington was granted the Manor of Coulsdon after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537. Although Sir Nicholas lost the King's favour, his family held Coulsdon until 1670. The ground was purchased in 1927 by Coulsdon and Purley UDC for use as a recreation ground.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ286586 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.68 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1927 |
| 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 | Croydon |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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 1st edition OS 1867 shows the site of Corrigan Avenue Recreation Ground as part of open land (field systems) to the south of the wooded area, Ruffet Wood and Big Wood. The park is a grassed area with well wooded boundaries of mature and semi-mature trees. Additional clumps of trees are in the grassed area.
Chaldon Way Gardens is a small ornamental garden opposite Coulsdon Memorial Ground. The site was given for a public garden to Coulsdon UDC in the 1930s by Fairdean Heights Ltd, the developer of the surrounding housing. An agreement was drawn up that enabled the Council to use 'such earth, turf, sub-soil, flowers and shrubs as can be removed from the Company's Fairdean Heights Estate'. As a result an ornamental garden was laid out with lawns, shrub beds and annual bedding displays, and with a a small shelter at one end.
Coulsdon Memorial Ground was opened in 1921 as a public recreation ground, dedicated to Coulsdon men who fell in WWI. The war memorial is situated at the top of the site and takes the form of a portico with an inscription on the rear wall. A plaque was later added to commemorate those who died in WWII. The land had originally been part of Edmund Byron's Coulsdon Estate and was purchased by Coulsdon and Purley UDC in 1920, partly by public subscription. By 1940 recreational facilities included tennis courts, bowling green, putting green and toilets.