Description
Roxeth Recreation Ground dates from the early C20th. Its name recalls the medieval manor and hamlet of Roxeth, which was rural until housing development began to take place in the early C20th. By 1914 some houses had been built to the west but much of the surrounding area remained undeveloped until the 1940/50s and even today there is much open land.
Practical Information
| Site location | Kingsley Road/Eastcote Road, South Harrow |
|---|---|
| Postcode | HA2 |
| What3Words | ///lamps.pulled.sling |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Harrow |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | main gates to car park 7.30am - dusk, otherwise unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's play area, football pitches, cricket square, tennis court, multi-use court, basketball practice goal, car park. Bowling green (Roxeth Bowling Club) |
| Public Transport | Tube: South Harrow (Piccadilly). Bus: 114, 140, 398, 487, H10, H12 |
| Research Updated | 1 January 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The name Roxeth derives from 'Hroces Seath' which in Old English may mean a lake or spring where rooks drink, or perhaps a lake belonging to a family called Hroc. The hamlet was within the parish of Harrow on the Hill and first mentioned in 845 AD when monks from Christ Church in Canterbury drained land here. The old medieval manor of Roxeth had connections with King Stephen, and until the late C19th Roxeth was a predominantly agricultural area. Housing development was encouraged by the arrival of the new railway links. The Metropolitan District Railway opened South Harrow Station in 1903 as the terminus of its new extension from Park Royal and Twyford Abbey and in 1926 South Harrow and Roxeth Station opened on the Marylebone to High Wycombe railway line, renamed Northolt Park Station in 1929. When the station here was named South Harrow, Roxeth lost its individual identity. The recreation ground remains sandwiched between two railway lines. By the 1950s a bowling green and tennis courts had been provided, the former used by Roxeth Bowls Club. There is some planting of conifers near the toilet block and car park, but the park is otherwise largely playing fields, with perimeter paths, although ornamental gates remain at the entrance.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ143860 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.88 |
| Site Ownership | LB Harrow |
| Site Management | Environmental Services, Parks Services |
| Dates | early C20th |
| 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 | Harrow |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| 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
Alexandra Park was opened as a public park in 1928, laid out on land conveyed to the Harrow-on-the-Hill UDC by executors of Cllr A B Champniss. It was formerly part of the Paddocks Pleasure Grounds recreated in 1912 from Grove Farm. The park has a simple layout of curving paths, with some shrubbery planting along Alexandra Avenue, and a recent Millennium Garden. Most of the trees are mid-C20th and later, although a group of hollies may previously have backed a building.
Eastcote Lane Cemetery was established by Roxeth Burial Board and opened in 1922. It later transferred to Harrow UDC when the Burial Board disbanded. Now surrounded by suburban housing, the small cemetery has modest headstones set among the grass with trees predominantly along the Eastcote Lane boundary. At the entrance are rustic wooden gates and a picturesque red brick lodge with small turret. Around the lodge a number of palm trees and conifers have been planted. A central tarmac path runs from the entrance, crossed partway along its length by another path, the circular junction surrounded by 4 trees.
Roxeth was a small hamlet that was formerly part of the parish of Harrow on the Hill until the new parish was formed in 1863, and Christ Church was built to serve the growing population. There was a burial ground here by 1873, which was open for burials until at least 1942. Adjacent to the wooded churchyard and contiguous with it is Roxeth Hill Burial Ground, which was established by Roxeth Burial Board in 1902.