Description
The recreation ground is named after Sir Francis Barker (d.1922) who had lived at Burnt Stub, a mansion house built between 1906-1911, and he later lived at Barwell Court to the west of the Recreation Ground. Barker gave land for the recreation ground on Leatherhead Road and for relaunching Chessington Cricket Club in 1919, which still has its home here. The recreation ground is largely grassed with some planting of hedges and conifers as boundaries to sports facilities and is bounded by housing to the north with open landscape rising to Winey Hill to the west. The playground was refurbished in 2004 and in 2021 new facilities were added.
Practical Information
| Site location | Leatherhead Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | KT9 2NB |
| What3Words | ///slowly.scar.cloak |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's playground, cricket, football pitches, tennis courts |
| Public Transport | Rail: Chessington South. Bus: 465, 467, K4 |
| Research Updated | 13 February 2023 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The earliest record of the Barker family is that of William Barker, who was baptised in 1510 at the village of Claverly, Shropshire. Francis Barker's great-grandfather was William Barker (1738-1825), known as William Barker of Smyrna, who at the age of 21 went to Smyrna (now Izmir), second city of Turkey. He became a Turkey Merchant, having paid the fee that gave him entry to the Levant Company, which had been established by the English Crown in 1581 in order to promote trade with the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. This branch of the Barker family remained in the Middle East, Francis's parents, Alfred James Frederick and Evelina Julia Charnaud eventually returning to England in 1895.
Sir Francis Barker is described as 'one of the foremost international traders of the period' (Davison) and built strong links with Russia, helping Russian refugees including Prince Vladimir Galitzine who came to live at Chessington Hall. He was a director of Vickers Ltd. and a chairman of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. He married Aimee Grace Vere de Vere who was known as ‘Lady Barker’, and lived at Burnt Stub, a mansion that later became the site of Chessington Zoo. In 1919 he gave land for the recreation ground on Leatherhead Road that became the home of Chessington Cricket Club. The Recreation Ground is leased to the Sir Francis Barker Management Committee who manages the land on the Council’s behalf.
Through Kingston's Community Parks Programme improvements and new facilities were completed in the children's play area in 2021, following community consultation in 2020. These have provided for toddler multi-play, trampolining and a new climbing frame.
Sir Francis Barker is described as 'one of the foremost international traders of the period' (Davison) and built strong links with Russia, helping Russian refugees including Prince Vladimir Galitzine who came to live at Chessington Hall. He was a director of Vickers Ltd. and a chairman of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. He married Aimee Grace Vere de Vere who was known as ‘Lady Barker’, and lived at Burnt Stub, a mansion that later became the site of Chessington Zoo. In 1919 he gave land for the recreation ground on Leatherhead Road that became the home of Chessington Cricket Club. The Recreation Ground is leased to the Sir Francis Barker Management Committee who manages the land on the Council’s behalf.
Through Kingston's Community Parks Programme improvements and new facilities were completed in the children's play area in 2021, following community consultation in 2020. These have provided for toddler multi-play, trampolining and a new climbing frame.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ175630 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 7.221 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Sir Francis Barker Management Committee |
| 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 | Kingston |
| 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
Winey Hill is a pleasant grassy hilltop located in the south of the borough that includes scattered trees, horse-grazed pastures, dense scrub, a large stock pond and some old boundary hedgerows, where several nationally declining birds breed. In 1937 Alderman Clement Hugh Bridge of Chessington Grange in Garrison Lane negotiated with Lady Barker of Barwell Court to enable Surbiton Borough Council to purchase Winey Hill, which was within her Barwell Court Estate, as permanent open space. As a result c.10 hectares were acquired for £5,000 in September of that year. The hill has fine views from the top, at 75 m above sea level. Here a viewpoint has been erected that indicates what can be seen in all directions, from Canary Wharf 17 miles to the north-east and Guildford 13 miles to the south-west to more local sites such as Horton Country Park 1.5 miles to the south east and St Matthew's Church 2.5 miles to the north.
The Grapsome is the remains of ancient woodland managed as coppice wood with standards, now a small copse on the western boundary of the borough. The site was eroded when the Esher By-pass was built in 1974/5. The area was previously known as Graplingeham, probably so-called after an early owner and is thought to be a moated manor from before the Norman Conquest. By the C19th it is marked as woodland called The Grapsome on the first OS map of 1865.
St Mary the Virgin was the medieval church of the village of Chessington, although there may have been an earlier church on the site. Parts of the current building date from the C13th, with later additions and restoration taking place in ensuring centuries. The churchyard has gravestones among grass, and is hedged to the road, with a gate and overthrow erected in memory of Gertrude Field in 1980. Trees include a number of large evergreens and two yews. In the mid C19th access to the church was via footpaths and lanes, but it is now surrounded by a C20th housing estate.