Description
This area remained agricultural land well into the C20th. Spring Cottages are marked on C19th maps with much of the surrounding area, including the future site of Spring Farm Park, shown as fields. It is first marked as a recreation ground on the 1939 OS, following the footprint of the old field to a great extent, while having lost land along the eastern edge. It appears to have been simply laid out, with perimeter trees, few paths and a pavilion. During WWII the land was used for food production but in 1946 it was reinstated as a public park. From 1948 onwards recreational facilities were provided, including tennis courts, a paddling pool and putting green, and a water garden in 1953, apparently much appreciated by elderly visitors.
Practical Information
| Site location | MacLennan Avenue, Lambs Lane, Rainham |
|---|---|
| Postcode | RM13 |
| What3Words | ///hungry.stage.towers |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | closed at dusk |
| Facilities | Car park, playground, football, tennis; cricket club |
| Public Transport | Rail: Rainham. Bus: 165, 287 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This area remained agricultural land well into the C20th. Spring Cottages are marked on C19th maps (OS 1867) with much of the surrounding area shown as fields, including the site of Spring Farm Park. It is first marked as a recreation ground on the 1939 OS, following the footprint of the old field to a great extent, while having lost land along the eastern edge. The OS Map of 1938 showed some house-building in the area, mainly ribbon development along Upminster Road and with Maclennan and Oreston Avenues marked, but fields to the south. The recreation ground had paths laid out leading from the Lambs Lane entrance in the north west corner along the south perimeter as far as a pavilion, and another path along the north perimeter as far as another small built structure. Trees are shown surrounding the park perimeter. During WWII the land here was used for food production but in 1946 it was reinstated as a public park.
In 1948 two tennis courts, a paddling pool and putting green were provided, the latter near the Lambs Lane entrance, with new paths laid out, 2 more tennis courts and playground equipment added between 1950 -1952. The entrance gates on MacLennan Avenue were installed by 1953 and a water garden was created in the south by 1954, described in the Superintendent of Parks and Cemeteries' Report of 1961 as 'a very attractive feature and is much appreciated by the old people who spend leisure hours on the seats provided here'. By 1960 the park was enclosed with fencing and extensive improvements had been carried out to its recreational facilities. The timber cricket pavilion that had burnt down in 1959 was replaced by a new one in 1961. By 1970, a line of Lombardy poplars and a shrubbery had been planted along the park's south west boundary to act as a windbreak. The park is adjacent to Rainham Jewish Cemetery (q.v.) on its eastern boundary.
In 1948 two tennis courts, a paddling pool and putting green were provided, the latter near the Lambs Lane entrance, with new paths laid out, 2 more tennis courts and playground equipment added between 1950 -1952. The entrance gates on MacLennan Avenue were installed by 1953 and a water garden was created in the south by 1954, described in the Superintendent of Parks and Cemeteries' Report of 1961 as 'a very attractive feature and is much appreciated by the old people who spend leisure hours on the seats provided here'. By 1960 the park was enclosed with fencing and extensive improvements had been carried out to its recreational facilities. The timber cricket pavilion that had burnt down in 1959 was replaced by a new one in 1961. By 1970, a line of Lombardy poplars and a shrubbery had been planted along the park's south west boundary to act as a windbreak. The park is adjacent to Rainham Jewish Cemetery (q.v.) on its eastern boundary.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ537825 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 6.4 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1930s |
| 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 | Havering |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Chase Community Forest |
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
Rainham Cemetery was opened in 1902, the first burial taking place in that year. There is a small cemetery chapel with a glass screen, railings. Even in the 1920s the surrounding area was entirely undeveloped and the cemetery was surrounded by fields. Upminster Road North, however, is marked as a route on earlier maps.
This area of Rainham was still largely fields in the 1930s when the Federation of Synagogues established its Jewish Cemetery here in 1938, although the routes of both Upminster Road and Launders Lane were marked on earlier maps. The Federation had been set up in 1887, largely at the instigation of Samuel Montagu, wealthy banker, Liberal MP and philanthropist. By 1939 the cemetery was laid out with colonnaded prayer building and hall, approached by a drive from the main entrance on Upminster Road with a further drive from an entrance to the west. The area to the east was the first to be used for burial, laid out in a grid pattern of paths. Even into the C21st part of the land has remained rural in aspect.
Abbey Wood Open Space is an area of grassland and woods, so called for being in the ownership of Barking Abbey in medieval times. There was once a path from the Parsonage continuing by the Ingrebourne River to Abbey Wood, across Berwick Ponds, ending at Abbey Cottages. Reputedly in one of the plague years bodies were brought upriver by barge from Barking Abbey along the Thames to the Abbey lands and dumped in the marshes.