Description
Stoneydown Park is called after Stoney Doun(s), the name of a large field in the locality. The park consists of two areas. The first to be provided as a public amenity was the ornamental gardens, then known as Stoneydown Gardens, which were opened in 1920. In 1955 Stoneydown Recreation Ground was created from former farmland. It was acclaimed at the time as Walthamstow's most up-to-date recreation ground and children's playground. It was laid out with numerous facilities for children of all ages, including a plot of land left in its natural state and an adventure section. A footpath was created to link it to Stoneydown Gardens, and the whole area then became known as Stoneydown Park.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Stoneydown Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Longfield Road/Pretoria Avenue/Blackhorse Road |
| Postcode | E17 |
| What3Words | ///zebra.dated.bright |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - half hour before sunset |
| Special Conditions | No cycling, dogs on leads |
| Facilities | Under 7s, Under 12s play areas, hard court ball area. Garden: disabled access |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Tube (Victoria): Blackhorse Road. Bus: 123, 158, 230 |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Stoneydown Park was on land that was originally part of a farm that in 1752 was valued at £134, a considerable amount at that time. The farm was then in the ownership of the Conyers Family who built the farmhouse, which was demolished in1936 by which time it had fallen into disrepair. Part of the farmhouse site was then built over for housing and part was appropriated as open space and in 1955 Stoneydown recreation ground was completed. The Friends of Stoneydown Park is run by local volunteers who work with Walthamstow Council’s Greenspace team.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ360892 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.04 |
| Site Ownership | LB Waltham Forest |
| Site Management | Urbaser Ltd as part of the Street Care and Associated Services contract with LB Waltham Forest; Friends of Stoneydown Park |
| Dates | 1920; 1950s |
| 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 | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| 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
St James Park is on part of the former lands of Low Hall Manor, which was sold to Walthamstow Council by the Lord of the Manor in 1877. It was opened as a public park in 1910 and consists of a rectangle of grass with a children’s playground. The mature lime trees around the perimeter and forming a central avenue were planted in c.1920. The park is adjacent to a number of other facilities to the south-west that were also part of Low Hall Manor: Cheshire Fields allotments, Low Hall Sports Ground, formerly marshlands used for pasture by the Manor, and Low Hall Wood Nature Conservation Area (0.65ha), which has been developed into a woodland nature area by local volunteers.
Walthamstow Wetlands is the site of the 10 reservoirs built in Walthamstow between 1863 and 1904 and now owned by Thames Water that continue to supply 3.5 million people in London with drinking water. It was opened as a nature reserve in October 2017, managed by London Wildlife Trust, in a project through a partnership between Thames Water, LB Waltham Forest and London Wildlife Trust. Funding to renovate the site was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Thames Water and LB Waltham Forest, with Greater London Authority contributing to create the 2km cycle path that runs through the site. The nature reserve includes a number of built structures that reflect its original industrial purpose, including the Coppermill Tower that has a viewing platform and the Engine House, now the Visitor Centre and Café. A unique 'swift tower' has been built, in the shape of the original chimney, to house nesting swifts and roosting bats.
Queen's Road Cemetery opened in October 1872 and is on a roughly rectangular site bought for £5,000 by the Walthamstow Burial Board, who then invited six architects to submit designs that were to include two chapels with an entrance lodge, fence and gates at a cost ‘not to exceed £2,250'. R.C. Sutton of Nottingham gained the contract and his buildings survive: two ragstone gothic chapels joined at a right-angle by a porte-cochère set at the centre of an axial layout, and an Inquest Room as an adjunct to the Lodge, which is still a Coroner's Court. The cemetery has a ragstone wall along its boundary with Queen's Road, topped with ornamental spiked railings. There is one mausoleum and some good C19th tombs closely spaced, with a few large holly trees and small flowering cherry trees flanking the long central avenue. The cemetery is now full, except for the re-opening of family plots.
