Description
The land here was owned by Magdalen College Oxford. In the early C20th Magdalen Park Estate was planned as a garden suburb here, designed by E P Warren. By WWI houses between Garratt Lane and Swaby Road, and part between Lyford Road and Ellerton Road had been built but the scheme was essentially truncated when Wandsworth Borough Council purchased land for the Openview Estate in the 1920s and for the Fieldview Estate in the 1930s. Swaby Road Recreation Ground was provided as a small rectangular public open space on the Openview Estate.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Swaby Road Open Space; Swaby Road Recreation Ground |
|---|---|
| Site location | Swaby Road/Leckford Road/Lidiard Road |
| Postcode | SW18 |
| What3Words | ///zest.tasty.stream |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | playground |
| Public Transport | Rail: Earlsfield |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2003 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In the 1920s Wandsworth Borough Council purchased the area between Swaby Road and Open View for the Openview Estate and in the 1930s the area between Fieldview and Ellerton Road for the Fieldview Estate. The Openview Estate was laid out with symmetrical groups of houses with Swaby Road Recreation Ground provided as a small rectangular public open space. Two streets, Lidiard and Leckford Roads, are at 45 degrees from the recreation ground providing longer roads than an orthodox street grid would. During the 1960s, both Swaby Gardens and Godley Gardens (q.v.) on the Fieldview Estate were locked due to vandalism, but later re-opened as public open space, with a playground installed here.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ263728 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.145 |
| Site Ownership | LB Wandsworth |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | 1922 |
| 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 | Wandsworth |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Magdalen Park Estate |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Incidental Public Open Space/Landscaped Open Space |
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 land here was owned by Magdalen College Oxford and in the early C20th developer E P Warren planned to build Magdalen Park Estate as a Garden Suburb here. By WWI houses between Garratt Lane and Swaby Road, and part between Lyford Road and Ellerton Road had been built but the scheme was essentially truncated when in the 1920s Wandsworth Borough Council purchased the area between Swaby Road and Open View for the Openview Estate, and in the 1930s the area between Fieldview and Ellerton Road for the Fieldview Estate. Between the two estates the playing fields were provided as a recreation facility for the use of estate residents. It is predominantly playing fields with the northern end used partly for allotments. The playing fields are bounded by railings with ornamental gates and brick gate piers, such as on Fieldview. .
In the early C20th a garden suburb had been planned here, to be named Magdalen Park Estate after landowners Magdalen College Oxford, but building came to a stop when WWI broke out. In the 1930s Wandsworth Borough Council purchased the area between Fieldview and Ellerton Road for the Fieldview Estate, which was designed on a grid of streets with wide footpaths, grass verges and street trees. Godley Gardens was laid out to provide public open space for the residents, a railed enclosure with grass, trees and shrubs, with a raised brick planter.
Garratt Green was previously within lands owned by the Manor of Wandsworth and was one of the last commons to come within the responsibility of the LCC. When the rest of Wandsworth Common was transferred to the public in 1871, Earl Spencer, Lord of the Manor, retained Garratt Green until November 1899 when it was transferred to the LCC subject to it being maintained for public use. Until 1796 the Green had long been the site of the election of a mock mayor of the hamlet of Garratt, whose duties were to protect the common rights of the Green. Garratt Green today is largely grass with trees and shrubbery around the border and a perimeter path.