Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Wandsworth Park is an early C20th park designed and constructed under the supervision of the LCC Chief Officer of Parks Lt Col J J Sexby. The land was purchased by Wandsworth District Board, formerly used for allotments, and the LCC contributed to the cost. The park opened on 28 February 1903 and its layout has remained relatively unaltered. Horticultural displays in island beds set in the lawn remain near the main entrance, and provision for sport included a central expanse of open grass. Walks were laid out, including a Lime Walk and Riverside Walk created on the newly embanked river in 1901/2. Later facilities included a bowling green with a pavilion erected in the 1920s.
Wandsworth Park is an early C20th park designed and constructed under the supervision of the LCC Chief Officer of Parks Lt Col J J Sexby. The land was purchased by Wandsworth District Board, formerly used for allotments, and the LCC contributed to the cost. The park opened on 28 February 1903 and its layout has remained relatively unaltered. Horticultural displays in island beds set in the lawn remain near the main entrance, and provision for sport included a central expanse of open grass. Walks were laid out, including a Lime Walk and Riverside Walk created on the newly embanked river in 1901/2. Later facilities included a bowling green with a pavilion erected in the 1920s.
Practical Information
| Site location | Putney Bridge Road/Northfields |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW15 |
| What3Words | ///rotate.data.cheek |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | Playground, tennis courts, bowling green, sports pitches |
| Public Transport | Rail: Putney. Tube: Putney Bridge, East Putney (District). Bus: 220, 270 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ247753 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 8.1 |
| Site Ownership | LB Wandsworth |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | 1898-1903 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area/Wandasworth Thames Policy Area |
| Other LA Designation | Historic Parks and Gardens |
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 Hurlingham Club Grounds are on land that was part of the manor of the Bishops of London, from whom in 1760 Dr William Cadogan leased 9 acres and built Hurlingham House. The riverside house and estate were enlarged over the years and had a number of private owners. In 1867 it was first used for pigeon shooting displays and in 1869 the Hurlingham Club was founded here. From 1874 until WWII the Club was famous for polo. After the war the polo grounds were compulsorily purchased for a public park. The Club continues as a private members' club with sports and leisure facilities set in fine landscaped grounds, that retain features of the earlier landscape.
Development of the area took place from c.1860 onwards with large detached and semi-detached villas built along West Hill and Upper Richmond Road adding to the existing C18th villas, such as the Clock House on West Hill. At the junction of West Hill and Upper Richmond Road is a small area of public open space provided by Wandsworth Borough Council, with grass and a number of trees surrounded by a low wall with iron railings.
There has been a church on the site since at least the C13th and parts of the medieval church of St Mary the Virgin survive in the present church. The old parish of Putney extended from the Thames to Tibbet's Corner on Putney Heath in the south, with Beverley Brook to the west and Deodar Road its eastern boundary. The church played an important role in the Civil War when Cromwell's army was located at Putney and the Army Council held meetings here. The churchyard is smaller than it once was as a result of land taken for the first and second Putney Bridges. Tombstones have been moved and piled in one corner of the churchyard apart from one railed chest tomb by the Putney Bridge boundary, and there is a war memorial. The churchyard railings date from mid C19th.