Description
Wendell Park is on land that from 1868 was owned by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In 1893, when much of the area was being built over, 4 acres south of Cobbold Road were offered to Hammersmith Vestry for recreational use in return for certain works, such as paving of new roads. The Vestry took this on with LCC assistance and laid out the park out in 1896/7. The park was not given a formal opening but was in use by 1897.
Practical Information
| Site location | Wendell Road/Hartswood Road/Cobbold Road, Hammersmith |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W6 |
| What3Words | ///ripe.orchestra.tune |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Facilities | Play areas, nature conservation area |
| Public Transport | Tube: Stamford Brook (District). Bus: 266 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The area north of Cobbold Road was developed in the late Victorian and Edwardian period and when St Saviour's Church was built in 1890 it was largely surrounded by fields. The Vicarage overlooking the park was built in 1894 and Wendell Park School in 1900. Wendell Park, which was opened by Hammersmith Vestry in 1897. The planting in much of the park is of recent date although there are some mature plane trees in the north-west corner, and one possibly C18th plane to the east. There are sycamore trees along Wendell Road. The park has children's play areas and a small nature conservation area. In 2011 plans to improve the play area in the south-west corner have been proposed, which include re-landscaping and planting in addition to new play equipment.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ216796 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.75 |
| Site Ownership | LB Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Site Management | Environment Department, Parks Service (ground maintenance by Quadron Services) |
| Dates | 1896/7 |
| Designers | Local authority |
| Listed Structures | Local list (Buildings of Merit): St Saviour's Church, Wendell Park School |
| 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 | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Ravenscourt & Starch Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Small Local Park; Open Space of Borough-wide Importance |
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
John Betts House was built in 1964 as almshouses for elderly people of Hammersmith in memory of Dr John Betts (1799-1875) by the Hammersmith United Charities. This was set up in 1923 to amalgamate the large number of small charities that provided for the elderly poor in Hammersmith. The almshouses are on land bequeathed by Betts that the Charities held as investment property. The rectangular building surrounds an enclosed communal garden planted with grass, trees, shrubs and flower beds. Behind the almshouses is the residents' vegetable garden.
Stamford Brook Common is a small triangular area of former common land preserved under the Commons Registration Act, 1965. It was enclosed as a recreation ground in c.1890 and is largely grass with trees and shrubs around the railed periphery, with a playground. The land is part owned by the Borough of Hammersmith, the remainder subject to the protection of the Local Authority under Section 9 of the Commons Registration Act 1965.
Starch Green is so-called as the site was once used for a laundry green. It was a flooded brick pit that was filled by an unnamed stream that flowed from Wormwood Scrubs down the Askew Road. The land was conveyed to the Hammersmith Vestry free of charge in 1894. The pond refilled gradually post-1926 and was planted up with shrubs. Originally entirely surrounded by roads, the north side was paved in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s the end of Ashchurch Grove was closed and paved. A raised bed planted with periwinkle was built and much of the planting is recent although there is one mature London plane tree.