Description
Settlement here is recorded as early as 1384, and West Greene is marked on a survey of 1619. By the C19th the green had a horse pond and a pump that served the village with water. It was enclosed between 1864-94 and was laid out with curved walks and surrounding iron railings in c.1897, the latter later removed. West Green was redesigned on a geometric plan focusing on the war memorial, erected to commemorate those who died in WWI.
Practical Information
| Site location | Spur Road/Philip Lane/West Green Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N15 |
| What3Words | ///these.maybe.union |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Haringey |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Turnpike Lane (Piccadilly) then bus, Seven Sisters (Victoria) then bus. Bus: 230 3341, 41. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
West Green Memorial Garden is a level, triangular site at the junction of West Green Road and Philip Lane. Settlement at West Green is recorded as early as 1384, and the site appears as West Greene on the 1619 survey for the Earl of Dorset. In the C19th the Green had a large horse pond by the side of the road, with strong wooden posts and rails on two sides, through which horses could be driven with their carts attached. By 1890 a pump on the Green supplied water for the village from a freshwater spring. Mrs Riddell, a popular novelist of the time, described the area in 1859: 'It was utterly in the country...as though situated a hundred miles from London. The road bordered by wheatfields and meadows. . . 'Enclosed between 1864 and 1894, this former piece of common land was subsequently laid out with curving walks, in all probably c.1897 following F F McKenzie's recommendations to the Tottenham UDC's Parks and Open Spaces Committee of that year. Surrounding iron railings were in place by 1897 but the enclosure round the Green was removed before 1973.
West Green was later redesigned on a geometric plan focusing on the war memorial, which was in situ by 1936, and a simplified and amended version of that layout remains today. The war memorial is a simple, rough hewn granite obelisk with a bronze wreath on the north face and an inscription on the south face commemorating those fallen in the 1914-18 war with their names set in individual bronze letters below. The paths are tarmac, with an area of York stone paving around the memorial. Somewhat unsightly concrete slab 'stepping stones' have been placed along three 'desire lines' across the Green. Planting consists of scattered trees in the turf, mostly small ornamentals, with a mature London plane and a horse chestnut, with three small areas of shrubs.
West Green was later redesigned on a geometric plan focusing on the war memorial, which was in situ by 1936, and a simplified and amended version of that layout remains today. The war memorial is a simple, rough hewn granite obelisk with a bronze wreath on the north face and an inscription on the south face commemorating those fallen in the 1914-18 war with their names set in individual bronze letters below. The paths are tarmac, with an area of York stone paving around the memorial. Somewhat unsightly concrete slab 'stepping stones' have been placed along three 'desire lines' across the Green. Planting consists of scattered trees in the turf, mostly small ornamentals, with a mature London plane and a horse chestnut, with three small areas of shrubs.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ326892 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Haringey |
| Site Management | Parks Service (West Green Neighbourhood) |
| Dates | late C19/early C20; 1936-1954 |
| Designers | Not known |
| 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 | Haringey |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes (part) - Part of site falls within area of archaeological 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
The park is on land that was once part of the large Mount Pleasant estate where in 1789 Downhills House was built, which had ornamental gardens on the south and a grove of trees towards the river. Part of Downhills Estate was leased to Broadwater Farm. The estate had numerous private owners, the last of whom sold it to the British Land Company who sold it on to Tottenham UDC in 1902, when the house was demolished. The public park was laid out on the former landscaped grounds although many fields were built over. Downhills Park opened in 1903 but was extended in 1904 with 4 acres purchased from the railway company. Early features included a rockery, Italian Garden, lake, thatched arbour, water-tower, conservatory, bandstand, model railway, keeper's lodge, elaborate stone terraces and fine hornbeam avenue. Although little of this survives, the Italian Gardens are still laid out with formal bedding, and the park has many fine trees. On the west side of the park is the more informal area of Downhills Recreation Ground.
In March 1898 Chestnuts House, which had been built in the mid-C19th, and 13 acres of its grounds were purchased by Tottenham UDC. With some additional land, it was laid out as Chestnuts Recreation Ground and opened in November 1900 in commemoration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The house was initially used as a public reading room and museum, later becoming a health clinic until it was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a Leisure Centre. At one time there was an ornamental fountain on a mound and various areas of ornamental planting; avenue of plane trees remain on the west, north and south boundaries of Chestnuts Park.
Lordship Recreation Ground opened to the public in 1932 laid out on former farmland that Tottenham UDC had purchased from the Townsend Estate, with a further gift of land. Initially half was opened as a park and the remaining land given over to allotments, to await development. A large roughly rectangular area of open grass laid out with sports pitches, a Paddle-Boat Pond, Shell Bandstand, and Tennis Courts were opened in 1936. In 1938, at the instigation of the Park Superintendent, the south eastern section was laid out as a Model Traffic Area, a recreation area for small children to learn to ride bicycles, tricycles and toy motor cars.