Description
The Woods was a large Victorian house with a lake and mixed woodland in the grounds. The house was demolished in 1933 and in 1947 the site was purchased for a public park, which opened in 1951/2. Soon after the land was purchased it was suggested that it be turned into a bird sanctuary and called Jefferies Wood after the naturalist Richard Jefferies, who had lived in Surbiton. In 1980 part of the site became the Richard Jefferies Bird Sanctuary.
Practical Information
| Site location | Oakhill Grove, Surbiton |
|---|---|
| Postcode | KT6 |
| What3Words | ///onions.flood.sound |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted. Bird sanctuary closed to public, occasional open days) |
| Public Transport | Rail: Surbiton. Bus: 281, 406, 71, 465, K1 (walk) |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Kingston Tithe Map of 1840-42 shows a cottage here with garden and brickyard, and the site was evidently used for clay extraction. By 1865 there was a lake, possibly created as a result of brick earth excavation but which had disappeared by the end of the C19th, and a large house called The Woods, which was surrounded by lawns to the west, with paths around the house and lake, and mixed woodland of deciduous trees and conifers to the east and north of the lake. The Woods was demolished in c.1933 but remnants of the Victorian layout remain visible on the site. In 1947 the site was compulsorily purchased by Surbiton Borough Council and it was laid out as a public park in 1951-2, including planting of bluebells and other woodland flowers. It was once part of the substantial grounds of The Gables, which was built for Wilberforce Bryant of Bryant and May in 1888, which is now Hillcroft College (q.v.). In 1948, soon after the land was purchased by Surbiton Borough Council, a suggestion was made to turn it into a bird sanctuary and call it 'Jefferies Wood' to commemorate the birth of the naturalist Richard Jefferies (1848-1887). Jefferies, a Surbiton resident, had written 'Nature Near London' in 1883 and was also a novelist, writing such books as 'Wood Magic' for children. However, this commemoration did not take place until 1980 when the upper section to the east of The Woods was fenced off and named Richard Jefferies Bird Sanctuary, which has been managed since 1987 by the London Wildlife Trust. The park contains species from the former Victorian planting such as larch, horse chestnut, copper beech, false acacia, and shrubberies.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ181671 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.5 |
| Site Ownership | RB Kingston |
| Site Management | Bird Sanctuary: London Wildlife Trust |
| Dates | 1951-2 |
| 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 | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Oakhill |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Space (Public Open Space). Local Nature Reserve |
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
Hillcroft College originated as a private house built in 1877 for Wilberforce Bryant. In 1884 he set aside part of his estate for a meeting room and theatre, calling it The Gables. It had substantial grounds, part of which lie to the south-west and form the public park, The Woods. The College, founded in 1919 to provide education for working women, purchased the freehold and 6 acres of land in 1925 and moved here in 1926. The theatre was later sold when the college needed more space and the former winter garden was built over for a new hall.
Surbiton War Memorial Gardens were laid out after WWI and the War Memorial was unveiled in July 1921. The Memorial Gardens surround the central memorial cross, with areas of lawn and paths and a few seats, backed by a hedge and also hedged to the road. The garden was extended in 1952 when a general inscription commemorating those who died in WWII was added to the War Memorial; further memorials were added to the garden in later years.
St Matthew's Church was built by C L Luck in 1874/5 to serve the growing population of Surbiton and has a fine landmark spire, 'the stateliest church in Surbiton' according to Nikolaus Pevsner. Money for the church and vicarage came largely from William Matthew Coulthurst, a senior partner in Coutts Bank, who provided £24,000. A plaque set into the wall records Mr Coulthurst's bequest, which was partly in memory of his sister Hannah who had died. The church has a small area of garden around it with grass, roses, shrubs and trees, and a path runs around the church.
