Canbury Gardens is a public space in the

Canbury Canbury is a district of the northern part of Kingston upon Thames that takes its name from the historic manor that covered the area. Modern Canbury comprises two electoral wards in the constituency of Richmond Park; Canbury Ward to the south ...

district of

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

, along the Lower Ham Road, covering 14½ acres area between the road and the

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport ...

along the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

, downstream from

Kingston Railway Bridge Kingston Railway Bridge in Kingston upon Thames, London, crosses the River Thames on the reach above Teddington Lock. It carries the Kingston Loop Line train service (for passengers only) from London Waterloo station, where the majority of serv ...

History

In feudal times parishioners used the area to graze animals and cut turf and timber for fuel. In the 19th century when material for road building became a valuable resource, the old grazing land was replaced by a series of pits for gravel extraction. By 1887 the site had become an eyesore and the borough proposed a public garden "that the view from the river shall be a pleasant one and not, as at present, unsightly and obnoxious". The gardens were designed by the borough surveyor Henry Macaulay and opened in 1890. In 1891 Charles Nuthall a former Mayor of Kingston, who owned a confectionery shop in Thames Street, paid for a bandstand to be erected. He also hoped it would be 'suitable for a summer house or shelter' Kingston Power Station was built on the ground behind which had formerly been used to convert raw sewage to garden fertiliser. Landscaping work in the 1980s restored the gardens and, after the demolition of the power stations, flats were built on its site.

Poplars

On 25 March 1998 poplars separating the park from the Fairclough Homes site were felled, a cause which had resulted in protests up the trees, an eco-warrior camp, and a 17,000-person petition. The ''Surrey Comet'' reported on 27 March 1998 that: "The first of the Canbury Gardens poplars came crashing down on Wednesday evening after a massive eviction operation costing up to £500,000 and involving 300 police, bailiffs, privacy security men, helicopters and boats."

Today

The park consists of open lawns and a band stand. Several hard surface tennis courts are available to the public. The toilet block, closed in 1984, has been converted into the 'Canbury Secret Café'. The Gardens have been included in the UK Government's Playbuilder Project, a national project funded by the

Department for Children, Schools and Families Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. DCSF was replac ...

(DCSF) for developing play areas. Also within the site are

Kingston Rowing Club Kingston Rowing Club (KRC) is a rowing club in England founded in 1858 and a member club of British Rowing. The club is located on the River Thames at Kingston upon Thames, downstream and north-east of Kingston Bridge and Kingston Railway Bri ...

and the "Boater's Inn", a local jazz venue. Until 2009, the gardens hosted the yearly Green Fair event where band concerts were held and fundraising for local charities. This event has since been cancelled. The gardens also host a

Dragon Boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family ...

race. On the bank of the Thames, next to the Rowing Club, is a memorial (erected 2020) for Rosie Mitchell, aged 15, who collapsed and died from a suspected

cardiac arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...

while rowing in 2016. Buses that run close to Canbury Gardens include the 65. The

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it onl ...

from

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three lock (water transport), locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham, London, Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first buil ...

passes along the river frontage which faces Steven's Eyot.

Gallery

File:Cherry Tree Avenue, Canbury Gardens, Kingston.jpg, Cherry Tree Avenue File:Canbury Gardens, Kingston, trees along the river.jpg, Thames path File:Canbury Gardens, Kingston, Rosie Mitchell memorial.jpg, Rosie Mitchell memorial File:Kingston, Canbury Gardens, bandstand (2).jpg, Bandstand

References

External links

Homesite
{{coord, 51.418, -0.305, type:landmark_region:GB-KTT, display=title 1890 establishments in England Parks and open spaces in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Parks and open spaces on the River Thames