North Sheen Recreation Ground, in Dancer Road,
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
,
Richmond, London
Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...
, is a recreation area and the home of Kew Park Rangers Football Club.
History
North Sheen
North Sheen is an area of London, England in the former Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey).North Sheen was one of six wards in the Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey). It was incorporated into Kew in 1965 when the London Borough of Richmo ...
, in the former
,
[Mills, A D (2010). ''A Dictionary of London Place Names'', ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
. was first marked on maps from 1904.
[ At that time the area was mostly undeveloped and was used to grow fruit and vegetables for market, but by 1920 residential building was underway.][ North Sheen was incorporated into ]Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
in 1965 when the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
was created.recreation ground
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...
was originally part of an orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...
belonging to the Popham Estate, owned by the Leyborne Pophams whose family seat
A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families to ...
was at Littlecote House
Littlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat, in the English county of Wiltshire, about northeast of the Berkshire town of Hungerford. The estate includes 34 hectares of hi ...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
.Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the recreation ground was used for allotments and there was an underground public shelter opposite what is now the sports pavilion clubhouse.
Facilities
Known locally as "The Rec", it now contains football pitches, a children's paddling pool, two extensive playgrounds, a large dog-free grassed area and a sports pavilion clubhouse, set amongst trees and shrubs.outdoor gym
The outdoor gym is a gym built outside in a public park, with the all-weather construction of its exercise machines somewhat modeled on playground equipment. It is similar to the 1960s–1970s proliferation of fitness trails, which continue to ...
for adults in 2017.
Kew Park Rangers
North Sheen Recreation Ground is also home to a local football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club for children, Kew Park Rangers, which is a Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
br>Charter Standard
Community Football Club,word play
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phonet ...
on Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Roa ...
, a London football team which is also known as QPR.Westerley Ware
Westerley Ware is a small garden and recreation ground in Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is at the foot of Kew Bridge, between Waterloo Place (a row of houses and flats off Kew Green) and the Thames riverbank. Historicall ...
, a small park by Kew Bridge
Kew Bridge is a wide-span bridge over the Tideway (upper estuary of the Thames) linking the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow. The present bridge, which was opened in 1903 as King Edward VII Bridge by King Edward VII and Quee ...
.Surrey County Football Association
The Surrey County Football Association was founded in 1877 and affiliated to The Football Association in 1882, at the same time as a County Senior Cup competition, the Surrey Senior Cup, was established. The organisation administers all levels ...
. Richmond Council
Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the Local government, local authority for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richm ...
eventually came up with a team pitch and a move to the North Sheen Recreation GroundFulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, London, which compete in the . They have played home games at Craven Cottage since 1896, other than a two-year period spent at Loftus Road whilst Craven Cottage unde ...
and it regularly employs the services of Fulham coaches to assist and support its coaches.
Awards
The recreation ground was given a Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...
in 2018.
See also
* Parks, open spaces and nature reserves in Richmond upon Thames
References
External links
Official websiteFriends of North Sheen Recreation GroundKew Park Rangers
{{LB Richmond
1909 establishments in England
Gyms in the United Kingdom
Kew, London
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames