Wandsworth Park is a Grade II listed public

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

on the banks of 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 ...

in the

London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth Town. The borough border ...

, situated between

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

and

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

town centres.

Geography

The park covers and is on the embanked southern bank of the

Tideway The Tideway is a part of the River Thames in England which is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock. The Tideway comprises the upper Thames Estuary including the Pool of London. Tidal activity Depending on ...

. It has a central playing field in an oval of paths.

History

Until 1897 the land was allotments, it was purchased for £33,000 in 1898 by

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

, Wandsworth District Board, and by public subscription. The park plans were made by Lt. Col. J. J. Sexby, a horticulturist and London County Council’s then Superintendent of Parks, and in 1903 the park opened on Saturday 28 February. The Friends of Wandsworth Park are a community organisation set up in 2018 to improve and sustain the park and manage the formal garden areas.

Features

Two pieces from the Putney Sculpture Trail by sculpturer Alan Thornhill are in the park, ''Nexus'' is on the southern side by Putney Bridge road and ''Pygmalion'' is on the north eastern riverside near the entrance to Prospect Quay. There are two Victorian stink pipes to provide ventilation for Joseph Bazalgette's sewer system. A new riverside terrace opened in 2019 on the north west corner of the park, a formally disused area.

Wildlife

The River off Wandsworth Park towards Wandsworth Bridge

There are over 350 trees within the park, on the north side is the Lime Avenue. On the river alongside the park are some bird barges, to mitigate habitat lost during building development around Point Pleasant and the Wandsworth Riverside Quarter. The barges have tall posts to attract herons and cormorants, corrugated roofs for lesser black headed gulls and bird boxes for kingfishers and sand martins.

Amenities

The park has public toilets near to the cafe. The children's playground established was built in 1960 and is a certified Neighbourhood Area Equipped for Play, suitable for 2 to 7 year olds and 8 to 14/16 year olds. The Luna Cinema has shown films open air in the park.

Sports grounds

The central lawn area includes an 11 a side football pitch and a junior football pitch. The tennis courts and pavilion were added in 1920s, the courts can be booked via All Star Tennis. The park has flat surfaces for running, the loop by the river is 0.6 mile (1,500-step) in length, and the Wandsworth park 10K is over 5 laps of the whole park. The park has a 12 hole golf course and cafe run by Putt in the Park which opened in August 2013

Transport

The park is served by Transport for London buses 220 and 270 which stop on Putney Bridge Road,

Putney Bridge tube station Putney Bridge is a London Underground station on the branch of the District line. It is between and stations and is in Zone 2. The station is located in the south of Fulham, adjacent to Fulham High Street and New Kings Road ( A308) and is a ...

(District line) and

Putney railway station Putney railway station serves Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth, in southwest London straddling Travelcard zone 2 and zone 3. It is down the line from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by South Western Railway. ...

(Southwestern Railway) are both half a mile walk from the park, there are

Santander Cycles Santander Cycles (formerly Barclays Cycle Hire) is a public bicycle hire scheme in London in the United Kingdom. The scheme's bicycles are popularly known as Boris Bikes, after Boris Johnson who was Mayor of London when the scheme began operati ...

docking stations on the south side and the south western side of the park.

References

External links

Wandsworth Borough Council pagesFriends of Wandsworth Park website
{{Parks and open spaces in London Urban public parks in the United Kingdom Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Wandsworth 1898 establishments in England Putney