The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is located along a stretch of the River Thames where the Hogsmill River joins the former at the town of Kingston. The Borough contains over 30 parks, 24 playgrounds, sports grounds and open spaces. [1] [2] There are also over 20 allotments sites which are either self-managed or run by the local council. [3] An assessment conducted in 2006 identified 165 hectares (410 acres) of park and 340 hectares (840 acres) of other open spaces in the borough. [4]
Much of the borough's Thames river frontage is open and accessible to the public. To the north of the town centre Canbury Gardens extends to the Lower Ham Road beyond which the Dysart open space, Royal Park Gate recreation ground and the adjacent Hawker Centre sports ground form a continuation of Ham Lands in the neighbouring London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. To the south of the town centre Queens Promenade provides open river frontage as far as Surbiton. Pedestrian access to the course of the Hogsmill River leads from its mouth at the Thames, south of the town centre, to the Hogsmill River Park and beyond.
Other open spaces include the western half of Beverley Park and the University of London Athletic Ground and the BBC Sports Ground, Motspur Park.
Historically, the southern tip of Richmond Park fell within the borough boundaries but it was incorporated into Richmond upon Thames in 1994. [5]
The local authority's approach to managing its parks and open spaces are set out in its Green Spaces strategy, 2015–2021. [6]
The main parks and open spaces managed by Kingston upon Thames Borough Council are:
Name | Locality | Notes |
---|---|---|
Alexandra Recreation Ground | Surbiton | |
Athelstan Recreation Ground | Kingston | |
Barton Green | New Malden | |
Beverley Park | New Malden | |
Blagdon Road Recreation Ground | New Malden | |
Canbury Gardens | Canbury | |
Castle Hill Local Nature Reserve | Chessington | |
Churchfields Recreation Ground | Chessington | |
Claremont Crescent Gardens | Surbiton | |
Cromwell Open Space | New Malden | |
Dickerage Recreation Ground | New Malden | |
Dysart open space | Canbury | Contiguous part of Ham Lands |
Elmbridge Meadows | Berrylands | Hogsmill Valley |
Elm Road Recreation Ground | Kingston | |
Fairfield Recreation Ground | Kingston | |
Fishponds Park | Surbiton | |
Green Lane Recreation Ground | New Malden | Hogsmill Valley |
King Edwards Recreation Ground | Chessington | |
King George's recreation Ground | Chessington | |
Kingston Road Recreation Ground | New Malden | |
Latchmere Recreation Ground | Canbury | |
Long Meadows | Old Malden | Hogsmill Valley |
Manor Park | Old Malden | |
Memorial Gardens | Kingston | |
Queens Promenade | Kingston to Surbiton | |
Raeburn Avenue Open Space | Berrylands | |
RAF Chessington | Hook | |
Royal Park Gate Open Space | Canbury | |
Rose Walk | Berrylands | Hogsmill Valley |
Sir Frances Barker Recreation Ground | Chessington | |
Southwood Open Space | Old Malden | Hogsmill Valley |
St Andrews Square | Seething Wells | |
Tolworth Court Farm Fields Local Nature Reserve | Tolworth | |
Woodgate Avenue | Chessington | |
The Wood and Richard Jefferies Bird Sanctuary | Surbiton | |
Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as the place where some Saxon kings were crowned.
New Malden is an suburban area in South West London, England. It is within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is 9.4 miles (15.1 km) from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston, Norbiton, Raynes Park, Surbiton, Tolworth, Wimbledon, Old Malden, and Worcester Park. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, New Malden was in the administrative county of Surrey.
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in southwest London, England, 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 Government Act 1963. It is governed by Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council. The population is 198,019 and the major communities are Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Kew, Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington and Hampton.
Richmond is a town in south-west London, 8.2 miles (13.2 km) west-southwest of Charing Cross. It stands on the River Thames, and features many parks and open spaces, including Richmond Park, and many protected conservation areas, which include much of Richmond Hill. A specific Act of Parliament protects the scenic view of the River Thames from Richmond.
Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first built in 1810.
The Hogsmill River in Surrey and Greater London, England, is a small chalk stream tributary of the River Thames. It rises in Ewell and flows into the Thames at Kingston upon Thames on the lowest non-tidal reach, that above Teddington Lock.
Whitton is an area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically, it was the north-western part of Twickenham manor, bounded by the River Crane and the Duke of Northumberland's River.
Ham is a suburban district in Richmond, south-west London. It has meadows adjoining the River Thames where the Thames Path National Trail also runs. Most of Ham is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and, chiefly, within the ward of Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside; the rest is in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The district has modest convenience shops and amenities, including a petrol station and several pubs, but its commerce is subsidiary to the nearby regional-level economic centre of Kingston upon Thames.
Ewell is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. It is approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of central London and 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Epsom. In the 2011 Census, the town had a population of 34,872. The majority of which (73%) is in the ABC1 social class, except the Ruxley Ward that is C2DE.
The London Borough of Bexley owns and maintains over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundaries, with a total of 638 hectares. They include small gardens, river and woodland areas, and large parks with many sporting and other facilities.
Richmond upon Thames in the south west of Greater London has more parks, open spaces and nature reserves than any other London borough.
The inner London borough of Wandsworth contains some 670 hectares of green space in the form of parks, commons, allotments and cemeteries, which is the largest amount for an Inner London borough. Central London borders some of the borough's boundary with the Thames the closest park to which is Battersea Park.
Sudbrook and its tributary, the Latchmere stream, are north-flowing streams in London, England, that drain northern Kingston upon Thames and the eastern extreme of Ham following a meander scar in a terrace; the upper part of the Sudbrook drains a narrow vale in Richmond Park's southern corner into the tidal Thames.
Canbury is a district of the northern part of Kingston upon Thames that takes its name from the historic manor that covered the area.
Elmbridge Open Space or Elmbridge Meadows is a Local Nature Reserve in Berrylands in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London. It is a linear open space along the western bank of the Hogsmill River which starts at Malden Way and ends at a path between Surbiton Hill Park to Green Lane.
Rose Walk is a 2.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve in Berrylands in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London. It is also part of the Hogsmill Valley Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1.
Raeburn Open Space, locally known as Berrylands Nature Reserve, is a 5-hectare Local Nature Reserve and Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1, in Berrylands in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London, England. It is owned and managed by Kingston Council. but is mainly maintained by local community volunteers. Officially declared a nature reserve in 1992, little was done to manage it as a nature reserve until 2017 when a community initiative began.
Southwood Open Space is a 12.9 hectare Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in Old Malden in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in London. It is a linear park along the Hogsmill River between the Kingston Bypass opposite Elmbridge Avenue and the junction between the Hogsmill and a footpath to Manor Drive North.
Radnor Gardens is a small public riverside garden and recreation ground in Strawberry Hill, south of Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, offering picturesque views. It has a First World War memorial, a grass area, a bowling green and a children's playground.
Latchmere Recreation Ground is a public open space with playing fields and a children's playground in the north of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.