Inventory Site Record

South Park opened to the public in 1904, created on land purchased by the LCC in 1901. Considerable investment was made, including erection of fine gates at the principal entrance; lodges, one with a refreshment room attached; extensive lengths of boundary wall and railings. An impressive balustraded terrace overlooked the playing fields, bandstand and lake, and the park later acquired an aviary and palm house. Much of the layout remains, although the bandstand and latter buildings have been demolished, and the lake filled in. Among the features that remain are an Edwardian wooden shelter, 1950s cricket pavilion, shrub borders and rose garden, as well as lime and plane trees.

Site location:

Clancarty Road/Peterborough Road/Hugon Road, Fulham

Postcode:

SW6

What 3 Words:

help.formed.bench

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Hammersmith & Fulham

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

7.30am - dusk

Special conditions:

Facilities:

tennis court/basket ball court; football pitch, play equipment

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Fulham Broadway (District) then bus. Bus: 28, 295, C4

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Google Map    
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Research updated:

01/09/2008

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.lbhf.gov.uk

South Park (its earlier proposed name was Peterborough Park) was on land formerly that of Southfields Farm, which was nursery gardens owned by the Rench family from 1711, passing to the Fitch family by inheritance, and then in 1865, by sale, to Veitch and Sons. The site was purchased with a grant from the London County Council in 1901 and opened to the public in 1904. Considerable investment was made when it was laid out, including erection of fine gates at the principal entrance from Clancarty Road; lodges, one having a refreshment room attached, extensive lengths of boundary wall such as along Peterborough Road; and railings on Hugon and Clancarty Roads. An impressive balustraded terrace overlooked the playing fields, bandstand and lake and the park later acquired an aviary and palm house.

Much of the layout remains, although the bandstand and latter buildings have been demolished, and the lake filled in. A rose garden now occupies the site of the palm house, which was closed in 1981 and demolished soon after. The pond is not shown on a street map of 1925 that shows ponds in other parts of the borough, so it had probably disappeared by then. Among the features that remain are an Edwardian wooden shelter, 1950s cricket pavilion, shrub borders, and rose garden. Lime and plane trees line the walks and there are lime trees around the perimeter. A Friends of South Park group was set up in 2008.

Sources consulted:

Lieut.Col J J Sexby, 'The Municipal Parks, Gardens and Open Spaces of London' (1898); LB Hammersmith & Fulham Archives Dept, 'A note on the open spaces of Fulham and Hammersmith', 1974 p20; E J Willson 'West London Nursery Gardens' (The Fulham and Hammersmith Historical Society, 1982), pp59-61; LB Hammersmith & Fulham 'Hurlingham Conservation Area Character Profile', 1999

Grid ref:

TQ255760 (525519,176008)

Size in hectares:

8.49

Site ownership:

LB Hammersmith & Fulham

Site management:

Environment Department, Parks Service (ground maintenance by Quadron Services); Friends of South Park

Date(s):

1904

Designer(s):

J J Sexby

Listed structures:

Local list: gates on Clancarty Road; terracotta walls within park; boundary walls, gates and gate piers on Hugon Road

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 Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Hurlingham CA4 1971

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Local Park; Open Space of Borough-wide Importance