Inventory Site Record

Harrow Lodge Park is an extensive rolling park, formerly part of the manor of Maylards Green and Wybridge. By the late C16th Maylards house stood near the present boating lakes, but no longer exists. The land was developed for public use in the C20th; 60 acres were used for food production during WWII after which the local Council transformed the site into a public park with tennis courts, a rockery and a miniature golf course among the facilities. An 8.5-acre Boating Lake was formed by damming the River Ravensbourne, with a walled garden nearby. In the early 1960s a Garden for the Blind was created near Harrow Lodge. In the late 1980s Hornchurch Sports Centre was built at the northern end of the park.

Site location:

Hornchurch Road/Rainham Road/Abbs Cross Lane, Hornchurch

Postcode:

RM12 4QU

What 3 Words:

fantastic.learn.limes

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Havering

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Car park, playground, bowls, cricket, fishing, football, hockey, tennis (plus Hornchurch Sport centre - swimming)

Events:

Events include annual Havering Show and Planet Havering

Public transport:

Tube: Elm Park (District). Bus: 165, 252, 324, 365

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/02/2007

Last minor changes:

29/03/2026

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

Harrow Lodge Park is an extensive rolling park, formerly the manor of Maylards Green and Wybridge. The original name is derived from the Mayloor family who held the manor in the C13th and C14th. The name was corrupted in the C19th to Maylands as denoted by Maylands Avenue in Elm Park. In 1594 Maylards was an important house standing near the present boating lakes in Harrow Lodge Park; in 1670 the house was recorded as having 17 hearths and in 1849 the combined manors totalled some 440 acres.There is no longer a house on the site and the park was developed for public use in the C20th. 60 acres of the land were used for extensive food production during WWII and following the cessation of hostilities the local Council took it upon themselves to transform the site into a recreational centre.

A comprehensive layout was proposed in the late 1940s, some of which was adhered to. A disused pit was filled in with waste material to create four tennis courts and a rockery in 1948/49 and an 18-hole miniature golf course was created in 1952/53, when entrance gates and railings were also built at Rainham Road. An 8.5-acre Boating Lake was formed in 1954/56 by damming the River Ravensbourne, together with paths, shrubs, trees and formal features, and a walled garden near the lake was created in 1959/60. In the early 1960s a Garden for the Blind was formed between Harrow Lodge, an C18th/C19th stuccoed building, and a children’s playground. An avenue of horse chestnuts leads from Hornchurch Road to the small pond in front of the Lodge. The largest lake has large flocks of mute swan and Canada geese and on one of its wooded islands has a small heronry. Kingfishers are regularly seen here. Other trees planted included oak, elm, lime, larch, Corsican pine, cherry, hazel and yew.

In the late 1980s Hornchurch Sports Centre, a modern sports complex, was built at the northern end of the park.

Sources consulted:

Recreation and Amenities Brochure, 1961; Victoria County History of Essex vii p37.

Grid ref:

TQ525864 (552620,186460)

Size in hectares:

47.3

Site ownership:

LB Havering

Site management:

Parks and Open Spaces

Date(s):

1947/49 - 1960s

Designer(s):

?Borough officers

Listed structures:

Local list: Harrow Lodge Farm

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:

Yes

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance (part of park)

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Green Chain