Inventory Site Record

This (2.28 ha) park and associated recreation ground (1.75 ha of playing field) linked by a footpath were originally the grounds of the Manor House, home of John Innes. On his death in 1904 he left the house, grounds and most of his money to found a school of horticulture, if possible, or a museum and other charitable schemes. The layout of the park was adapted from the original manor house gardens by the architect J S Brocklesby and was formally opened to the public in 1909. The Recreation Ground, which is connected by public footpath to John Innes Park, was established at the same time. The Park and Recreation Ground were transferred by way of deed of gift to the Urban District Council in 1949. They are currently both managed and maintained by the London Borough of Merton’s Greenspaces teams

Screened by evergreen hedges and shrubs and secluded evergreen walks the park has an intimate character. The layout of 1909 is little altered today although the bowling green has been relocated in the south-east corner. Buildings predating the park layout include the entrance lodge on the junction of Church Path and Mostyn Road, a two-storey lodge and an archway, both inside the park. The bandstand, cricket pavilion and toilet block all date from the 1909 layout.  More recent works have sought to reinstate original features with a substantial replanting of the rockery in 2004.

Site location:

Mostyn Road, Merton

Postcode:

SW19 3LL

What 3 Words:

stack.list.bound

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Merton

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

8am - dusk (weekdays); 9am - dusk (weekends/bank holidays)

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Tennis courts, bowling green, croquet green, cricket pitch, car park, toilets

Events:

Public transport:

Rail: Wimbledon Chase, South Merton. Tramlink: Merton Park. Bus: K5, 201, 413

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

24/04/2025

Last minor changes:

25/04/2025

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.merton.gov.uk/environment/openspaces/parks/parks_in_the_morden_area

This park and associated recreation ground joined by a footpath were originally the grounds of the Manor House, home of John Innes (d.1904), and the layout of 1909 is little altered. Prior to to 1894 maps show the land is farmland.

John Innes had moved to Merton in 1867 but had already begun to buy land for development here with his brother in 1860, employing H G Quartermain and later J S Brocklesby to design the estate on garden suburb principles.  The site around the Manor House included a cottage labelled on historic maps 'Merton Cottage' and featured a series of paths, which later became the park.  He became a well known and respected local figure and on his death in 1904 he left the Manor House, grounds and most of his money to found a school of horticulture, if possible, or a museum and other charitable schemes. The Park and Recreation Ground were transferred by way of deed of gift to the Urban District Council in 1949 with covenants including the land: may only to be used as a public park; is maintained for the use of the public; it must be known as John Innes Park; and it must be maintained to the same standards as the former Trustees who gifted the land.

The John Innes Horticultural Institution opened in the grounds of Manor House in 1910. The park was designed to the east of the Manor House in 1909 and the recreation ground to the west. To the south a ruin and slight further away a grotto were incorporated within the Institution grounds, later the Rutlish School for Boys (q.v.).

John Innes Park was designed for active and passive forms of recreation with the varying activities accommodated within a small area and planting used to screen the different areas, including tennis courts and bowling green screened by evergreen hedges and shrubs and secluded evergreen walks giving the park an intimate character. The tennis courts are shown in the same site on the OS of 1913 but the bowling green which may originally have been west of the tennis courts and bandstand, and was relocated in 1963 to the south-east corner of the park. A number of the buildings predate the park layout such as the single storey English Domestic Revival building, now the entrance lodge to the park on the junction of Church Path and Mostyn Road and inside the park the two-storey English Domestic Revival lodge and archway designed by H G Quartermain c.1880. The wooden rustic bandstand, designed by Brocklesby, stands on a brick and stone plinth is shown on the OS of 1913; a clapboard cricket pavilion and an interesting English Domestic Revival toilet block, with herringbone brickwork and elaborate cast iron bars to the windows all date from the 1909 layout. The pond was once surrounded by subtropical planting, now railed. The ornate drinking fountain in the park is no longer in place.

The herbaceous border along Mostyn Road was replanted in 2001. In 2003/04, to mark the centenary of the death of John Innes, the ‘Friends of John Innes Park’ (a sub-committee of the John Innes Society) together with the London Borough of Merton raised money to restore and refurbish the park’s features to their former glory. The rockery and rose arbour were restored and a new fountain for the fishpond was created in conjunction with the Wimbledon School of Art. A statue of the holly emblem of the John Innes Society was also installed. New shrubs along the Serpentine Walk and a display bed of plant and shrubs of the “Merton Variety” (developed by the John Innes Institute) were planted throughout. The Mayor of Merton, Margaret Brierly, formally opened the new development in August 2004.

Sources consulted:

Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993); N Pevsner and B Cherry 'The Buildings of England: London 2: South', 1983; LB Merton Local History Archive; John Innes Park and Recreation Ground Management Plan 2005-2010; John Innes Park Management Plan 2016-2021; OS Map 1951 TQ2469SE - A

Grid ref:

TQ246692 (524795,169351)

Size in hectares:

3.54

Site ownership:

LB Merton

Site management:

Leisure and Culture Services; Friends of John Innes Park

Date(s):

1909

Designer(s):

John Sydney Brocklesby

Listed structures:

Local list: bandstand, gardener's cottage, public conveniences

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:

John Innes Merton Park

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone

Other LA designation:

Public Open Space

John Innes Park - bandstand - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 26/05/20 15:03

Click a photo to enlarge.

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