Inventory Site Record

The site for Hermit Road Recreation Ground was purchased by John H. Bethell, Mayor of West Ham and then MP, later Baron Bethell of Romford, who was a major influence in ensuring that public parks were provided as part of the development of the area. The land was purchased with the aid of private subscriptions and the MPGA also assisted with the purchase and provided 24 seats. The park was opened in May 1899. The original layout featured a tree-lined north-south axis with a bandstand in a central circular area, from which a tree-lined path ran to the south-west corner; a perimeter walk with trees and shrubs encircled the park. Seats, a drinking fountain, refreshment room, shelter and swings were added and by 1939 a bowling green, tennis courts and playground existed in the northern section. The park was extended in its northern corner, and here a small ornamental rose garden was created to commemorate Daisy Parsons, Mayor of West Ham in 1936.

Site location:

Hermit Road, Plaistow

Postcode:

E16 4JT

What 3 Words:

melt.struck.hike

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Newham

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

dawn to dusk.

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Five-a-side football goal, play area, tennis courts

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Plaistow; West Ham (District/Hammersmith & City). DLR: Canning Town. Rail: Canning Town. Bus: 5, 15, 69, 241, 276, 300, 330, 474

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

18/05/2026

Last minor changes:

18/05/2026

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. https://www.newham.gov.uk/homepage/126/find-your-local-park

The site for Hermit Road Recreation Ground was purchased by John H. Bethell, Mayor of West Ham and then MP, later Baron Bethell of Romford, who was a major influence in ensuring that public parks were provided as part of the development of the area. Bethell was responsible for both Balaam Street Park, later renamed Plaistow Park, and Canning Town Recreation Ground (q.q.v.); Bethell Road nearby recalls him. The land, at that time open, identified as Plaistow marsh on OS maps, crossed by various water channels (see OS 2nd Edition 25 inch map, revised 1893/4, London LIV), was purchased with the aid of private subscriptions and the MPGA also assisted with the purchase and provided 24 seats. Hermit Road Recreation Ground was opened in May 1899; the original layout featured a tree-lined north-south axis with a bandstand in a central circular area, from which a tree-lined path ran to the south-west corner; a perimeter walk with trees and shrubs encircled the park, with a drinking fountain and toilets provided (see OS New Series 25 inch map, revised 1914, Essex n LXXXVI.6), and seats, refreshment room, shelter and swings were apparently added. By 1939 a bowling green, tennis courts and playground existed in the northern section.

Although most of Hermit Road Recreation Ground's original features have since disappeared, the site has mature plane trees along Hermit Road, and its original railings and main entrance gate are on Hermit Road. The 1930s brick toilets were boarded up, and the site of the bandstand remains marked by a garden area with shrubberies. By 1968, the park was extended when an area to the north-east that had once had Victorian terraces adjacent to Bethell Avenue and Grange Road, marked on the OS 2nd Edition and New Series Maps, but post-war shown as an empty plot, and here a small ornamental rose garden was created to commemorate Daisy Parsons, who was Mayor of West Ham in 1936. Among London boroughs Newham was badly hit by bombing, especially in the south of the borough due to its proximity to the Royal Docks and industrial usage. Residential areas suffering bomb damage were subject to urban clearance after the war. 

Current facilities include a five-a-side football goal, a play area and 2 tennis courts that are part of Newham Parks Tennis Scheme. Arc in the Park, an open access adventure playground for 5-14 year olds, which particularly aims to include disabled children, was established in the recreation ground, with a garden project with raised beds, a water feature, scented herbs. Arc now comes under Ambition, Aspire, Achieve, a Newham-based children's charity. The Friends of Hermit Road Recreation Ground is involved in caring for the recreation ground in conjunction with Newham Council. 

Sources consulted:

LB Newham Parks Archive; Landscape Design Associates Report on Heritage Value of 9 Parks, for LB Newham, July 1997; Newham Characterisation Study, 2024, chapter 2: Historic Development Patterns, https://www.newham.gov.uk/downloads/file/7662/newham-characterisation-study-ch02-historic-development-patterns-2024-; https://hermit.newhamparkstennis.org.uk/

Grid ref:

TQ398824 (539850,182450)

Size in hectares:

4.15

Site ownership:

LB Newham

Site management:

Parks Service; Friends of Hermit Road Recreation Ground

Date(s):

1899

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

None

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:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None