By Rosemary Rabin
Former Trees and Open Space Officer
17 April, 2020
P
arkfields Recreation Ground is located between Cheston Avenue and Parkfield in Monks Orchard. It covers an area of 13.25 acres, 5.36 hectares. The facilities here are a playing field with two football pitches and a children’s playground.
Parkfields was acquired in 1936 by Croydon Corporation to develop as a public open space in a rapidly growing residential area. For many years a further area of several acres was held under licence by the family that sold Parkfields to the council.
While the rest of the park was developed for sport this area gradually developed as a small woodland coppice. When the land was returned to the council the coppice was retained and enhances the park which already had a number of mature trees in the grounds. The coppice is on the western side of the grounds.
There is a designated cycle path (part of the Waterlink Way) running through the park. In the eighteenth century this land was a part of the West Shirley Farm to the south of the Ham Farm.
Information has come from: ‘Croydon’s Parks, An illustrated history‘. By Mrs M.A. Winterman. Croydon Libraries Local Studies Pack, Shirley.
Story contribution taken from the Spring 2011 Edition of the MORA Magazine
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