London’s Pocket Parks: West Ham Park, E7

This month marks the 150th anniversary of one of East London’s largest free parks, at West Ham. Not just free to visit, but also free in that it doesn’t cost the local council anything to look after it either, as it forms an outpost of the City of London, and it’s the City that pays for it.

You won’t be surprised to see that it’s a bit more impressive than the average municipal park.

The park originates from a manor house in the southeastern corner of the park today in the 16th century when all around were still fields. Being fields, it was possible for subsequent owners to buy up more land and expand their estate to about the size of West Ham Park today.

In 1762, it became home to John Fothergill, who created a large botanical garden, which was said to be second only to Kew Gardens in size. After Fothergill died in 1780, the garden contents were largely sold off. The estate passed through a few more owners until it was inherited by Norfolk-based banker John Gurney, who had no use for a London estate and transferred it to the City of London Corporation to be used as an open space.

A property developer had offered £25,000 for the land, but he instead offered it up as a public park and provided £10,000 towards the costs if the remaining £15,000 could be raised locally. In the end, the City of London agreed to provide £10,000, with £5,000 raised locally, and a deed was secured so that the City would hold the park forever in trust for the public.

The City could put up the considerable sum thanks to the Metage of Grain (Port of London) Act 1872, which reserved the surplus from the cost of regulating imports into the City for the public good. Its first purchase was Epping Forest, and West Ham Park was the second.

The Lord Mayor of London formally opened the park 150 years ago — on Monday 20th July 1874.

Although it opened in 1874, it took several years to convert the land into the sort of public park we’d recognise today.

Part of the kitchen garden was retained, while the northern section was developed for housing. A new entrance was made from Ham Park Road to the north, and new paths were laid out and planted as avenues. Park buildings, including a bandstand, refreshment house, and urinal, were erected, and a drinking fountain and cairn marked the site of the former Ham House.

The gardens have continued to be developed, with a new sunken rose garden (1992) and a rock garden laid out in the pleasure gardens on the site of Fothergill’s mid-18th century rock garden.

There was a large plant nursery in the northeastern corner of park, but it closed in 2016, and the plans are to sell half the site for housing and half to be used to expand the size of the park. They’ll also need to change the who are we signs about the park, as it still says they are “proud to be one of the few Parks in the country with our own nursery”.

Another recent change is the lawn near the southern South Gate has been given over to wildlife. I also suspect there’s a one-way route as everyone walking along the narrow path was coming towards me, although I didn’t see any signs so maybe that was just a very weird coincidence, or one of those unwritten rules that everyone just knows about.

Away from the ornamental and wildlife gardens, most of the park is laid out to lawn and used for sport, but divided up by trees shading the paths that crisscross the park. Something else that crosses the park, but fortunately underneath it — is a major gas pipeline — look for the yellow warning signs dotted along a path.

Although the City of London still owns and manages the park, there is also a Friends Society which works to improve the park as well. Today, the park is a sensible mix of large open lawns, several sports pitches, and the classic Victorian ornamental park, where you can sit and relax.

To mark the park’s 150th anniversary, there will be a weekend of activities on 20th and 21st July — details here.

Updated 7th July to clarify transfer of ownership.