- Maryon Park
-
Maryon Park 
View of park, 2007.Type • Public park
• Urban parkLocation Charlton, Greenwich,
London, EnglandCoordinates 51°29′20″N 0°02′35″E / 51.489°N 0.043°ECoordinates: 51°29′20″N 0°02′35″E / 51.489°N 0.043°E Operated by Greenwich London Borough Council Status Open year round Website "Marion Park" (descriptive page on Maryon Park at greenwich.gov.uk, the Greenwich London Borough Council's official website) Maryon Park is an English urban public park located in Charlton in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is situated on the A206 south of the Thames Barrier. There is access from Woolwich Road, Charlton Lane and Thorntree Road.
Contents
History
Charlton sandpits, which were originally part of an area known as Hanging Wood, were presented to the London County Council in 1891 by the Maryon-Wilson family, and one of the pits became Maryon Park.[1] Another pit became Charlton Athletic's football ground, The Valley.[2]
The park was originally wooded and, together with what is now Maryon Wilson Park, was known as Hanging Woods.[3] This was a wild wooded area and formed an ideal retreat for highwaymen who robbed travellers on Shooters Hill and Blackheath. Those who were caught were hanged here – hence the name.
Flora
The park contains grassland, with hawkweed, gorse and broom.
Attractions and facilities
The park includes Cox's Mount, which was used by the Romans as a hill fort, which was discovered in 1915.[4] In the 1850s, Cox's Mount was used to help ships on the nearby River Thames adjust their compasses.
The park has hard tennis courts, a basketball court and a children's play area. The Capital Ring walk and the Green Chain Walk both pass through the park.
Nearby attractions
Next to the park is Gilbert's Pit, a Site of Special Scientific Interest,[5] and to the south is the similarly named Maryon Wilson Park.
In popular culture
Although it was not identified by name, the park was the filming location of key scenes in Blowup (1966), a drama mystery-thriller film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring David Hemmings, Sarah Miles and Vanessa Redgrave; the park is little-changed since the making of that film.[2]
References
- ^ http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/charlton.htm
- ^ a b http://www.greenwich-guide.org.uk/parks.htm
- ^ http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/greenwich/assets/historic-maps/charlton/1746
- ^ http://www.thegreenwichphantom.co.uk/2008/05/prehistoric-greenwich-1-coxs-mount/
- ^ Natural England Citation, Gilbert's Pit (Charlton)
External links
- Database (undated). "Marion Park". Descriptive page on Maryon Park at greenwich.gov.uk, the Greenwich London Borough Council's official website. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- Greenwich Guide — Charlton's Parks
- Friends of Maryon and Maryon Wilson Park
- Where Did They Film That? — Location Information
Parks and open spaces by London borough Barking and Dagenham · Barnet · Bexley · Brent · Bromley · Camden · Croydon · Ealing · Enfield · Greenwich · Hackney · Hammersmith and Fulham · Haringey · Harrow · Havering · Hillingdon · Hounslow · Islington · Kensington and Chelsea · Kingston · Lambeth · Lewisham · Merton · Newham · Redbridge · Richmond · Southwark · Sutton · Tower Hamlets · Waltham Forest · Wandsworth · Westminster
London Borough of Greenwich Districts Abbey Wood · Blackheath · Charlton · Deptford · Eltham · Greenwich · Kidbrooke · Mottingham · New Eltham · Plumstead · Shooter's Hill · Thamesmead · Westcombe Park · Woolwich
Attractions The O2 arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) · The Royal Artillery Museum · Cutty Sark · National Maritime Museum · Eltham Palace · Greenwich Hospital · Royal ObservatoryStreet markets Parks and open spaces Bostall Heath and WoodsConstituencies Other topics People · Public art · SchoolsCategories:- Parks and open spaces in Greenwich
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
