- Wimbledon Park
Wimbledon Park is a both a
park in Wimbledon and thesuburb around it to which it lends its name. It is the second largest park in theLondon Borough of Merton and also gives its name toWimbledon Park tube station . To the immediate west of the park resides theAll England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club . Wimbledon Park should not be confused with the much larger and more well knownWimbledon Common , also to the west.Until the mid 19th century the whole of the Wimbledon Park area formed the large landscaped grounds of Wimbledon Park House, part of the manor of Wimbledon and one of the homes of the Earls Spencer, lords of the manor. The park had been landscaped in the 18th century by
Capability Brown when the lake was formed as a focal point for the house located to the south of the present park.In 1846, the 4th Earl Spencer sold the estate and house to John Augustus Beaumont a property developer who laid out new roads and sold plots of land for house building. Two roads in the north of the area still bear his name today - Augustus Road and Beaumont Road.Development of the area continued slowly throughout the second half of the 19th century gradually nibbling away at the parkland.
The modern park was purchased by the Borough of Wimbledon just before the First World War and is, with its ornamental lake the only remnant of the former, larger park.
Along the park's northern edge lies Horse Close wood, a small patch of
Ancient woodland , largely consisting of Oak and Elm.ee also
*Wimbledon - History for details of the early history of the manor.
External links
* [http://www.wphg.demon.co.uk/index.htm Wimbledon Park Heritage Group]
* [http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/houses_hgpm.asp?ID=2143 Wimbledon Park entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses]
* [http://www.motco.com/map/81001 Motco.com]
** [http://www.motco.com/MapImages/81001/81001034-w.jpg15 Miles Round London (First edition), J Cary, 1786, Wimbleton]
* [http://www.mappalondon.com Stanford's 1862 Library Map of London and its Suburbs]
** [http://www.mappalondon.com/london/south-west/putney-heath.htm Wimbledon Village & west side of Wimbledon Park]
** [http://www.mappalondon.com/london/south-west/summerstown.htm East side of Wimbledon Park]
* Showing Wimbledon Park House
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