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Prior to 1846, the area now covered by the park was known as Battersea fields, a popular spot for
In 1951 the northern parts of the park were transformed into the "Pleasure Gardens" as part of the
Battersea Park is a 200-acre (83-hectare) green space at
.
Battersea
Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park.
Hist ...
in the London Borough of Wandsworth
Wandsworth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South West (London sub region), South West London, England. It forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main communities are Battersea, Balham, P ...
in London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
opposite Chelsea and was opened in 1858.
The park occupies marshland reclaimed from the Thames and land formerly used for market gardens. The park is Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
{{R from move ...
{{R from move ...History
Prior to 1846, the area now covered by the park was known as Battersea fields, a popular spot for duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
ling. On 21 March 1829, the Wellington–Winchilsea duel
The Wellington-Winchilsea Duel took place on 21 March 1829 at Battersea, then in Surrey on the outskirts of London. It was a bloodless duel fought between the British Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke ...
took place when the Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Duke of Wellington
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
and the Earl of Winchilsea
Earl of Winchilsea is a title in the Peerage of England. It has been held by the Finch-Hatton family of Kent, and united with the title of Earl of Nottingham under a single holder since 1729.
The Finch family is believed to be descended from He ...
met on Battersea fields to settle a matter of honour. When it came time to fire, the duke aimed his duelling pistol
A duelling pistol is a type of pistol that was manufactured in matching pairs to be used in a duel, when duels were customary. Duelling pistols are often single-shot flintlock or percussion black-powder pistols which fire a lead ball. Not all fin ...
wide and Winchilsea fired his into the air. Winchilsea later wrote the duke a groveling apology.
Separated from the river by a narrow raised causeway, the fields consisted of low, fertile marshes intersected by streams and ditches with the chief crops being carrots, melons, lavender (all the way up to Lavender Hill
The A3036 is an A roads in Great Britain, A road in London, England, running from Waterloo, London, Waterloo to Wandsworth.
Route
It starts at the southern tip of the County Hall roundabout where the A302 road, A302 Westminster Bridge, York ...
) and the famous 'Battersea Bunches' of asparagus.
Running along the riverside from the fields were industrial concerns and wharves, including a pottery, copper works, lime kiln, chemical works, and, increasingly, railways. The site of Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) to the design of ...
was partly occupied by the famously bawdy Red House Tavern, patronised by Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
. Access was via the rickety wooden Battersea Bridge
Battersea Bridge is a five-span arch bridge with cast-iron girders and granite piers crossing the River Thames in London, England. It is situated on a sharp bend in the river, and links Battersea south of the river with Chelsea to the north. ...
or by ferry from the Chelsea bank.
In 1845, spurred partly by the local vicar and partly by Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt (25 February 1788 – 20 December 1855) was a British master builder, notable for his employment in developing many of the historic streets and squares of London, especially in Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury.
Background
The s ...
, the builder and developer, whose yards were across the river in the still marshy and undeveloped area of Pimlico
Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...
, a bill was submitted to Parliament to form a royal park of 320 acres. The Battersea Park Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. 38) was passed in 1846 and £200,000 was promised for the purchase of the land. The Commission for Improving the Metropolis acquired 320 acres of Battersea fields, of which 198 acres became Battersea Park, opened in 1858, and the remainder was let on building leases.
The park was laid out by Sir James Pennethorne
Sir James Pennethorne (4 June 1801 – 1 September 1871) was a British architect and planner, particularly associated with buildings and parks in central London.
Life
Early years
Pennethorne was born in Worcester, and travelled to London i ...
between 1846 and 1864, although the park which was opened in 1858 varied somewhat from Pennethorne's vision.
The park's success depended on the successful completion of the Chelsea Bridge
Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank, and split between the City of Westminster, the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kensin ...
, declared open in 1858 by Queen Victoria. In her honour, the road alongside the eastern edge of the park was called Victoria Road, linked to Queens Road by Victoria Circus (now Queen's Circus). Victoria Road and Queens Road later became Queenstown Road. Prince of Wales Road (now Prince of Wales Drive) was laid out along the southern boundary and Albert Bridge Road constructed along the western side. The park came under the management of the newly formed London County Council in 1889.
The park hosted the first exhibition football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
game played under the rules of the recently formed Football Association
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
on 9 January 1864. The members of the teams were chosen by the President of the FA ( A. Pember) and the Secretary ( E. C. Morley) and included many well-known footballers of the day.
From the 1860s, the park was home to the leading amateur football team Wanderers F.C.
Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at ...
, winners of the first FA Cup, in 1872. The park also hosted the historic London v Sheffield football match in March 1866.
In 1924, the 24th Division War Memorial by Eric Kennington
Eric Henri Kennington (12 March 1888 – 13 April 1960) was an English sculptor, artist and illustrator, and an official British official war artists, war artist in both of the world wars.
As a war artist, Kennington specialised in depictions ...
was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer
Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer (13 March 1857 – 16 July 1932) was a senior British Army officer who fought in the First World War, being perhaps most notable for commanding the Second Army of the British Exp ...
and the Anglican Bishop of Southwark
The Bishop of Southwark ( ) is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.
Cyril Garbett
Cyril Forster Garbett (6 February 1875 – 31 December 1955) was an Anglican bishop and author. He was successively Bishop of Southwark (1919–32), Bishop of Winchester (1932–42) and Archbishop of York (1942–55).
Early life
Garbett was ...
. It commemorates the over 10,000 men killed or listed as "missing presumed dead" whilst serving with the British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
's 24th Division. It is now Grade II* listed.
During both wars, anti-aircraft guns and barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision with hostile aircraft, making the atta ...
s were installed to help protect London from enemy air raids. Shelters were dug, part of the park was turned over to allotments for much needed vegetables and a pig farm was also set up. Maintenance of the park was reduced as the war effort
War effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and civilian—towards the support of a military force, particular during a state of war. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative si ...
took priority.
On 16 September 1978, Battersea Park hosted a punk rock concert featuring The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the ...
and several guests, among them Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
and The Skids
Skids are a Scottish punk rock and New wave music, new wave band, formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson (guitar, keyboards, percussion and backing vocals), William Simpson (bass guitar and backing vocals), Tom Kellichan, Thomas Kelli ...
. "The Stranglers booked some strippers to up the show's visual aspect," recalled photographer Barry Plummer. "But some of the lads in the audience got a bit carried away and also stripped completely naked. Eventually the police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
were called and took down all of the young ladies' particulars."
British artist Marion Coutts recreated Battersea, along with Regent's and Hyde Park as a set of asymmetrical ping-pong
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
tables for her interactive installation ''Fresh Air'' (1998–2001).
The 1996 film ''101 Dalmatians 101 Dalmatians may refer to:
* '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1956 novel written by Dodie Smith
* 101 Dalmatians (franchise), a Disney film franchise based on the novel
** '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1961 animated film based on ...
'' was filmed at Battersea Park; it stands in for St James Park.
In 2015 and 2016, Battersea Park hosted the London ePrix
The London ePrix is an annual race of the open-wheel car, single-seater, Electric car, electrically powered Formula E championship, held in London, United Kingdom. It was first raced in the 2014–15 Formula E season, 2014–15 season until the ...
, a round of the FIA Formula E World Championship
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...
. The Battersea Park Street Circuit was a 2.925km (1.818 mi) track constructed around the park with 17 corners, including tight chicanes and hairpins. Eventually, the FIA removed it from the championship calendar in 2016 due to opposition from local residents and legal pressures.
The Festival Gardens
In 1951 the northern parts of the park were transformed into the "Pleasure Gardens" as part of the Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951.
Labour Party cabinet member Herbert Morrison was the prime mover; in 1947 he started with the ...
celebrations. As well as a new water-garden and fountains, new features included a "Tree-Walk", which consisted of a series of raised wooden walkways linked by tree house
A tree house, tree fort or treeshed, is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a ha ...
-like platforms suspended between the branches of a number of trees.
Popular attractions included the Guinness Clock, designed by Jan Le Witt and George Him
George Him (4 August 1900 – 4 April 1982) was a Polish-born British designer responsible for a number of notable posters, book illustrations and advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients.
Biography
Him was born Jerzy Himmelfarb in 190 ...
, and the Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway.
Battersea Funfair
Another part of the transformation was the addition of Battersea Funfair, withroller coaster
A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
s, swings, roundabouts and other attractions.
The funfair's leading attraction was the roller coaster ride, known as The Big Dipper, which opened in 1951. It was of wooden construction and suffered a major fire in 1970. It was closed after five children were killed and 13 injured in the Battersea Park funfair disaster on 30 May 1972 when one of the trains became detached from the haulage rope, rolling back to the station (the anti-rollback mechanism having failed) and colliding with the other train.
After the closure, the "Jetstream" ride was sold to Trusthouse Forte, the then owners of Belle Vue Zoological Gardens
Belle Vue Zoological Gardens was a large zoo, amusement park, exhibition hall complex, and Motorcycle speedway, speedway stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester, England, that opened in 1836. The brainchild of John Jennison, the gardens were initially ...
in Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. A night scene at the funfair, which was ghostly and empty, featured in the opening title scene for the 1960s television series ''Journey to the Unknown
''Journey to the Unknown'' is a British anthology television series, produced by Hammer Film Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. It aired on ABC from September 26, 1968, to January 30, 1969.Pump House Gallery, which is housed in a four-storey 
Friends of Battersea ParkMap of the parkBattersea Park Children's ZooThe Battersea Society
on themagiceye at Joyland
History of Battersea Park
{{Authority control 1858 establishments in England Festival of Britain Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Wandsworth Parks and open spaces on the River Thames Local nature reserves in Greater London Battersea Defunct amusement parks in England World's fair sites in England Grade II* listed parks and gardens in London
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
Victorian tower. It is owned by Wandsworth Council
On the western side there are two cricket pitches, home to the King's Road Cricket & Social Club. The club, whose members wear distinctive orange caps, can be seen playing at weekends.
The park is the site of the London Peace Pagoda
A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa: a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II ...
, erected in 1985. A Buddhist monk looks after the pagoda on a daily basis. A replica of the bronze statue of a dog that was the focal point of the historic vivisection-related Brown Dog affair
The Brown Dog affair was a political controversy about vivisection that raged in Britain from 1903 until 1910. It involved the infiltration of University of London medical lectures by Swedish feminists, battles between medical students and the ...
was erected here in 1985. It was moved in 1994 to the Woodland Walk, near the Old English Garden.
In 2002–4 the park underwent a £11 million refurbishment funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
and was re-opened on 2 June 2004 by Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
.
In 2007, a Dog Walk of Fame was inaugurated in the park.
The Winter Garden, next to Albert Bridge Road, was commissioned by the Friends of Battersea Park and designed by Dan Pearson Studios. It was opened by Mayor Boris Johnson on 3 March 2011, at which he unveiled a plaque designed by Steve Bunn of the RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
Sculpture School.
In 1871, James Robert Pulham constructed "Waterfalls, Rocky stream, nd aCave for shady seat on the peninsula and in other parts of the Park" in his patented anthropic rock Pulhamite. It was the first example of this unique rock landscape in a London Park. The waterfalls have not been running into the lake since the 1980s due to natural degradation and difficulties with providing energy to the pumps.
In 2011, a sculpture commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, ''After 9/11'', was unveiled by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
.
In 2012, the park hosted one of the seven national Foodies Festivals on 17–19 August. Masterclasses were performed by chefs such as Levi Roots and Ed Baines
Edward "Ed" Baines is an English chef best known for being a judge on '' Britain's Best Dish'' and for being an alternate chef on '' Sunday Feast'' with Paul Merrett. He trained in The River Café in London and his flagship restaurant is Rand ...
, with burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
shows, restaurant tents, city beaches and pop-up cinemas.
Battersea Park Nature Areas
A narrow strip along the eastern edge of the park and two smaller nearby areas have been designated the Battersea Park Nature Areas Local Nature Reserve, with an area of three hectares. They have a variety of woodland bird species including blackcap and bullfinch. There are 20 species of butterfly and several of stag beetle. Other invertebrate species include the hoverfly ''Volucella zonaria
''Volucella zonaria'', the hornet mimic hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly. These flies are capable of buzz pollination.
Distribution
This species is present in most of Europe, in Tunisia, Iran, Russia (to Far East) and in Mongolia.
In Great Br ...
''.
Nearby railway and underground stations
*Battersea Park railway station
Battersea Park is a suburban railway station in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London. It is at the junction of the South London line and the Brighton Main Line (although the physical connection between the lines has been removed), ...
* Queenstown Road railway station
* Battersea Power Station tube station
Battersea Power Station is a London Underground station in Battersea, London, which forms the terminus of the Northern line extension to Battersea.
The station, partially funded by the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, serves the redev ...
References
Further reading
* * * *External links
Friends of Battersea Park
on themagiceye at Joyland
History of Battersea Park
{{Authority control 1858 establishments in England Festival of Britain Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Wandsworth Parks and open spaces on the River Thames Local nature reserves in Greater London Battersea Defunct amusement parks in England World's fair sites in England Grade II* listed parks and gardens in London