Coram's Fields is a seven acre

urban open space In land-use planning, urban green spaces are open-space areas reserved for parks and other "green spaces." These include plant life, water features also known as blue spaces and other kinds of natural environments. Most urban open spaces a ...

in the Kings Cross area of the

London Borough of Camden The London Borough of Camden () is a London boroughs, borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former Metropolitan boroughs of the Cou ...

. Adults are only permitted to enter if accompanied by children.

History

The park is situated on the former site of the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

, established by

Thomas Coram Sea captain, Captain Thomas Coram ( – 29 March 1751) was an English sea captain and philanthropist who created the London Foundling Hospital in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, to look after abandoned children on the streets of London. It is ...

in what was then named Lamb's Conduit Field in 1739. In the 1920s The Foundling Hospital was relocated outside London to Ashlyns School in

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, and the site was earmarked for redevelopment. However, a campaign organised by

Janet Trevelyan Janet Penrose Trevelyan, CH (''née'' Ward; 6 November 1879 – 7 September 1956) was a British writer, social campaigner, and fundraiser. Biography Trevelyan was born Janet Penrose Ward in Oxford on 6 November 1879. She was the daughter of a ...

and fundraising by local residents and a donation from Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere led to the creation of the current park that opened in 1936.

Services and facilities

Coram's Fields provides services for children and young people in the local community, including an after school and holiday programme, a sports programme, a youth centre and an early years programme which includes a nursery and drop-in. The park includes three eight-a-side football pitches, two tennis courts, a stickball field, a basketball court, a children's

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

, sand pits, a pets corner and a

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

Neighbourhood

To the west is Brunswick Square, and to the east is Mecklenburgh Square (bordered by Goodenough College to the south), two historical London squares. To the north is the Thomas Coram Foundation and St George's Gardens. To the south are Guilford Street and

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS F ...

. The

Thomas Coram Foundation for Children The Thomas Coram Foundation for Children is a large children's charitable organization, charity in London operating under the name Coram. It was founded by eighteenth-century philanthropist Captain Thomas Coram who campaigned to establish a cha ...

(the successor charity to the Foundling Hospital) and the Foundling Museum housing the art collections of the former Hospital, are based in buildings nearby.

Management and planning designations

Coram's Fields is owned and run by an independent

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

, officially named Coram's Fields and the Harmsworth Memorial Playground. Coram's Fields, and Brunswick and Mecklenburgh Squares are jointly listed Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

References

External links

{{official website, http://www.coramsfields.org/ Buildings and structures completed in 1936 Urban public parks Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Camden City farms in London Foundling Hospital Grade II listed parks and gardens in London