Sutcliffe Park is a public park in
Eltham
Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The thre ...
in the
Royal Borough of Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London boroughs, London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metr ...
in London. It is located west of Eltham town centre, east of
Lee Green, north of
Horn Park and south of
Kidbrooke
Kidbrooke is an area of South East London, England, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich south-east of Charing Cross and north west of Eltham.
The district takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewis ...
.
Park features
A large part of the park is a
local nature reserve and a
Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade II.
The site attracts wildlife such as
dragonflies
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threaten ...
,
damselflies
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...
,
herons
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychu ...
,
little egrets,
kingfishers
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania ...
,
reed warblers and
snipe
A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The '' Gallinago'' snipes have a n ...
.
[ Sutcliffe Park is roughly square in shape and approximately 400m across. The ]River Quaggy
The River Quaggy (often the Quaggy River or simply Quaggy) is a river, in length, passing through the south-east London boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham. In its lower reaches it is an urban river, in its upper reaches further from L ...
meanders through the park, from the southeast corner to the northwest corner.[ The park contains an athletics track, outdoor gym, children's play park, a car park and bicycle locking facilities mostly on the south side, several small lakes on the northwest side, and a larger lake on the northeast side, all close by to the River Quaggy.
]
History
The site was formerly known as Harrow Meadow. It was prone to flooding, and in the 1930s, when the surrounding area was being developed for housing, Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council culverted the River Quaggy and laid out the site as playing fields. It was opened as a park in 1937, named after a former borough engineer. The area around the park still suffered from flooding, and in the 1990s the ground level was lowered in part of the park to hold flood waters, while the river was restored to meander at ground level. The scheme also including re-landscaping of the park to emphasise biodiversity and ecological benefits, with wetland areas and a lake. The park was re-opened in 2004,[ It received a Green Flag award for 2012–13.]parkrun
Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior p ...
.
Access and public transport
There is access from Tudway Road to the north, Eltham Road to the south,[ Kidbrooke Park Road to the west, and Dowding Drive to the east.][ ]Buses
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for ...
, 122 122 may refer to:
*122 (number), a natural number
* AD 122, a year in the 2nd century AD
* 122 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
* ''122'' (film), a 2019 Egyptian psychological horror film
*"One Twenty Two", a 2022 single by the American rock band Bo ...
, 178
Year 178 ( CLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 931 ''Ab urbe cond ...
, 321
Year 321 ( CCCXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crispus and Constantinus (or, less frequently, year 107 ...
, N21 serve the bus stops by the southern fence of the park on Eltham Road, buses 621, and B16 serve other near by bus stops. Kidbrooke railway station is the closest train station located less than a mile to the north of the park.[ Several major A roads are within half a mile of Sutcliffe Park, the South Circular, and the A20 to the south of the park, and the A2 to the northeast.][''Nicholson Greater London Street Atlas Comprehensive Edition'' p 184 (2003) shows park, river and surrounding roads and railway]
References
{{LNRs in Greater London
Parks and open spaces in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Local nature reserves in Greater London
Nature reserves in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Lee, London
Eltham