Wandsworth Park

About

Wandsworth Park is a Grade II listed public urban park on the banks of the River Thames in the London Borough of Wandsworth, situated between Putney and Wandsworth town centres.

Geography: The park covers 8.1 hectares (20 acres) and is on the embanked southern bank of the Tideway. It has a central 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres) playing field in an oval of paths.

History: The land occupied by the park was allotments until 1897. It was purchased for £33,000 by London County Council, Wandsworth District Board, and by public subscription. After being laid out by Lt. Col. J. J. Sexby, a horticulturist and London County Council’s then Superintendent of Parks, the park opened on Saturday, 28 February 1903. The Friends of Wandsworth Park is a community organisation set up in 2014 to improve and sustain the park and manage the formal garden areas.

Features: Two pieces from the Putney Sculpture Trail by Alan Thornhill are in the park: Nexus is on the southern side by Putney Bridge Road and Pygmalion is on the north-eastern riverside near the entrance to Prospect Quay. There are two Victorian stink pipes to provide ventilation for Joseph Bazalgette's sewer system. A new riverside...