Mountsfield Park, Lewisham
"Mountsfield Park was opened as a public park in 1903. It was originally the estate of Sir Henry Stainton, a renowned entomologist and contemporary of Charles Darwin. When the park opened there were numerous buildings remaining from the estate, all of which have now been demolished."
The park was originally only 2.5 hectares in size, however it has grown incrementally in size as new land has been acquired. Land was purchased from Charlton Football Club, who had moved to Hither Green in 1921.They didn't spend more than one season there, finding the pitch to be unsuitable because of its sloping nature, however this area is still used for football. In 1924 6 acres of former allotment land was purchased from Trinity College and by 1933 the park had increased to 28 acres in size. World War 2 saw the bombing of a row of houses on the South side of George Lane and rather than rebuild them the land was incorporated into the park. Finally, in 1994 a portion of Catford Boys Playing field, along Stainton Road, became available and this is now incorporated.
CURRENT SITUATION
Mountsfield Park is now 13.4 hectares in size and boasts superb views across South London from its upper reaches. The park has wide, sweeping grassed areas, divided by avenues of trees. The park lies on a considerable slope. A recently refurbished children's playground, lies in the upper part of the park. There are also 3 ball courts, including a basketball court, also recently refurbished. There is a large grassed area set aside for football training, though it lacks a formal pitch. The park attracts a wide audience from the local area who congregate there for the annual Lewisham Peoples Day, a multi cultural event. This event is held over one weekend of the year and can attract up to 30,000 visitors per annum. However for the remainder of the year the park is relatively underused, considering it's size. The park is most frequently used by dog walkers and families using the children's playground. Research has indicated that fear of crime, lack of interesting 'things to do' and basic facilities such as a cafe and toilet facilities are keeping people away from what could be the 'jewel in the crown' of Lewisham's parks. The overall Master Plan for restoration of the park addresses the issues of new buildings and proposals have been made for a new community building, which will include a cafe, community meeting facilities as well as changing rooms. The latter will encourage greater sports use of the park. Some restoration work has already been carried out by LB Lewisham, as part of the overall regeneration of the park, notably in the installation on new entrance gates on Carswell Road which feature a design based on moths, reflecting Mountsfield's history as home of entomologist, Sir Henry Stainton. A set of steps has been installed, leading from the gate to the upper part of the park. A regime of new tree planting has been undertaken, including the planting of a small willow carr on the west side of the park."
This text is a part of the Access Plan, The Site Historical Context, pg2, prepared for London Borough of Lewisham By Alex Robb of Land Use Consultants May 2005.
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