West Ham Park’s Hidden Histories
About this record
Nestled in bustling Newham, West Ham Park boasts 77 acres of greenery, managed by the City of London Corporation for public use since 1874, that’s 150 years this year. We wanted to hear from people that have used the park over the years and share these to create a walking tour and art event and create new memories together in the park inviting all ages including families to create public art in June 2024. We will also hold a sharing event with a short film and discussion, a chance to collectively dig deeper into our community’s memories and learn from each other.
West Ham Park’s origins trace back to the Upton House estate, when West Ham was part of Essex not London. One notable resident of the grounds was social reformer Elizabeth Fry. While privately owned the grounds have been expanded and changed by various owners, including the creation of the renowned botanical garden ( The Ornamental Garden) started by Dr John Fothergill in the 1760s who sometimes accepted plants as payment from patients. Though much of the plant collection and botanical drawings were sold to ‘Catherine the Great’ empress of Russia, when he died. His tree collection and the glasshouses remained.
One of the oldest Ginkgo Biloba trees alive in the UK, was planted here by Fothergill in 1763. Other notable trees include the monkey puzzle and Yucca.
The Friends of West Ham park have created a tree trail so you can explore further: https://friendsofwesthampark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/west-ham-park-tree-trails-leaflet-1.pdf
Once home to Upton Park FC, the park has witnessed historic moments, including the first-ever FA Cup goal in 1871. Upton Park FC represented Great Britain in the 1900 Olympics, and won. This was commemorated in a remembrance event with the modern teams Upton Park FC and Clapham Rovers FC in 2017 with a pause of play at the 11th minute marking the historic first ever FA cup goal by Jarvis Kenrick of Clapham Rovers FC.
Ham House, previously Upton House was demolished in 1872 but one remnant still stands, the cairn in the ornamental garden.
There are eight lodges in the Park for staff, the oldest two built in the 1880’s are East Lodge and Park Cottage, the rest are from the 1940s and 50s built to replace those destroyed in bombing during the second world war.
Nicola recalls living in south lodge with her friend, a long-time park keeper, after she had returned to the UK after living abroad.
It was a really surreal experience because you’re in a place where the public dwells on a day to day basis, but it’s your home… at the end of the day the public’s gone and I still had access to the park.. It’s really different when the gates are closed…That place has its own sort of life, even though it’s within Newham, but when you’re in the park you can feel like you’re in a little bubble.
The house is really nice inside, it’s got a lot of its original features, the fireplace and stuff like that. And when you’re inside you sort of get a sense of who might have lived at the property, what they were like. At one point I thought it was haunted I'm not gonna lie [laughs]...I thought my god it’s old, and it’s on its own, there’s no neighbours, it's detached. So you don’t hear people [neighbours] but you still hear a lot! Honestly I thought it was haunted… [laughs] but that adds to its character and gives it that part of its history.
The nursery and greenhouses had produced over 200,000 plants each year for outdoor spaces managed by the City of London, even for state occasions and banquets hosted by the City of London Corporation. The Nursery and glasshouses are no longer in use, and have fallen into disrepair having been deemed economically unviable and decommissioned by City of London corporation around a decade ago. With intentions to ‘sell’ this land (999 year lease) to developers strongly opposed by community groups including the Friends of West Ham Park.
Bryan talks about his involvement in the park’s decision making.
Being a councillor for 25 years I needed to do a lot of things in that period of time including being a member of the Open Spaces and West Ham Park Committee, because West Ham Park isn’t owned by Newham it’s owned by the City Of London…Newham Council is represented by having a space on the Open Spaces and West Ham Park Committee… being there to be part and parcel of the representation of the management of the park as a local councillor and as an ordinary person with his family…
Bryan talks about the ongoing dispute around the nursery site that had been happening during his time on the committee:
…are we gonna pull down the nursery are we gonna pull down the old pitch there, are we gonna build a block of apartments there.. are we gonna put a steakhouse there. These were all things rolling through, people who were coming from Vauxhall who run a wonderful steakhouse down there, for alternative people, come up to say yeah we will put forward, and there was plans and meetings and blah blah blah and we’re still as we are with West Ham park, the children still come in, the people go down there on a sunny day it is lovely to see.
The Friends of West Ham Park are leading the ‘Trees not Towers’ campaign to uphold the original aims of the park’s creation as being for the public to enjoy as a green space.
Today, West Ham Park offers a lot of recreational opportunities, from the children’s playground with lots of equipment for a wide range of ages and abilities including accessible play equipment for wheelchair users. The sports facilities are fantastic with cricket nets as well as maintained cricket grounds, tennis courts and football pitches. Nearby school groups regularly walk there to use the football grounds and school sports days are even held here.
A natural stream was channelled to create a large pond in the Ornamental Gardens. However, over time the stream dried up, although the bridge still remains intact.
There used to be a modern paddling pool until it was closed a few years ago.
Zeba talks about how it was a highlight of her summer as a 90s child.
During every summer when it’s like the hottest temperature the swimming pool would be open to all the kids. Before then we would have to pay to go to a swimming pool, and since the seaside is costly and is far away it was practically close to what we have to like going in the ocean.
A lot has been invested into the facilities including the children’s playground with a lot of new equipment to replace worn equipment that was starting to become dangerous, so it’s now all in working order. One iconic piece of equipment, the much loved orange monkey swings were kept in the new revamped playground, but as static features not swings, only one still remains.
There’s plenty of volunteering opportunities such as at the ornamental and vegetable gardens as well as with the friends of WHP who also undertake a monthly bird survey.
The Friends of West Ham Park are a dedicated and welcoming working group of volunteers, they organise cultural events throughout the year, make bids for improvements and represent the park’s community stakeholders among other things. Some events they organise include out of hours events such as bat walks, nature trails, stargazing, concerts and much more including Newham’s biggest leaf pile, where local children contribute to and play in the metres high autumn leaf pile before the leaves are removed.
De shed in de park – a commemorative research project for Windrush day led by Des Blake is about an old wooden victorian structure affectionately called de Shed that was located in West Ham Park…
...as a haven for Black and other young people who lived in Stratford and the surrounding area. Often they could not walk in safety as they would be attacked by some of the local indigenous people. The Shed was a place of safety in numbers and a very important hub where Black people could meet, socialise and swap stories of journeys, adventures and experiences. The Shed is no longer existing but the memory lives in our minds and was essential for some of our Windrush generation.
Des explains more in the Voices of Change and The Hackney and Newham History Social Club Podcast by Immediate Theatre on the episode ‘Moving East: This is Us’. He says that the wooden structure they called de shed was burned down in what was believed to be an arson attack by the national front, instead of replacing it, metal shelters were constructed as an alternative, but that these just weren’t the same.
The full podcast can be listened to here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1eo4MdwkjEVEWXIQTrqqSa
People we spoke to reported feeling safe in the park, and haven’t experienced anything threatening there. But not to shy away from the rare but extremely tragic events that have occurred there in relatively recent years. In December 2016 a young man in his 20s was found dead, hung in a tree, police didn’t treat it as suspicious. Sunday July 9 2023, 16 year old Rahaan Ahmed Amin was stabbed at West Ham Park and later died of his injuries. A 16-year-old boy was charged with his murder.
The park is also closed as a precaution against falling branches or trees when wind speeds exceed 40kmph.
The park’s size and layout has changed over the years before it became a public park. One notable chunk missing is the area previously called The Cedars, and before that the Drill Ground now belongs to the Army Reserve Centre who still keep ‘The Cedars’ as their address.
Green Flag. Image by friends of West Ham Park 2022
West Ham park brings communities together and has won both the Green Flag award and Green Heritage Site Accreditation in 2022/23, and has done so for around 20 years thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers.
“The Green Flag Award® scheme recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.”
https://www.greenflagaward.org/about-the-award/what-is-the-green-flag-award/
Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England, is given in recognition of achieving the required standard in the management and interpretation of a site with local or national historic importance.
West Ham Park has been a gathering place through the decades.
Such as this remembrance event in 1943.
In 2023 West Ham Park marked the start of Eid al-Adha with a prayer gathering.
Resources
https://maps.nls.uk/ Maps reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/
https://wellcomecollection.org
https://www.newhamwindrushday.org/events/da-shed-in-da-park/
Voices of Change, Hackney and Newham HIstory Social Club
https://open.spotify.com/show/1eo4MdwkjEVEWXIQTrqqSa
Sincere thanks to contributors:
For their time kindly sharing their personal stories:
Nicola Maamari
Bryan Collier
Nargis Qayyum
Zeba Qayyum
From Friends of West Ham Park:
Nicky Brown
From The City of London Corporation, through which West Ham Park is managed:
Ciaran O’Keefe
Stella Fox
Ricky O’Garro
Additional record details
- Type: PhotographsWriting
- Date created: May 2024
- Location: West Ham Park
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