Published 9th September 2024
We were asked recently where in Chessington you can play tennis. Unfortunately, we had to respond that there are no tennis courts which are in good repair in Chessington.
We have one in King Edward’s Recreation Ground which is in terrible condition and one on Sir Francis Barker Recreation Ground which is also in a state of disrepair.
The good news is that we have been told by Councillor Helen Grocott that the one at King Edward’s has been awarded a Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Grant by the South of the Borough Committee and will be fully refurbished.
The renovations are due to start on 16th of September 2024 and will last approximately 5–6 weeks. This is good news. However, it is just one tennis court. Hopefully, our council will consider refurbishing the one at Sir Francis Barker’s Recreation Ground (by Barwell Lane) sometime soon.
Councillor Grocott also told us that there is a strategy for all the outdoor green spaces used for recreation across the whole of the borough. Included in the strategy document is some interesting history about King Edward’s Recreation Ground.
“Formerly private land in agricultural use, the site was reserved for public open space when the small hamlet of Hook was growing as a result of the new railway line serving Surbiton in the 19th century. Originally called Hook Recreation Ground, it was opened in May 1901 and renamed for the new King, Edward VII. In 1935 an adjoining plot of land to the north was donated and laid out as a rose garden commemorating George V’s Silver Jubilee.”
