Boating Lake in Harrow Lodge Park

Image: © Marathon Taken: 9 Mar 2016

Harrow Lodge Park was formally the Manor of Maylards Green and Wybridge. The original name is derived from the Mayloor family who held the manor in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Wybridge River was a tributary of the Beam River. By 1799 the estate included Wybridge as well as Maylards. In 1849 Maylards Farm consisted of 165 acres and Wybridge Farm 276 acres. Both farms survived until the Elm Park area was developed after the First World War. The park was developed for public use in the 1900s. Some of the land was used for food production during the Second World War and after the War the Council worked to transform the park. A comprehensive plan was prepared in the late 1940s. A disused pit was filled in with waste material, and the boating lake was formed between 1954 and 1956 by damming the River Ravensbourne. A full account can be seen at http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=HVG020 This view is from the bridge carrying the path which divides the two halves of the lake.

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