| Worcester Park | |
|---|---|
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_32661.jpg) Christ Church with St. Philip, Cheam Common Road, Worcester Park. | |
  Worcester Park Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 16,031 |
| OS grid reference | TQ225655 |
| • Charing Cross | 10.1 mi (16.3 km) NE |
| London borough | |
| District | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WORCESTER PARK |
| Postcode district | KT4 |
| Post town | SUTTON |
| Postcode district | SM3 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°22′31″N0°14′20″W / 51.3752°N 0.2390°W /51.3752; -0.2390 | |
Worcester Park is a suburban town inSouthwest London andSurrey, England. It lies partly in theLondon borough ofSutton and partly in theSurrey borough ofEpsom and Ewell, while itspost town also covers part of theOld Malden district of theRoyal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is 10 miles (16 km) southwest ofCharing Cross. The suburb's population was estimated to be 33,008 at the time of the2011 Census.[1] The suburb comprises the Worcester Parkward, an electoral area of the London Borough of Sutton with a population in 2011 of 11,655,[2] as well as the Cuddington ward, an electoral area of Epsom and Ewell, which had a population of 5,791 at the time of the 2001 census.[3]
The Worcester Parkpost town, which is coterminous with theKT4 postcode district, covers all of the suburb and also extends intoOld Malden. Other neighbouring localites includeKingston,Sutton,New Malden,Motspur Park,Lower Morden,Stoneleigh,Tolworth andWest Ewell.
Worcester Park railway station (London Zone 4,South Western Railway), runs trains intoLondon Waterloo.
Many maps and postal addresses refer to a significant part ofNorth Cheam as Worcester Park, even though they have different postcodes.
TheBeverley Brook runs through Worcester Park, alongside Green Lane and past Green Lane Primary School, traversing up to Cuddington Recreation Ground. The Huntsmans Hall (now The Brook) was situated on what was the far boundary of a hunting ground forHenry VIII.[4]
Worcester Park takes its name from theEdward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, who was appointed Keeper of the Great Park of Nonsuch in 1606.[5] The area was once part of Nonsuch Great Park which covered around 1100 acres and was adjacent to the Little Park which containedNonsuch Palace ofHenry VIII.[6] Both parks were originally used as deer parks. Henry VIII had obtained the land from Sir Richard de Codington.[7]
During the ownership by Sir Richard de Codington, there was a manor house on a site which was later replaced by Worcester House and is now the site of Worcester Close. In 1650, it was valued at £550 per annum.[8] There was also a church of St. Mary on roughly the same site where the church of St Mary the Virgin, Cuddington, now stands.[9]
In 1750, Worcester Park was acquired by William Taylor.[6] He used a mill on the banks of theHogsmill River to continue the manufacture ofgunpowder which had been carried out on and off in the area for several decades.[10] The mills were designed in 1771 byJohn Smeaton.[11] Manufacturing continued until at least 1854 when the mill blew up and heavily damaged the westerly structure.[12]
In 1890 Worcester Park Baptist Church was formed in Longfellow Road. It moved to its present location on The Avenue in the 1950s.[citation needed]
The Worcester Park area was largely rural before the opening of the railway station.[citation needed] The majority of the district was constructed on by housing in the 1920s and 30s. The south of the district was built on in the 1960s following the closure of the Worcester Park Brick Works.[citation needed] Other pockets of 1960/70s development can be seen scattered across the Worcester Park area.
The Hamptons is a mixed development completed in 2021 byBerkeley Group Holdings.[13] It contains mainlyColonial Revival architecture and is located in the northeast of Worcester Park.[14] It was constructed in 30 acres (120,000 m2) of parkland on the former site ofsewage works and its formerlybrackenbuffer.
The estate contains conservation wetlands, an amphitheatre, community centre and gym,tennis courts (for residents) and a viewing platform with views to theCity of London.[13]
The green space is called Mayflower Park which includes the grass amphitheatre for performances and an area of five wetlands as a nature reserve.[15] The park has been open to the public since July 2006.[16]
In 2019, a fire destroyed Richmond House in the Hamptons development leaving 23 families homeless.[17][18] A post event structural survey found that the fire was able to spread at an uncontrollable speed due to multiple breaches of building regulations at design and build level by the developer Berkeley homes.[19] A group of residents brought a £3m claim against the developer which was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.[20]
The developers received multiple awards.[21][citation needed]
| Award | Publication |
|---|---|
| Best Large Development | London Evening Standard New Homes Awards 2011 |
| Best Landscaping | What House? Awards 2011 |
| Best Urban Landscape | New Homes and Garden Awards 2011 |
| Best Development (5 star) | UK Property Awards 2010 |
Rowe Hall or 2nd Cuddington is aScout HQ, next door to Cuddington Primary School. It was built in 1958 and named Rowe Hall in honour of a long serving scout leader, "Miss Ivy Rowe".[citation needed] This headquarters was erected after the previous building was destroyed by arsonists and still serves the 2nd Cuddington (Rowe) Scout Group. Miss Rowe was the third-form teacher at Blakesley School, a private primary school owned by Mr and Mrs Eric Dudley, and highly esteemedAkela of the 2nd Cuddington (Blakesley) Cub pack from its founding in the early 1940s to the 1960s.[citation needed]
Presumed to be one of the residences of the 4th Earl of Worcester, the house was on the site of Linden Bridge School on what is now the border between Worcester Park and Tolworth near the intersection of Grafton Road and Cromwell Road.[22]
Surrounding areas of London and Surrey | |
|---|---|
In 2011, around 78% of residents of Worcester Park ward wereWhite, with 3.6%mixed race, 4.8%Asian orBritish Asian, 2.0%Black and 3.3%Chinese or of anotherethnic group.[citation needed]
Worcester Park has 8primary schools andnurseries.[23]
Cheam Common Infants andjunior school are pre-World War II school buildings.Air raid shelters were found underground during an extension to the main building of the junior school.[citation needed] The school is located at the top of the high street.
Dorchester Primary School is situated on Dorchester Road in the north of Worcester Park.
Cuddington School is a primary school on Salisbury Road in the south of the district, near the border withStoneleigh.
Green Lane Nursery and Primary School opened in 2018 on Green Lane for pupils aged 3 to 11 as part of the Coombe Academy Trust.[24]
Malden Parochial CofE Primary School is on The Manor Drive nearMalden Manor Railway Station.
St Cecilia's Catholic Primary School is on the edge of Worcester Park where Clarkes Avenue meets theA24.
The Mead Infant and Nursery School is on Cuddington Avenue.
Linden Bridge School is a special school, part of The Howard Partnership Trust, for pupils range from ages 4 to 19.[25] Located on Grafton Road, in the south-west of the district, in Epsom and Ewell.
Worcester Park is the site of the enormous launch structure built to pioneer crewed flight in the short story "The Argonauts of the Air" byH. G. Wells, written in 1895.[26]
Central Road (A2043), roughly half a mile in length forms the focal point of Worcester Park. It hosts a number of shops, stores, banks, estate agents, building societies, solicitors, restaurants, pubs, and coffee bars. The largest store is a branch of theWaitrose supermarket chain.[citation needed]
Along with neighbouring North Cheam, Worcester Park was a beneficiary of the Mayor of London's "Outer London Fund".[27]
It won nearly £2m for improvements to the local area.Sutton Council begun a collaborative project, steered by Councillors and community stakeholders, to spend the money on making improvements to the public realm and supporting the development and growth of businesses in the town centres.[citation needed]
Sutton Council's bid for the money stated that: "In The London Plan, London's Mayor recognises the strategic importance of supporting town centres as key locations for a diverse range of activities. Town centres are key nodes for effective land use and transport integration, a focus for local communities, enhance quality of life, and are key focal points for regeneration initiatives. Both Worcester Park and North Cheam are recognised as part of a network of District Centres in London by the Mayor. In this way, they play an important role in the Borough [of Sutton]. Their development is also strategic: the long term growth strategy for Sutton identified in Sutton's Core Strategy, identifies both as ‘Centres for Intensification’ where renewal will largely be achieved through residential and mixed use development." It also notes that: "Network Rail are willing to build on plans to make enhancements to Worcester Park Station, working with the Council to make a welcoming and distinctive arrival to Worcester Park."[28]
Worcester Park railway station is in Zone 4, served by theNational Rail services ofSouth Western Railway and is on the boundary with theRoyal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
The railway line runs fromLondon Waterloo, viaWimbledon and Worcester Park toEpsom,Dorking andGuildford. Worcester Park is approximately a 25-minute journey to London Waterloo by train with trains typically running every 30 minutes during the day.
There are multiple bus services that run through Worcester Park.
| Route Number | Start of Route | End of Route | AcceptsOyster card? | Operator | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 151 | Worcester Park | Wallington | Yes | London General | 10 mins[29] |
| 213 | Kingston | Sutton | Yes | London General | 10 mins24/7[30] |
| S3 | Malden Manor station | Belmont | Yes | Quality Line | 20 mins[31] |
| SL7 | Heathrow Airport | West Croydon bus station | Yes | London General | 30 mins[32] |
| 613 | Tolworth | Glenthorne High School | Yes | London United | School Bus Service; operates only during term times[33] |
| 627 | Worcester Park | Woodcote Green | Yes | Arriva London | School Bus Service; operates only during term times[34] |
| 868 | Worcester Park | St Joseph's SchoolRosebank | Unknown | Edward Thomas and Son | School Bus Service; operates only during term times[35] |
See alsoList of King George V Playing Fields (Surrey) under the entry for Worcester Park.
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