Maryon Park is anurbanpublic park located inCharlton in theRoyal Borough of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom. It is situated on theA206 road south of theThames Barrier, and is accessible from Woolwich Road, Charlton Lane and Thorntree Road. It is part of theMaryon Wilson Park andGilbert's PitLocal Nature Reserve.^[1][2]

Maryon Park
Maryon Park, London
Type	•Public park  •Urban park
Location	Charlton,Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°29′20″N0°02′35″E / 51.489°N 0.043°E /51.489; 0.043
Operated by	Greenwich London Borough Council
Status	Open year round
Website	"Marion Park" (descriptive page on Maryon Park atgreenwich.gov.uk, theGreenwich London Borough Council's official website)

Charlton sandpits, which were originally part of an area known asHanging Wood, were presented to theLondon County Council in 1891 by theMaryon-Wilson family, and one of the pits became Maryon Park.^[3] Another pit becameCharlton Athletic's football stadium,The Valley.^[4]

The park was originally wooded and, together with what is nowMaryon Wilson Park, was known as Hanging Woods.^[5] This was a wild wooded area and formed an ideal retreat forhighwaymen who robbed travellers onShooters Hill andBlackheath. Though it is popularly supposed that the wood was used for hanging those who were caught, a more likely explanation for the name is the wood's location on steep slopes so that the trees appear to hang from the slope. Such woods are often referred to as 'hanging woods'^[6] (the word 'hang' comes from the Old English 'hangra', a wooded slope).^[7]

The park was opened in 1891, withJJ Sexby, then chief surveyor to LCC's parks department, designing serpentine paths around the slopes of the hill.^[8]

The park contains grassland, withhawkweed,gorse andbroom.

The park includes Cox's Mount, which was used by theRomans as ahill fort, which was discovered in 1915. In the 1850s, Cox's Mount was used to help ships on theRiver Thames adjust their compasses.^[9]

The park has hardtennis courts, abasketball court and a children's play area. TheCapital Ring walk andGreen Chain trails both pass through the park.

Adjacent to the park to the south isGilbert's Pit, aSite of Special Scientific Interest. The similarly named Maryon Wilson Park is located south of Gilbert's Pit.^[10]

Several scenes inMichelangelo Antonioni's 1966 filmBlowup were shot in Maryon Park.^[4]

• Database (undated)."Marion Park". Descriptive page on Maryon Park atgreenwich.gov.uk, theGreenwich London Borough Council's official website. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
• Greenwich Guide — Charlton's Parks
• Friends of Maryon and Maryon Wilson Park
• Where Did They Film That? — Location Information