Cottons Park (also known as Cottons Recreational Ground)⁷⁷⁴⁰

Brief Description

Features of Cottons Park include a playground and football/rugby pitches.

History

Cottons Park, originally called Cottons Recreational Ground, takes its name from the estate of the 16th-century landowner, Nicholas Cotton. The land for the park was acquired by Romford UDC from the Cottons family in 1920 and the park was laid out with planting, paths and a bandstand, beyond which to the north and west were playing fields for rugby, soccer and cricket as well as tennis courts. A children's playground and sand pit were located near the main entrance to the east. During World War 2 the land was given over for war-time allotments, public air-raid shelters and a decontamination centre was constructed, which was later converted into a pavilion and café. Six wooden sculptures were installed in 2009 to commemorate six civilians who lost their lives in the park during bombing in October 1940.

Visitor Facilities