North Sheen Recreation Ground

North Sheen Recreation Ground, in Dancer Road, Kew, Richmond, London, is a recreation area and the home of Kew Park Rangers Football Club.

North Sheen Recreation Ground
North Sheen Rec, viewed from Dancer Road
TypeMunicipal
LocationLondon
Created1909; extended 1923
Operated byLondon Borough of Richmond upon Thames
StatusOpen all year

History
The sports pavilion clubhouse

North Sheen, in the former Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey),[1] was first marked on maps from 1904.[1] At that time the area was mostly undeveloped and was used to grow fruit and vegetables for market, but by 1920 residential building was underway.[1] North Sheen was incorporated into Kew in 1965 when the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was created.[2]

Opened in June 1909 and extended in 1923, the recreation ground was originally part of an orchard belonging to the Popham Estate, owned by the Leyborne Pophams whose family seat was at Littlecote House, Wiltshire.[3]

During the Second World War the recreation ground was used for allotments and there was an underground public shelter opposite what is now the sports pavilion clubhouse.[4]

Facilities

Known locally as "The Rec", it now contains football pitches, a children's paddling pool, two extensive playgrounds, a large dog-free grassed area and a sports pavilion clubhouse, set amongst trees and shrubs.[3] The clubhouse, which cost £1 million[5] and opened in September 2011,[6] includes a community cafe and a community hall.[7] A new children's adventure playground was opened in 2016,[8] and an outdoor gym for adults in 2017.[9]

Kew Park Rangers
Kew Park Rangers
Full nameKew Park Rangers Football Club
Founded1997
GroundNorth Sheen Recreation Ground
WebsiteClub website

North Sheen Recreation Ground is also home to a local football club for children, Kew Park Rangers, which is a Football Association Charter Standard Community Football Club,[10] the highest level of accreditation under The FA Charter Standard kitemark programme. The club's name is a word play on Queens Park Rangers F.C., a London football team which is also known as QPR.[11]

The club began in 1997 in Westerley Ware, a small park by Kew Bridge.[12][13]

As the crowd of children grew, alongside tournament and further development ambitions, the club decided to become official and registered for the Surrey County Football Association. Richmond Council eventually came up with a team pitch and a move to the North Sheen Recreation Ground[3] was secured. It became Kew Park Rangers Football Club in summer 1999, and continues to grow. In 2015 it was the Football Association's National Charter Standard Community Club of the Year.[13]

The club has a close working relationship with Fulham F.C. and it regularly employs the services of Fulham coaches to assist and support its coaches.[11]

Awards

The recreation ground was given a Green Flag Award in 2018.[14]

See also

References
  1. Mills, A D (2010). A Dictionary of London Place Names, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-956678-X
  2. Blomfield, David (1994). Kew Past. Phillimore & Co. Ltd. p. 131. ISBN 0-85033-923-5.
  3. "North Sheen Recreation Ground". London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 10 October 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  4. Featherstone, Roy (May 2012). "A resident remembers: North Sheen Recreation Ground" (PDF). Circular 19. Antony Roberts. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  5. Mason, Ian (26 September 2009). "Work kicks off on £1 million sports pavilion". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  6. Fleming, Christine (8 September 2011). "Delight as new pavilions finally ready". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  7. "The Clubhouse and Hall". The Pavilion Cafe and Clubhouse. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  8. Ambrose, Tom (13 January 2016). "Former mayor grapples with zip wire at adventure playground opening". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  9. "Kew residents encouraged to get active with free gym classes". Friends of North Sheen Recreation Ground. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  10. "The amazing transformation at North Sheen Rec". Top Corner. London. Football Foundation. 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  11. "About Kew Park Rangers". Kew Park Rangers. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  12. "Westerley Ware Recreation Ground". London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  13. Odling, George (16 June 2016). "Kew Park Rangers chairman Jean-Francois Burford honoured with British Empire Medal". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  14. "Eighteenth borough park to receive Green Flag award" (Press release). London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
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