TREASURE DESCRIPTION: The River Wandle runs through the southern end of this 6.68 open space which was part of an important 17th and 18th Centuries industrial area.
The Park is what remains of the Ravensbury Park Estate which can be traced back to the Manor of Ravensbury in the Middle Ages. Fragments of the 18th Century Ravensbury House, parts of which it is believed dated back to those earlier times, are all that remain of this once grand house, though illustrations do exist. A calico and printing works were situated close to the River and existed from the late 17th Century until it closed in the 1860s. All that remains of the works is a red brick wall running parallel to the River and can be clearly seen. The large open space in the Park has traces of parallel water courses dug 300 years ago to create the calico bleaching grounds. Some trees planted mid-18th Century can be seen in the Park, including a 30m tall London Plane. Ravensbury Mill (another Wandle Treasure) is situated at the Morden Road end of the Park.
These treasures were made as part of The Building Exploratory, Wandle Treasures project. This project was part of the wider Living Wandle Landscape Partnership Scheme, funded by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
