The Restoration of Beddington Park

Beddington Park is a 58 ha public open space in the London Borough of Sutton which once formed part of a former Tudor deer park associated with a former Manor House (formerly Beddington Park House but now known as Carew Manor). The Park was transformed during the 18th and 19th centuries with the creation of a designed parkland landscape complete with avenues, specimen trees and engineered water bodies. Broken up and sold off in the mid-C19th, the remaining parkland together with The Grange Gardens and the open spaces along London Road were purchased by the Council in the C20th and opened to the public. Today it represents a locally important resource for heritage, recreation, education and wildlife and forms part of the Wandle Valley Regional Park.

The overall project strategy was to 'Conserve and enhance the historic and nature conservation values of the Park, placing the River Wandle at its heart. The intrinsic qualities of the Park will be revealed and interpreted to convey the complex histories of Beddington Park and the Grange Gardens with visitors and surrounding communities actively engaged in the Park and its future management.'

Since inception in 2013 LUC has led all aspects of the project from HLF Stages I to III including securing the Heritage Lottery funding, planning and faculty consents and appointing a Principal Contractor. LUC led a large design team which included ecologists (in-house), conservation architects, quantity surveyors and hydrological, structural and M&E engineers. LUC worked closely with the client, who provided a knowledgeable understanding of the park and feedback on the design parameters and future uses.

Beddington Park is the most important heritage park in the London Borough of Sutton. The project restores and reveals key features of this historic designed landscape, whilst providing new contemporary facilities. It enables people to connect with their past and their local environment, providing a focus for community events and a model for the future management of public parks.

A comprehensive Conservation Management Plan was compiled and submitted alongside the HLF Stage III bid. This is the baseline evidence and framework for the site masterplan developed to inform the restoration proposals, describing the significance of the site and identifying opportunities and issues. The CMP has been submitted as part of this entry.

A number of important heritage features have been restored and interpreted with special boards to tell the story of the park. This includes The Grange Garden, Smee’s Fernery, the Lake & Rockery, Carew Manor, The Dovecote and the Churchyard Garden.

The landscape masterplan was developed to propose clear improvements to key features of the park. Whilst being spread out, these ensure that every visitor can benefit from the restoration works. Each element was carefully designed to fulfil the project aims and achieve a high quality result.

A dedicated stakeholder group was set up to meet regularly during the course of the project. The group included some genuinely interested members of the public and local groups who helped to shape the proposals and fully understood the design issues that needed resolving. The combination of meetings, workshops and consultation events ensured that everyone was involved in the project and could contribute as desired.

The new playground provides facilities for a wider range of ages and abilities of children. The two building conversions provide a base for volunteers who help to maintain the park and benefit from the social interactions. The planting and trees combine heritage species and contemporary design to provide attractive, low maintenance displays.

The most challenging aspect of the project was the desilting of the lake. This required significant co-ordination and problem solving to ensure it could be completed without causing pollution issues downstream, and within a set budget. Thanks to innovative uses of the silt it was possible to retain this on site rather than sending it off to landfill.

The project has transformed Beddington Park, highlighting its special heritage and promoting the picturesque parkland landscape. It now offers something for people of all ages and abilities, providing everything from quiet relaxation and interaction with nature, to opportunities to learn, be part of the local community, play and be active.