Ravensbury Park

Ravensbury Park lies in Mitcham, within the London Borough of Merton. The park covers seven hectares and holds Local Nature Reserve status. The River Wandle forms its southern edge and the site sits inside the Upper Wandle River Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. Ravensbury Manor once stood here in the thirteenth century. By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a calico mill and pleasure gardens occupied the ground. The park’s origins as public space began in 1929 when Mitcham, Merton and Morden Councils bought part of the old gardens. Ravensbury Park opened on 10 May 1930. Some trees still standing are about two hundred years old. Later sections were turned into a nature reserve with a riverside walk beside the Wandle. Wetland birds, extensive woodland and varied wildlife habitats can be found throughout the park. Visitors enter from Morden Road, Bishopsford Road or Wandle Road. A calm riverside path follows the Wandle through the reserve. Woodland glades and open meadows offer quiet spots to sit. The contrast between historic trees and modern conservation areas gives the park its character. Families use the open spaces while birdwatchers watch wetland species along the riverbank.