Type Municipal Created 1909; extended 1923 | Location London Status Open all year | |
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Operated by London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Operator London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Similar Westerley Ware, The Barn Church - Kew, North Sheen railway st, Kneller Gardens, West Hall - Kew | ||
North Sheen Recreation Ground, in Dancer Road, Kew, Richmond, London, is a recreation area and the home of Kew Park Rangers Football Club.
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History
North Sheen, in the former Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey), was first marked on maps from 1904. 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. North Sheen was incorporated into Kew in 1965 when the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was created.
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.
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.
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. The clubhouse, which cost £1 million and opened in September 2011, includes a community cafe and a community hall. A new adventure playground was opened in 2016.
Kew Park Rangers
North Sheen Recreation Ground is also home to a local football club for children, Kew Park Rangers [1], which is a Football Association Charter Standard [2] Community Football Club, 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.
The club began in 1997 in Westerley Ware, a small park by Kew Bridge.
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 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.
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.