Maryon Park

Maryon Park is an urban public park located in Charlton in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is situated on the A206 south of the Thames Barrier. There is access from Woolwich Road, Charlton Lane and Thorntree Road. It is part of the Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit Local Nature Reserve.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Maryon Wilson Park.
Maryon Park
Maryon Park, London
Type • Public park
 • Urban park
LocationCharlton, Greenwich,
London, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates51.489°N 0.043°E / 51.489; 0.043
Operated byGreenwich London Borough Council
StatusOpen year round
Website"Marion Park" (descriptive page on Maryon Park at greenwich.gov.uk, the Greenwich London Borough Council's official website)

History

Charlton sandpits, which were originally part of an area known as Hanging Wood, were presented to the London County Council in 1891 by the Maryon-Wilson family, and one of the pits became Maryon Park.[3] Another pit became Charlton Athletic's football ground, The Valley.[4]

The park was originally wooded and, together with what is now Maryon Wilson Park, was known as Hanging Woods.[5] This was a wild wooded area and formed an ideal retreat for highwaymen who robbed travellers on Shooters Hill and Blackheath. Though it is popularly supposed that the wood was used for hanging those who were caught, a more likely explanation for the name is the wood's location on steep slopes so that the trees appear to hang from the slope. Such woods are often referred to as 'hanging woods'[6] (the word 'hang' comes from the Old English 'hangra', a wooded slope).[7]

The park was opened in 1891, with JJ Sexby, then chief surveyor to LCC's parks department, designing serpentine paths around the slopes of the hill.[8]

Flora

The park contains grassland, with hawkweed, gorse and broom.

Attractions and facilities

The park includes Cox's Mount, which was used by the Romans as a hill fort, which was discovered in 1915.[9] In the 1850s, Cox's Mount was used to help ships on the nearby River Thames adjust their compasses.

The park has hard tennis courts, a basketball court and a children's play area. The Capital Ring walk and the Green Chain Walk both pass through the park.

Nearby attractions

Adjacent to the park to the south is Gilbert's Pit, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[10] The similarly named Maryon Wilson Park is located south of Gilbert's Pit.

Although it was not identified by name, the park was the filming location of key scenes in Blowup (1966), a drama mystery-thriller film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring David Hemmings, Sarah Miles and Vanessa Redgrave. The park is little changed since the making of the film. [4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maryon Park.


The park also makes an appearance in the rarely seen promotional video for the Stranglers single Walk on By.

References
  1. "Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 6 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  2. "Map of Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert's Pit". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  3. "Greenwich Guide - Charlton". greenwich-guide.org.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  4. "Greenwich Guide - Charlton's Parks". greenwich-guide.org.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  5. "Map of Charlton, 1746 | Historic Maps of Greenwich | Ideal Homes". ideal-homes.org.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  6. "Hanging Wood". A-Z of Tree Terms. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  7. Fowler, Christopher. "Five hidden London spaces". Christopher Fowler. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  8. "London Gardens Trust: Maryon Park". Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  9. "Prehistoric Greenwich (1) Cox's Mount | The Greenwich Phantom". thegreenwichphantom.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  10. Natural England Citation, Gilbert's Pit (Charlton) Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
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