London Fields
| London Fields | |
|---|---|
 London Fields
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| London Fields shown within Greater London | |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
London Fields is a park and an area of historically common land adjoining the Hackney Central area of the London Borough of Hackney. The name is sometimes also used to apply to the neighbourhood around the park. The park covers an area of 12.65 hectares (31.3 acres), and includes sporting and recreation facilities. The park's history is recorded as early as the 13th century, and it has been known as London Fields since the mid-16th century.
In 1275, the area now known as London Fields was recorded as common pasture land adjoining Cambridge Heath.
The park was first recorded by name in 1540; in the singular as ‘London Field’. Still common ground, it was used by drovers to pasture their livestock before taking them to market in London. By the late 19th century the name had become pluralised to ‘London Fields’ and parts of the Fields were being lost to piecemeal development. There was a threat of comprehensive development of the park in 1860 but this threat was averted.
In WW2 the park hosted an anti-aircraft battery in the south-west corner (the tarmac is still visible under the grass) and a bomb shelter in the vicinity of the tennis courts.
The area was heavily bombed during the Blitz and houses along the northern and eastern edges of the park were among those destroyed. These houses had been built on land that was originally part of London Fields and the land was subsequently restored to the park. The previous boundary is marked by a wide arc of Plane trees.
London Fields features a cricket pitch, a heated 50m lido and lido cafe, grass areas, designated barbecue area, a small BMX track, tennis courts, a table tennis table, toilet blocks and two children's play areas. In 2013 the Council turned a sandy, gritty area of London Fields into a pictorial meadow the size of a football pitch.
There is a public house called the Pub on the Park on the east side of the park; this was opened in 1855 and known as the Queen Eleanor until 1992.
London Fields received a Green Flag award in July 2008. A much-used cycle path runs from the Pub on the Park to Broadway Market.
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Wikipedia