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Battersea Park (Battersea fields)

Battersea Park is a 200 acre (0.83 km²) area in Battersea. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea. It was opened in 1858.
The park occupies a mix of marshland reclaimed from the Thames, and land formerly used for market gardens serving the growing London population.

Battersea Park was once known as Battersea fields and was once a popular spot for duelling.
On March 21, 1829, the Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea met on Battersea fields to settle a matter of honour.
When it came time to fire, the Duke deliberately aimed wide and Winchilsea fired into the air.
Winchilsea later wrote the Duke a groveling apology.

Original designs for the park were laid out by Sir James Pennethorne between 1846 and 1864, although the park as opened in 1858 varied somewhat from Pennethorne’s vision.

Battersea Park hosted the first exhibition of football played under the rules of the recently formed Football Association on 9 January 1864.
The members of the opposing teams were chosen by the President of the FA (A. Pember) and the Secretary (E.C. Morley) and included many well-known footballers of the day.

From the 1860s, Battersea Park was home to the leading amateur football team Wanderers F.C., winners of the first-ever FA Cup in 1872.
One team they are known to have played against at Battersea was Sheffield F.C. in the 1860s.
The Wanderers are planning to reform, although it is unknown whether Battersea Park will be used as their home ground again

In 1951 the park was transformed into the “Festival Gardens” as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. As well as a new water-garden and fountains, new features included a “Tree-Walk” which consisted of a series of raised wooden walkways linked together by tree house-like platforms suspended amongst the branches of a number of trees.
A popular attraction was the Guinness Clock.

Another part of the transformation was the addition of Battersea Fun Fair: rollercoasters, swings, roundabouts and general fun for all the family.
The fun fair’s most spectacular ride, The Big Dipper, was permanently closed down in 1972 after five children were killed in an accident on 30 May 1972 when one of the cars broke loose and collided with another. The lack of a main attraction led to the decline in the popularity of the fun fair and its eventual closure in 1974.

The former site of the fair was levelled and became a site for travelling fairs and exhibitions, and is currently the site of Battersea Evolution, formerly known as the Battersea Park Events Arena.

The park is home to a small zoo, a boating lake, a bandstand, and several all-weather outdoor sporting facilities including tennis courts, a running track and football pitches.

The park is also the site of the London Peace Pagoda, erected amidst some controversy in 1985, during Ken Livingstone’s tenure as leader of the now abolished Greater London Council. Also in 1985, a replica of the bronze statue of a dog that was the focal point of the historic vivisection-related Brown Dog affair was erected in this park.

Over the course of 2002-4, the park underwent an £11m refurbishment funded in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and was re-opened on 4 June 2004 by Prince Phillip.

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