Harold Wood Park is a large area of open amenity grassland with a grid of footpaths providing the opportunity for circular walks from the car park.
There is a large play site towards the south-east of the park and a teenage area close to the main car park.
Tennis courts, football pitches and two cricket tables give an opportunity to participate in a variety of sports activities.
The variety of trees, meadows and the river enhance the diversity of the park which offers good opportunities to watch wildlife in a relaxed atmosphere.
At 48 acres, Harold Wood Park is a medium sized park that forms part of a wildlife corridor that connects a series of council parks and privately owned green space along Paine's Brook river. The former golf course is now a large conservation area and hosts a range of species.
The conservation grassland is managed with an annual cut and the collection of the arisings. The river is visited periodically by the council's in-house flood and rivers management team and also the Environment Agency.
In the 1960s the park included the provision of four football pitches, one hockey pitch, two cricket squares, four hard tennis courts, one putting green and an 18 hole golf course. Unfortunately, the golf course has gone, but the sports pitch provision is still there.
The features of the park have not changed much over the last 80 years. Although the playground has been changed and there is no longer a paddling pool, there is still a focus on sport and recreation as per the original intention.
Harold View. Romford RM3 0LX
There is a free car park at the Harold View entrance.
There are nearby bus stops for routes 256, 294, 347, 646 and 656.
Harold Wood train station is also a short walk away (approximately 10 minutes).
Opening hours are between 8am and dusk. This park is not currently locked.
Harold Wood is so named because King Harold (also known as Harold Harefoot) hunted deer in the forest that covered this area in the 9th Century. Some of the original roads are named after the earliest recorded kings of England.
Harold Wood's expansion was linked to the arrival of the railway. A small halt was opened on 1 December 1868 by the Great Eastern Railway on their main line. The Great Eastern Railway, in conjunction with the developer, offered cut-rate season tickets to families who bought houses.
1988 the play area equipment was refurbished and new fencing was installed. The play equipment was again refurbished in 2006 with some of the existing installations remaining in place where it was in suitable condition.
The paddling pool which had been disused for some years was built over, making the play area safer. In 2007, three of the four tennis courts were refurbished, whilst the fourth court was used as a wheeled sports area and multi-use games court for older teenagers.
Food and refreshments are available at the pavilion leased to Harold Wood Sports Association.
Large play area
Three free-to-use tennis courts
Multi-use games area
An outdoor gym is available on this site.
There are toilets available in the pavilion.
