"This is a well-maintained pocket park surrounded by regimented rows of housing, and it has always been a patch of green in this part of suburban London. Housing began to appear in this part of London from the 1860s, but development was very slow until the opening of nearby Southfields tube station in 1889. Empty fields were laid out with roads by the businessman, Sir William Lancaster, and a small school was built next to where the pocket park is today."
"In 1893, the plot of land was set aside for a recreation ground rather than for more housing. Finally opened in 1903, it's always been called Coronation Gardens, after the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. When it opened, a local newspaper described it as "Wandsworth's new lungs". Breathe deeply, because a large industrial laundry next door would soon be taken over by a confectionery maker."
"The plot of land was turned into public gardens by Fanny Wilkinson, the country's first professional female landscape designer, and it has changed little since. It's mostly made from a simple cross-shaped path in the middle of a tree-covered lawn, and a few annexes off to the sides. An Edwardian sheltered seating area looks almost as if it were transported from the seaside, while the playground was recently refurbished."
Coronation Gardens is a well-maintained pocket park amid regimented housing in suburban London. Housing in the area began in the 1860s and accelerated after Southfields tube station opened in 1889. Sir William Lancaster laid out roads and set aside the plot for a recreation ground in 1893. The gardens opened in 1903 and were named for King Edward VII's 1902 coronation. Fanny Wilkinson designed the gardens; the simple layout includes a cross-shaped path, lawn, sheltered seating, and a playground. Local volunteers plant wildlife-friendly species and install bug hotels. A granite drinking fountain from 1904 received a new sculpture of Fanny Wilkinson during a 2025 restoration.
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