Rise Park
At 24 acres, Rise Park is a large park north of Romford.
It offers a range of facilities and features for formal and informal recreation, including sports pitches, tennis courts, ornamental planting, wild flowers, mature trees, an outdoor gym and a children’s play area.
The park has an area of conservation grassland. The watercourse is visited periodically by the council's in-house Flood and Rivers Management Team and also the Environment Agency.
The friends of the park also carry out river clean ups, and two of the committee are trained by Thames 21 to lead events attended by local volunteers and Scouts to conduct river clean-ups.
The main entrance to the park is located on Beauly Way, Romford, and there are a number of other entrances off of Dee Way, Cree Way, Garry Close, Seaforth Close and Lower Bedford Road at the north end of the site. Crossing Lower Bedfords Road leads directly into Bedfords Park.
The park was restored during 2015 with funding from Veolia North Thames Trust and Havering Council.
An outdoor gym was constructed in the park in 2009. The gym was supplied and installed by Wicksteed Leisure. The gym is maintained to the same standards as the play equipment on the site.
The play area was laid out in 2010 in its current format. The large play area is situated towards the front of the park and is easily accessed from all entrances.
There is a fenced area containing a mixture of play equipment geared towards the younger age. There are some items for older children in the grass area behind the toddler play area.
A number of years ago a wildflower area was introduced in one corner of the site. Its location was chosen as it has the least impact on the formal and informal recreation on the site.
It also has the benefit of thick hedgerows on the site boundaries that are well used by bird life that will benefit from an increase in invertebrates.
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.
Beauly Way, Romford RM1 4XH
There is a small car park at the Osborne Road entrance.
You can reach this park via the 103 and 499 bus routes.
Times vary throughout the year depending on the season but the park is closed approximately at dusk and opened by 8am.
Rise Park forms part of Thomas England's vision of a 'Green Lung' running through the borough connecting Romford in the south to Havering Atte Bower in the north.
England, a local trader and Councillor, was instrumental in various public improvement schemes in the borough between the two World Wars. In order to realise his green corridor through the borough, in 1937 he donated 23.5 acres of land for the creation of Rise Park to connect Raphael Park and Bedfords Park.
In the 1960s, the Romford Official Guides were able to promote a long distance walk through four Council-owned parks, including Lodge Farm, Raphael Park, Rise Park and Bedfords Park.
The park was opened in 1937 and was laid out with children's play area and paddling pool.
In 1964, a pavilion was built, as well as wooden huts to the far side of the stream.
It is understood the ground was used by former Romford Athletics club with the park being laid out with a marked running track; two throwing circles; a long/high jump pit and practice cricket nets.
The park had a cricket pitch and was used for regular cricket matches during the summer months.
Large play area situated towards the front of the park.
Smaller fenced play area with a mixture of play equipment for younger ages.
Two tennis courts.
An outdoor gym is available on this site.
There are no toilets at this site.
