The 120-year history of Lloyd Park in Walthamstow, East London

Once the private grounds of what is now the William Morris Gallery, it was donated by the Lloyd family to the Walthamstow Urban District Council in 1898 for public use. In 1912 the park was extended when the council purchased 16 acres of the adjoining Aveling Park Estate.

Then as now the park was the perfect place for leisurely strolls around the formal gardens and beyond, and facilities including tennis courts and a bowling green enabled more active pursuits. Professional lawn tennis tournaments, cricket and football matches were well-attended regular fixtures, including the Sunday Newspapers Cricket League, and for a brief period in the early years the park was home to Walthamstow Avenue Football Club.

The park has hosted many popular family-friendly public events over the decades, from fetes to festivals.

A postcard with an early view of Lloyd Park

Amongst the earliest was the Leyton, Walthamstow and Wanstead Children’s and General Hospital annual fete which attracted throngs of people. The 1906 procession led from Summit Road to the park, an eclectic mix of the 1st V.B. Essex Regiment band, Boys Brigade, delegates from the Ancient Order of Druids, Foresters, and Hearts of Oak Society, an intriguingly sounding ‘international emblematic car,’ and the fire brigade. There were sports, gymnastic displays, a comical cricket match, concert parties, a tug-of-war, and fireworks.

Events at the park still draw huge crowds. In the early 2000s the Waltham Forest Green Fair had clothing and plant stalls, dance and musical performances, Shetland ponies and a climbing wall, and the annual Mayfair with its dog show, dance and skate performances and other attractions is reminiscent of the park’s early fetes. Newer events such as the Walthamstow Garden Party and the visiting Carters Steam Fair attract folks from further afield too.

Changes in facilities over the years reflect changing times and popular tastes.

The old bandstand in the 1920s

The island in the centre of the park’s moat had a bandstand, replaced in 1937 by a larger pavilion and loggia to accommodate 830 people. Known as the Lloyd Park Pavilion, it was reconfigured as the Waltham Forest Theatre in 1972. A second bandstand was located in the Aveling Park area. The bandstands and pavilion really came into their own in summer when council-sponsored programmes of musical events and band competitions were enjoyed by large audiences. Musical concerts attracted popular touring bands of the time, with names such as The Pro Ratas and the Novelty Follies.

The pavilion also provided a perfect setting for public meetings and political addresses. In 1950, Clement Attlee, then MP for West Walthamstow addressed a crowd of some 300 local people, mostly women. At the same event Epping Labour Party candidate Leah Manning spoke out against Dr Charles Hill, an opponent of the new National Health Service. He was rather famous at the time as The Radio Doctor, dispenser of medical advice including childcare, in trademark plummy tones that Manning referred to as his ‘unctious’ voice, which amused the mainly female crowd.

Waltham Forest Green Fair in 2005. Picture: Martin Belam

Many notable performances were staged at the pavilion and theatre, including opera, and school and charity concerts. In the 1970s Chingford-born actor Jack Watling presented several seasons of plays there, and his 1975 season featured three productions in which his daughters took parts. Although still a popular venue into the 1990s, with visiting performances including Sooty’s Wild West Show and a Studio London and Juwon Ogungbe collaboration, the theatre eventually fell into disuse. It was removed in 2011-12 along with other features including a large aviary, as part of the park’s extensive restoration funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund.

The terraced gardens and rustic bridge were restored, the island and moat were landscaped, and improved park facilities included the Aveling Centre with café, toilets, community room, art gallery and artist studios, and a new play area. Sports facilities were updated with a skate park and basketball and gym areas alongside the more traditional bowls pavilion, green, and tennis courts.

Another view from the 2005 Waltham Forest Green Fair. Picture: Martin Belam

The park today remains a much-loved and much-used green space, and hopefully picnics, kickabouts, park facilities and organised events will make a welcome return very soon.

Karen Averby is a seaside-loving historian and research consultant specialising in researching histories and stories of buildings, people and places. She researches house histories for private clients and collaborates in community heritage projects (karenaverby.co.uk). She is also director of Archangel Heritage Ltd, an historical research consultancy providing research services for the commercial heritage sector (archangelheritage.co.uk). Also found on Twitter @karenaverby and @archaheritage