Updated December 2024
For regular users of King Edward’s recreation ground on Hook Road, you will have seen that progress has been made on the refurbishment of the tennis court, which started in September. The refurbishment is being funded by a Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Grant by the South of the Borough Committee.
We asked for an update from Kingston Council and have been told that a colour coating is to be applied to the court surface. This will take place in April 2025 (at the earliest) when the weather is warmer.
The court is also marked out for netball. It’s unclear now how this change of sport use will be managed. In the meantime, the court will be opened should anyone wish to use it (although no nets are in place).
Hopefully, our council will consider refurbishing the one at Sir Francis Barker’s Recreation Ground (by Barwell Lane) sometime soon.
Councillor Grocott also told us that there is a strategy for all the outdoor green spaces used for recreation across the whole of the borough. Included in the strategy document is some interesting history about King Edward’s Recreation Ground.
“Formerly private land in agricultural use, the site was reserved for public open space when the small hamlet of Hook was growing as a result of the new railway line serving Surbiton in the 19th century. Originally called Hook Recreation Ground, it was opened in May 1901 and renamed for the new King, Edward VII. In 1935 an adjoining plot of land to the north was donated and laid out as a rose garden commemorating George V’s Silver Jubilee.”
