Spelthorne has a well-deserved reputation for the quality and horticultural excellence of its many parks, recreation grounds and open spaces which offer a variety of activities, many of which are set in grounds boasting fine floral displays, natural landscapes or both. With over 750 acres of parks and open spaces within the Borough, including several miles of riverside walks, Spelthorne is very open in character, and there are also extensive areas of club and other sports grounds. These include the grounds of Staines Town Football Club, the London Irish Rugby Club in Sunbury and Ashford Manor Golf Club (visitors welcome), and two pay and play golf courses in Sunbury. The Borough is very proud of all its parks and open spaces, but perhaps the jewel in the crown is the Walled Garden in Sunbury park, which offers quiet seclusion amongst a vast array of plants from all corners of the world and features several styles of English gardening through the ages. The garden was recreated by the Borough Council in 1987, and is now a popular venue for art exhibitions and band concerts, the latter of which take place on some Sundays throughout the summer.
On the banks of the Thames at the western extremity of the Borough is the Lammas Recreation Ground, (also known as the Ashby Recreation Ground) a popular venue for summer visitors. The Lammas boasts an excellent children's play area with challenging equipment, set in a safe and dog-free area there is also a skate board park. The park also caters for a number of sporting activities, and contains a recently refurbished spray ground open throughout the summer. There are free Summer Band Concerts on some Sunday afternoons.
The music in the parks theme is continued a little further downstream in the newly redesigned Memorial Gardens, adjacent to the Old Town Hall. This is a quiet and tranquil garden, with attractive views of Staines Bridge and the River Thames, where band concerts can be enjoyed on a few Sundays during the summer.
Perhaps the park which attracts the largest number of visitors is Laleham Park. Once part of the historic Lucan Estate, the park comprises 70 acres of natural parkland with well tended riverside lawns, ample car parking, several picnic sites, and an extensive children's play area.
For the more active visitor many of Spelthorne parks provide tennis(free), putting and bowling on a pay and play basis in a beautiful setting. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Bishop Duppas Recreation Ground near Walton Bridge, Shepperton, where the sports facilities are surrounded by magnificent displays set in immaculately maintained lawns.
Cleanliness and safety are the authority's first priorities, and most of Spelthorne's parks operate dog control measures. All 33 of our children's playgrounds are protected from dogs, contain contemporary equipment maintained to a high standard, and are provided with appropriate safer surfacing.
Shepperton Village Fayre takes place on the second Saturday in June, with a procession of floats from Littleton Recreation Ground to the Manor Park, where the many attractions continue throughout the afternoon.
For visitors looking for more rural pursuits, there are many thousands of acres of countryside in and around the Borough. The Lammas Recreation Ground (also known as the Ashby Recreation Ground) in Staines is the southernmost point of the Colne Valley Regional Park, which stretches 14 miles northwards to Rickmansworth. The park covers more than 40 square miles of Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey. There are a number of published walks within the area, or visitors might prefer to wander across the 300 or so acres of Staines Moor, or along the banks of the Thames or its tributaries the Colne and the Ash.
Whatever your preference, Spelthorne's parks, open spaces and countryside will have something to offer you.
