Canbury Gardens

In feudal times parishioners used the area to graze animals and cut turf and timber for fuel. In the 19th century when material for road building became a valuable resource, the old grazing land was replaced by a series of pits for gravel extraction. By 1887 the site had become an eyesore and the borough proposed a public garden "that the view from the river shall be a pleasant one and not, as at present, unsightly and obnoxious". The gardens were designed by the borough surveyor Henry Macaulay and opened in 1890. In 1891 Charles Nuthall a former Mayor of Kingston, who owned a confectionery shop in Thames Street, paid for a bandstand to be erected. He also hoped it would be 'suitable for a…

The park consists of open lawns and a band stand. Several hard surface tennis courts are available to the public. The toilet block, closed in 1984, has been converted into the 'Canbury Secret Café'. The Gardens have been included in the UK Government's Playbuilder Project, a national project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) for developing play areas. Also within the site are Kingston Rowing Club and the "Boater's Inn", a local jazz venue. Until 2009, the gardens hosted the yearly Green Fair event where band concerts were held and fundraising for local charities. This event has since been cancelled. The gardens also host a Dragon Boat race. On the bank of…