King George Recreation Ground, Bushey

A brief history…

By 1912 Bushey�s population had grown to over 7,000 from well under 1,000 in 1812. King George V had succeeded to the throne in May 1910 and there was a mood of optimism in the air. There was growing awareness of the importance of access to outdoor exercise in clean, fresh air for the benefit of overall public health and well-being. Ebenezer Howard, the founder of Letchworth Garden City, had originated the novel idea that local authorities should own land for public recreation.

Bushey Urban District Council (BUDC), newly formed in 1906, made one of their first major projects the acquisition of land in Bushey for use as a public recreation ground. Two fields at the bottom of the north-facing slope to the southeast of Coldharbour Lane were chosen � Biggs Meads Field and the field next to it totalled about 11 acres. The fields had been used for hay production and rough grazing, but were always too wet in winter and too dry in summer. For many years, the tenant farmer had allowed children to use the fields for ball games.

The Council negotiated a price of �1,000 with the Church Commissioners. Contractors then put in land drains and footpaths, marked out football and cricket pitches, installed play equipment and built a refreshment hut, changing rooms and a caretaker�s lodge at the entrance to the site in King George Avenue. The work was begun in the summer of 1911 and the park opened to the public on Saturday 5 May 1912.

In 1912 a bowling green was created for public use in part of the Recreation Ground � fast becoming popularly known as the �Rec�. The bowling green is now home to the Bushey Bowling Club. Then, in August 1914 the unthinkable happened. England declared war on Germany. By 1916, the sports pitches were turned over to allotments. They were cultivated by the older men and the women while the young men were by now being conscripted to fight in the battlefields of France and Belgium.

In the early 1920s, two more fields were acquired, thus doubling the Rec to 22 acres. Plans for an open-air swimming pool were discussed and tenders invited. The pool was built, filled with chlorinated water, and in July 1925 opened amid much civic ceremony. Tennis courts and a putting green were installed and extra play equipment was placed at the high end of the enlarged Rec.

Between the two World Wars, and for some years after, many summer events were held in the Rec. The annual show of the Bushey Horticultural Society attracted large crowds. Every August, a travelling fair was a regular visitor and still comes every year. The central refreshment pavilion plied visitors with teas, biscuits and confectionery. Sadly, due partly to vandalism, it was forced to close in the 1960s and remained so until refurbishment and enlargement in the 1990s.

By the 1950s a purification and filtration system was installed in the pool. This resulted in much increased use, and by the hot summer of 1959, time-limited sessions were needed to cope with the crowds. A popular event was the end-of-season swimming gala held each August. The exceptionally hot summer of 1976 was the high point in the popularity of the open-air pool, but by the late 1970s the heating and filtration system was creaking with age. The run of bad summers and ever-rising maintenance and running costs eventually led to closure of the pool in 1989. It was demolished and the site levelled and grassed over in 1993.

From the mid-1960s, lack of public money affected the ability of BUDC and (from 1974) Hertsmere Borough Council, to maintain the Rec. The play equipment, installed in 1911, had long since ended its useful life. In winter many of the paths were waterlogged due to blocked drains. Vandalism frequently disfigured the shuttered pavilion, and dog mess littered the paths and grass. But dramatic change for the better was around the corner!

In the early 1990s, local authorities were authorised to use part of the money from �The Right to Buy� scheme to improve and renew local infrastructure. The Right to Buy scheme allowed council housing tenants to buy their own council house. Hertsmere decided to allocate �526,000 to improvement works for the Rec. After a few years of muddy chaos, the result in 1998 was a complete transformation of what had by now become known as The Park. The land drains were renewed and extended and the old footpaths were widened and relaid.

From the main entrance up to and beyond the old pavilion, the avenue of lime, oak and beech trees was extended up to the south-east entrance in Somers Way and plane trees added. Two pairs of county-standard tennis courts replaced the dilapidated 1920�s courts. The courts are now a centre of excellence for tennis. An enclosed and much enlarged children�s play area with excellent equipment was installed. For toddlers and young children, the paddling pool was rebuilt to the best modern standards and a sandpit provided. Secure public toilets were also installed and, for the first time, outdoor art was introduced into the park. The old pavilion was rebuilt as a fully equipped caf�.