Parks and playgrounds directory

Location

Shirley, small ground behind the houses in Shirley Way, The Lees, Bennetts Way, Farm Lane and Worcester Close.

Area

4 acres 1.62 hectares.

Facilities

• Ornamental pond in a small park
• Toilets

This park has been awarded the Green Flag Award.  To find out more about the award visit greenflagawards.org.uk.

History

Millers Pond was one of three ponds near a house called Spring Park which was also the name of the surrounding estate.  The 1942 Ordnance Survey plan shows the large house still in existence but housing was obviously rapidly developing all around.  

The pond was named after the last family to work Spring Park Farm and the construction of the pond suggests that it was a working pond (if a pond is not looked after it naturally shrinks and disappears as swamp and marsh take over) the ground to the north east drops steeply beyond the park, suggesting that the footpath round the pond at that point is an earthen dam.  

There is no documentary evidence to support why the pond was created yet it was made for a specific purpose.  Millers Pond is the largest pond in the area and it may have been created to serve the farm and Estate, to water stock, and to keep cart wheels in good condition (if the wheels dried out the spokes and rims shrank).  

The sales particulars of Addington Park in 1802 state that the Lessee of Spring Park Farm is responsible for maintaining heads of water from springs and preserving the banks of two ponds suggests that at some time it may have provided water power to work at least a small mill.  

Millers Pond and its surrounds were acquired by the council in 1934 as an open space but the remaining parts of the farm were developed. The area of the farm buildings became Farm Lane, and a little while later the house went under the southern and western arms of Farm Drive.  The two smaller ponds remained in private ownership and eventually were filled and developed.