There is a central pavilion for the sports grounds that are approached by avenues of ash, lime and alder. Cypress, birches, cherries and hawthorns are planted on the boundary.
Rose gardens are always popular in town parks. Here, former allotment ground has been transformed with over 3000 roses, planted in a formal design of rose beds within grass and paved paths. There is a brick-pier pergola and the entrance arch is in memory of Councillor Mrs Margaret Webber.

Reviewed by the Kent Gardens Trust as part of a Dover district project in 2017. From the report:

"STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

HISTORICAL
An early C20 recreation ground and children’s playground donated to the local
council by Mrs Marke Wood and her daughter. The local council extended the
area in the 1950s and created a formal garden, parts of which of which survive.
An early C20 avenue divides the ground, most of which remains.
A granite memorial fountain, unveiled in 1930, records the gift of Mrs Marke
Wood.

The site is a typical example of the provision of public open space in the early
C20, often, as here, enabled by generous benefactors, designed to provide
recreational areas within new housing developments.

AESTHETIC
The tree avenue together with other large trees in the rear gardens of the
surrounding properties provide a tranquil setting. The level ground creates an
ideal recreation ground location and provides an important area of open space in
the landscape of the parish.

COMMUNAL
This public park was the response of Walmer UDC in the early C20, to the
demand for a recreation ground as housing development increased the size of
the town. It is still enjoyed as a public amenity and valuable open space, by the
local community.

SUMMARY OF HISTORIC INTEREST
An early C20 sports ground and children’s play area. Formal gardens and an
avenue containing specimen trees probably of early C20 date, provide the main
features to this open space. The area is surrounded by the rear gardens of early
C20 housing containing large trees which adds to the tranquil setting.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
The area which was to become Marke Wood Recreation Ground, lying between
Lower and Upper Walmer on the east side of the A258 Dover Road, was
farmland throughout the C18 and C19. The tithe map of 1843 indicates that the
Recreation Ground is situated on part of Court Great Field of 44 acres, denoted
as arable land, which was owned by the Trustees of Walmer Court and farmed
by Smithett Spain. The Trustees at that time owned most of the surrounding land
and houses, with Smithett Spain given as ‘Occupier’ of 360 acres of farmland on
the tithe award schedule. George Leith (1722-1810) had purchased the Manor of
Walmer Court in c1789 and having bought 100 acres around Walmer Castle in
1765. Following his death, his elder son, George J P Leith (1755-1831), inherited
the estate and was appointed Captain of Walmer Castle from 1800 to 1831. The
estate passed to his great nephew, George Leith (1814-52), and then to his
younger brother Frederick Leith (1818-1899) on his elder brother’s death
(Eastkenthistory.org.uk).

The military presence at Deal during the C19 increased the population and
prosperity of the town. This created a demand for good housing, so that by the
1860s the 1st edition OS map (1862-1875) shows that the northern end of the
Court Great Field had been converted into Archery Square (then known as the
Green Park) overlooked by new housing. The 2nd edition OS map (1897-1900)
shows further extension of this housing and similar development elsewhere on
the outskirts of Deal, which lies immediately to the north. In December 1896,
Walmer Estates Company Limited purchased ‘12 acres and 8 perches’ of the
northern end of the former Court Great Field. This was followed by a further
purchase of ‘15 acres and 1 rood’, in January 1897, of the remaining southern
section as far south as a recently constructed new road called Granville Road
(Abstract of title of the purchase of Marke Wood Recreation Ground by Deal
Borough Council).

By 1907, Walmer Estates had sold various building plots along the Dover Road,
the sale documents suggesting that the perimeter of the land, which had been
purchased in 1897 and 1898, had been subdivided into eighty four separate
building plots, each with a frontage onto the surrounding roads. In 1907, two
additional building plots were sold behind new housing in Dover Road, with
access to these plots being via a suggested new road from Warwick Road. This
proposed road was not constructed but the intention to construct it may explain
the short avenue of mature trees now (2016) found along the line of the planned
route. These two plots were subsequently combined to extend the garden of the
house in Dover Road. In June 1913, Walmer Estates went into liquidation and the
assets were conveyed to the parent company, Transvaal and Rhodesian Estates
Limited, a mining company (Abstract of title of the purchase of Marke Wood
Recreation Ground by Deal Borough Council).

In the early 1920s, Walmer Urban District Council, which had been looking for a
suitable recreation ground, had approached Mr Leith, the largest land owner in
the district, to purchase land between Balfour Road and Downs Road on the west
of A258 Dover Road. As this land had been earmarked for housing, the cost of
purchase of £4000 was considered to be too high by the council. The council had
also considered purchasing part of the grounds of Walmer Castle, but these
grounds were held in trust and could not be sold. The minutes of the meeting of
the Improvement and Parks Committee of Walmer UDC dated 5 February 1926
record that the clerk was instructed to enquire, from Transvaal and Rhodesian
Estates Limited, the lowest price for the purchase of 10.6 acres of land to the
east of the A258 Dover Road (Kent History and Library Centre ref UD/Wa/AM15).
Transvaal and Rhodesian Estates offered to sell the land for £2000 and Mrs
Angus Marke Wood (1843-1927), who occupied Walmer Place immediately east
of the ground, offered £1000 towards the cost. Mrs Wood subsequently
increased her offer to £2000 but died on 18 May 1927. Her wish was for the
ground to be made into a playground for young children of school age. On 1st
September 1927, Mrs Wood’s daughter, Rosamond Contessa Di Santelia (1881-
1965), purchased the land for £2000, gifting it to the council for use as a park or
recreation ground playing field. The sale documents record that the land had
previously been owned by Walmer Estates Company Limited and members of
the Leith family (Kent History and Library Centre ref. UD/Wa/C/89).

The purchased land was set back from the five enclosing roads, Liverpool Road
to the east which was the old coach road between Dover and Deal, Granville
Road to the south which had been constructed at the end of the C19, Dover
Road to the west built about 1800 as the Turnpike Road between Dover and
Sandwich, and Clifton and Warwick Roads to the north, constructed in the early
1900s. Access to the ground was via two strips of land from Warwick and
Granville Roads, the frontage along the four roads being retained for building
development. At the time of the purchase, most of the Dover Road frontage had
been developed for housing except for an approximately 100m length at the
southern end. Walmer UDC considered purchasing this vacant frontage at
development rates as this was cheaper than having to provide drainage services
to any properties built on this land which lies below the high tide level (Kent
History and Library Centre ref UD/Wa/C/89).

On 26th July 1930, a memorial fountain was unveiled to mark the opening of the
grounds. Walmer The Official Guide 1931 (Deal Library), describes the Ground
thus:
An extensive new ground in a central position has recently been provided
by the magnificent gift of Contessa di St. Elia, of Walmer Place, in memory
of her mother, the late Mrs A Marke Wood. Spaces are set apart for
cricket, football and hockey, and for children’s play, and the new ground is
planted with shrubs and provided with sufficiency of seats.
In January 1927, Transvaal and Rhodesian Estates sold two building plots, nos.
18 and 19, fronting Liverpool Road, for £80 each, to John Henry Allwork and
William James Edwin Mose respectively, Allwork subsequently selling his plot to
Mose in March 1928 for £80. Rosamond Contessa Di Santelia bought these two
plots from Mose in January 1929 for £220 and later that month purchased plots
2-17 and 20-23 from the liquidator of Transvaal and Rhodesian Estates which
had been wound up in March 1928. Rosamund had also inherited from her
mother plots 80-84 which her father had purchased from the North and
Mercantile Insurance Company in October 1909, so that she now owned all
vacant building plots along Liverpool Road (Abstract of title of the purchase of
Marke Wood Recreation Ground by Deal Borough Council).
The liquidator of Transvaal and Rhodesian Estates sold the Dover Road frontage
of fifteen plots (nos 52-66) to Edmund Herbert Hind (Estate Agent) in July 1929,
for £750. Hind sold these plots to Ernest Cavell, Emily Cavell and Albert Henry
Cavell for £1250 in March 1933 who then sold thirteen of them to Herbert Gibbon
for £1745 10s, in October 1934. Walmer UDC was merged with Deal Borough
Council in 1935, and the Borough purchased eleven of these plots. in April 1955,
for £1728 from Marshall R Gibbon who had been given power of attorney by
Herbert Gibbon who was now residing in India.

Contessa Di Santelia sought planning permission (CH/I/54/79) in September
1954, for the building of houses along the Liverpool Road frontage which was
refused by Kent County Council in January 1955, on the grounds that the land
was required for an extension of Marke Wood Recreation Ground. Dover BC
records include correspondence from the Ministry of Housing and Local
Government in May and October 1957 awarding £3424 compensation as
planning permission for residential development had been refused, resulting in
the Contessa selling these former building plots to Deal BC for £775in May 1957
(Abstract of title of the purchase of Marke Wood Recreation Ground by Deal
Borough Council).

Since the Borough’s purchase of the Dover Road and Liverpool Road frontages
in the 1950s, the extent of Marke Wood Recreation Ground has remained
unchanged. On 1 September 1999, Dover District Council conveyed Marke Wood
Recreation Ground in trust to Charles Sports Ground Charity, along with Charles
Sports Ground, home of Deal Town F.C., although the land along Liverpool Road
purchased from the Contessa was excluded from the transfer (Dover D C legal
records).

SITE DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING
Marke Wood Recreation Ground lies between Deal and Walmer, immediately to
the east of the A258 Dover Road and approximately 200m from the sea to the
east. Dover lies 12km to the south-west and Canterbury is situated 25km to the
west.

The approximately 6ha site is bordered on the majority of the southern, northern
and western sides by the rear garden boundaries of private houses which are
formed of a variety of timber and chain link fences, hedges and brick walls. The
eastern boundary along Liverpool Road consists of a 1m high concrete post and
steel rail fence, set back approximately 2m from the pavement, with occasional
pedestrian access gaps. A line of semi-mature trees including beech, fir, oak,
silver birch and cherry has been planted inside the boundary fence. A 1.2m high
yew hedge, planted in the early 2000s, provides the boundary screen to the
100m southern end of the western boundary, where the Ground is adjacent to the
Dover Road.

The recreation ground is flat and lies approximately 5m above sea level, but is
protected from flooding during high tides by a higher land barrier and a shingle
bank to the east. Large mature trees in rear gardens of the adjacent properties
form intermittent tree belts around the ground perimeter which, with the avenue
of trees which run north to south across the western side of the grounds, create a
rural setting in an area dominated by domestic housing.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES
Marke Wood Recreation Ground can be approached from each of the four
surrounding roads: Dover Road to the west, Warwick Road to the north, Liverpool
Road to the east and Granville Road to the south. When the ground was created
in the 1920s, access was only available from Warwick and Granville Roads as
the original purchase of the land did not extend to the Dover and Liverpool
Roads, the intervening strip being designated as building plots. The Warwick
Road entrance is approximately 12m wide and extends from the road for 35m
between adjacent domestic properties, before opening out onto the Recreation
Ground. The 6m central section is tarmac surfaced with 3m wide grass strips to
either side planted with an avenue of mature alder trees. Parking is permitted
between the trees, with vehicular access prevented from entering the Ground by
six painted metal posts. The Granville Road entrance is similar, approximately
12m wide and extending 60m between adjacent domestic properties from the
road to the Ground. A tarmac access road approximately 6m wide between
raised kerbs, forms parking for cars and access to the rear of an adjacent
property to the west. Occupying the 3m wide grass strips on either side is an
avenue of alders which were planted on 30 September 2005 as a
commemorative tree avenue to individual local residents and councillors, the
names being recorded on a small plaque at the foot of each tree (Walmer Parish
Council Amenity and Environment Committee minutes dated 28 September
2005). Some of the trees have not survived. A low wooden post and rail fence at
the end of this access road, together with a low galvanised metal locked gate,
prevents vehicles entering the ground.

The access to the Ground from the west was created following Deal BC’s
purchase, in 1955, of an approximately 100m frontage, 55m deep, along the
Dover Road. Here, three openings in the yew hedge forming the boundary at the
back of the pavement provide the entrances from Dover Road. Centrally along
the hedge, two 450mm square brick piers with concrete cappings, supporting an
ornamental metal arch, erected in memory of Councillor Mrs Margaret Webber,
create the entrance (Parks and Gardens UK website). At the southern end of the
hedge, a 1.2m wide tarmac path runs eastwards from the pavement. At the
northern end, a flight of six steps flanked by 1m high brick walls capped with
concrete coping stones, descends around a 500mm brick planter, into the
Ground.

The possibility of access from the east arose following the purchase of the
Liverpool Road frontage in 1957 when the Ground was extended eastwards to
the road. Gaps in the post and rail boundary fence that stands here, permit
pedestrian access into the recreation ground.

PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
The principal building on the site is the pavilion situated centrally on the western
edge of the Ground. It is an approximately 32m long by 8m wide single storey
structure with a brick plinth supporting white painted rendered walls and a tiled
roof. Two prefabricated garages behind the pavilion each 3m wide by 5m deep,
provide storage for grounds maintenance equipment.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS
The gardens associated with Marke Wood Recreation Ground lie on the western
edge of the Ground adjacent to the A258 Dover Road. This area extends for
approximately 100m along the road to a depth of approximately 35m, the land
being that purchased by Deal BC in 1955. In addition, a series of rose beds are
located in the north-west corner of the Ground adjacent to the boundary fences of
private properties which face the Dover and Clifton Roads.
The main gardens are enclosed by a 1.2m high yew hedge along Dover Road, a
wooden fence at the northern end, a coniferous hedge along the east side
screening the tennis courts behind, and a brick boundary wall along the southern
edge. Perimeter paths, either 1.2 or 1.8m wide, of concrete paving stones,
together with a central path running east/west, provide easy access around the
gardens. Four longitudinal flowers beds parallel to the perimeter paths contain a
variety of shrubs and perennials including buddleia, geraniums, cornus, laurel
and hellebores, together with a variety of seedlings which have been allow to
grow, highlighting the current (2016) lack of maintenance of the gardens. Seven
semi-mature sycamore trees have been planted in the grass area within the
flower borders, the three at the northern end being a red/copper leaved variety.
An aerial photograph taken in 1990, shows that there were originally four trees at
the northern end to create planting symmetry. Individual specimen trees,
including copper beech and cherry, have been planted alongside the hedge
forming the Dover Road boundary and the brick boundary wall at the south end
of the garden.

The 1990 aerial photograph shows that the gardens were previously laid out as a
series of at least twenty four rectangular beds arranged in a symmetrical pattern
around the central path. Photographs held at Dover Museum and Bronze Age
Boat Gallery show these beds full of standard and bush roses. The entry on the
Parks and Garden UK website, written in 2007, records that the garden contained
over 3000 roses.

The central path incorporates a raised bed within a 800mm high circular brick
wall containing roses and a plaque denoting that it is dedicated to the Pilgrims
Hospice in East Kent. Another raised bed, rectangular in shape within 500mm
high brick walls, planted with begonias during the summer period, is located at
the northern entrance off the Dover Road. This bed is surrounded by concrete
paving stones which lead eastwards to a short flight of six steps down to a 2.2m
wide concrete paving path under a pergola. This structure is formed from ten
pairs of brick piers, 300mm square and 2.3m high, spaced approximately 3m
apart, supporting timber beams and crossbeams. These extend eastwards for
30m to the limit of the garden, where an additional eight piers, 3m high, provide
support to a circular wooden framework. The pergola now (2016) carries a variety
of climbing shrubs and plants such as wisteria and passion flower (currently
overgrown and in need of maintenance). Photographs taken during late C20,
held at the Dover Museum and Bronze Age Boat Gallery, suggest that this
pergola previously extended further east alongside the tennis courts and that it
was planted with climbing roses.

In the north-west corner of the Ground are three longitudinal flower beds parallel
to the perimeter fence surrounding a circular central bed, all planted with roses
and young specimen trees including crab apple.
On the western edge of the site, between the main garden area and the rose
beds, lies the children’s play area, approximately 35m square, which was
refurbished in the mid 2000’s. OS maps of the 1950s show the play area as less
than half its current size. In front of this area (some 20m northeast of the pavilion)
stands a memorial fountain, erected to commemorate the opening of the grounds
on 26 July 1930. The fountain, unveiled by Earl Beauchamp, Lord Warden of the
Cinque Ports, comprises a Cornish granite base and shaft encircled by a troupe
of five life-sized children in bronze relief, with the inscription ‘tis love that makes
the world go round’. Originally, the plinth incorporated two drinking fountains, now
(2016) no longer working.

Four tennis courts occupy the area to the east of the Dover Road gardens, along
the south-west edge of the Ground. Tennis courts have been been located here
since 1933 and were one of the first facilities to be provided. The original three
courts, laid out along the then western boundary, were opened to the public at
Whitsun, although Walmer Baptist Church objected to the use of the recreation
ground on a Sunday (Kent History and Library Centre ref UD/Wa/C/89). The OS
map dated 1967 shows an additional two courts on the western side of the earlier
courts. At some time before 1990, an aerial photograph shows that the courts
had been reduced to the current four court layout.

An avenue of trees runs from the northern entrance on Warwick Road,
southwards across the Ground, passing in front of the rose beds, children’s play
area, pavilion and tennis courts, following the route of a tarmac path of varying
width which connects the Warwick and Granville Road entrances. The trees at
the northern end appear to have been planted about 1910 along the line of a
proposed access (never built), and include a cedar and several sycamores (3rd
edition OS map, 1907-1923). Walmer UDC correspondence files record that an
avenue of trees was planted in 1929 to extend the existing line southwards to the
southern boundary. Although the 4th edition OS map (1929-1952) suggests a
single line of trees, an aerial survey photo taken in 1946, confirms that an avenue
had been planted. This southern section includes oak, ash and white poplar. Not
all of these trees have survived and two stumps remain, one 500mm high and the
other 6m. Some replanting of crab apple has taken place but these trees are
suffering from lack of light caused by the adjacent tree canopies.
Many semi mature specimen trees grow along the eastern boundary, probably
planted c1960 when the land came under Deal BC ownership. They include
beech, fir, oak, silver birch and cherry.

The remaining areas of the site are grassed and accommodate four football
pitches in winter which, until recently, doubled as cricket pitches during the
summer. A metal shelter is located below the tree avenue at the southern end
for those watching football. Numerous benches are provided around the gardens
and recreation grounds."(1)

<1> Kent Gardens Trust, 2017, The Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Dover: Marke Wood Recreation Gorund (Unpublished document). SKE51715.