Rainham Recreation Ground dates from 1890, originally designated as commemorating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of 1887, the land had previously been agricultural land. Previously aquired for use by the local Cricket and Football Clubs, the area now exists as an area for general recreation with a children's play area, small climbing wall, basketball net and an adjacent carpark. Its minimal history is well documented, especially demonstrating the increase in municipal, public open spaces as social awareness into health and sport increased from the victorian period.

In 2015, Kent Gardens Trust, performed a review of the historic information regarding Rainham Recreation Ground, Rainham.

Taken from the review:
"BRIEF HISTORY: Rainham Recreation Ground dates from 1890, originally designated as commemorating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of 1887, with a plaque to that effect on the gate. Until 1888 sport had been played at nearby Berengrove Park but this was private land belonging to Berengrove House owned by the Walter family. During the second half of the C19 locals had been allowed to wander into Berengrove Park which had woodland and ponds. The Walter family had allowed local events to take place in the park. Pressure for recreational grounds increased in the latter half of the C19 and Rainham football club amalgamated with the cricket club, thus creating a need for a permanent venue.
In 1888 Lord Hothfield who owned much of Rainham presented the village with a seven acre field in celebration of Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The land had previously been agricultural land used by Mr Prentis, a tenant farmer.A committee had been set up in 1887 by the Parish Council to find a suitable venue. Lord Hothfield had given the Parish Council the option of a 21 year lease on the land or the right to purchase the land directly from Mr Prentis. After some difficulties with the said Mr Prentis, the matter was solved by Marshall Harvey an accountant who set up a company on behalf of the parish council. Twenty-one acres were purchased by this company; seven were then given to the parish council and the rest sold.
The ground was then overseen by a group of trustees headed by the local vicar. The deeds gave the parish the seven acres in perpetuity, to be fenced off and vested in the trustees' name. The parish council proposed that the ground should be used for general recreation but the cricket club was reserved one acre of ground at the Scott Avenue end of the field while the football club used the other end. According to a report in the East Kent Gazette, dated November 1890, turfing was completed in the early part of 1890.

[The current (2014) carpark and the land to the north were used as allotment gardens (1897 OS map). By 1907 the land to the north has been developed into housing, but the carpark remains as allotments. These remain as allotments until the 1929-1952 4th edition OS map. In 1904 a waterpip and a wooden structure was erected for use by the cricket club. The wooden structure remained until a purpose built pavillion was erected in the 1980s. In 1923 the Cricket Club moved away to Bengrove Park, however the football club played until the 1980s on Rainham Recreation Ground.

DESCRIPTION: [Rainham Recreation Ground lies 200 m east of Rainham railway station.] The rectangular recreation ground of c2.7ha is surrounded by mature trees on the perimeter and a footpath runs around the edge of the grassed area. Another footpath crosses the land diagonally from the NE. The whole area is surrounded by a fence. Along Scott Avenue and Wakely Road are the remnants of Victorian wrought iron fencing. The railway line runs along the SW edge of the recreation ground. Separating the recreation ground from the railway property is chain-link fencing… A football pitch is marked out on the ground; there is also a climbing wall and a basketball net… The toilets and pavilion seem to be closed.

…Rainham Recreation Ground is one of Medway’s many municipal, public open spaces laid out to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Its minimal history is well documented; clearly it has played an important part as a recreational area, as health and sport increased in social awareness from the Victorian period.

The site is valued as a local amenity, particularly for those with children and dogs. However, although of some significance as typical of such spaces in terms of its 120 year history and commemorative status, Rainham is a purely functional recreational space without any significant designed features and therefore does not constitute a designed landscape. No further investigation is therefore recommended at this stage.

<1> Kent Gardens Trust, 2015, The Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Medway: Rainham Recreation Ground, Rainham (Unpublished document). SKE31426.