The history of the stables on Park Lane in Teddington

Fire Brigade parade in Teddington in the early 1900s

As we start planning the refurbishment of Park Lane Stables, which dates from at least 1830, we’ve been delving into its history.

Bushy Park, just around the corner from the stables, dates back to 1514, when it was enclosed by Cardinal Wolsey out of the old sheep pastures of Hounslow Heath. When Henry VIII later claimed Wolsey’s Hampton Court Palace for himself, he stocked Bushy Park with deer to form a hunting ground on his doorstep. Centuries later, riders from the stables in Park Lane were and are blessed with the privilege of riding along avenues of oak and lime trees past the current generation of wild deer, and all within a few miles of central London.

Alms-houses were built in Park Lane (then Alms-House Road) in 1739 for poor families. By 1800 it was described as ‘Private Carriage Road’, 20 feet wide, leading across Teddington Common to Hampton Common. By 1830 there were stables opposite the alms-houses, attached to the site of the local Fire Station. We know that horses were stabled here to pull the new fire engine bought for the parish in 1831. Maps from the late C19th show the stables and alms-houses still surrounded by open fields.

That map was re-drawn by the houses that have lined Park Lane since the early C20th. The alms-houses (still there in the photo below) were demolished in 1950, and the council land they occupied became a handy paddock in the 1950s and 1960s, before eventually new housing was built.

By 1950 the stables had become ‘The Children’s Riding School’, run by Keith Luxford. “Children were easier to manage and ponies are cheaper to keep than horses.” The daughter of the young girl seen on horseback in this black and white photograph still lives close to the stables today and used to ride there herself as a child.

By 1960, it was Park Lane Riding School, run by Peter Churchill whose book Riding for Everyone shows that there was a healthy attitude of inclusivity even before Natalie O’Rourke arrived in 2009. The site had been empty for a few years before Natalie founded Park Lane Stables as a Riding for the Disabled Association Centre.

In 2022, with a temporary home to operate from, we have a wonderful opportunity to give Park Lane Stables the facelift its 200 year history deserves. We’re proud to be able to continue the legacy of horses at the centre of our community.

We’ll share details in due course, but there are two features you’ll definitely get to see: the ‘cuddle door’, where you’ll find a pony looking onto the street watching the world go by; and the ‘Wall of Bricks’, sponsored by 1200 supporters of our momentous 2021 campaign, and bearing their names.

With thanks to the Teddington Cricket Club website and to Cathy Cooper for her research into the history of our building and its location.