Lodge Farm Park: Miniature Railway, Tennis & Trees

Today I visited Lodge Farm Park, which is close to Raphael Park. While I was walking around Raphael Park, I came across the car park, and that’s where I found the entrance to Lodge Farm Park. The entrance looked really nice, with lots of trees and greenery. It felt more like a family park, with a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of space to walk around.

1 The Welcome Board

Just inside, there’s a detailed information board covering the park’s history and ecology, plus a map of the whole layout, tennis courts and outdoor gym near the top by the car park, then bowling greens and a pavilion further down towards Carlton Road.

Before the park existed, the land was owned by Roger Reede’s Charity and leased out for dairy farming. The council bought roughly 12 acres from the charity in 1927 for £1,350, and for a while afterwards it was used as a tip for town refuse before being left to settle. A 1950s proposal to build a swimming pool here was rejected by the Minister of Housing in 1961, and the park as it exists today, with its bowling greens, pavilion and playground, was finished the following year at a cost of £42,000.

The same board lists the birds you might spot around the park, along with some notable tree specimens including Atlantic Blue Cedar, Cedar of Lebanon, Golden Rain Tree, Northern Chinese Red Birch and Sweet Chestnut. It’s a more varied mix than you’d expect from a park that started life as farmland less than a century ago, and it makes the walk in from the car park feel more like an arboretum than a straightforward green space.

2 Tennis and the Outdoor Gym

As I walked further in, I came to the tennis courts, which are available to book. A sign on the fence explains that the courts are owned by Havering Council but bookable directly through the LTA, part of a wider government-funded court refurbishment scheme. Just a little further down, there’s also an outdoor gym with different exercise equipment, and it was all in good working condition, the kind of thing you could use for a quick workout on the way past.

3 The Miniature Railway

There was also an ice cream truck nearby, which was perfect for the children. While walking around, I noticed some small railway tracks and a little train that takes children around the park. Unfortunately, I arrived quite late today and the station was already closed, but it looked like a fun activity for families, the track even runs through a little tunnel cut into the hedge.

A noticeboard for the Friends of Raphael Park & Lodge Farm Park fills in the details: the railway is run entirely by volunteers from the Havering Miniature Railway Club, who meet at Havering Halt station on Sundays and Wednesdays. Rides currently run on the first and third Sunday of the month from April to October, 11am to 4pm, at £2.50 a ticket, with a ticket-only Santa Special in December.

4 One Very Wide Tree

There is also a playground where children can play, and the whole park has a really nice family atmosphere. But one thing that really caught my attention was a huge, wide tree standing on its own on the open grass. Its shape looked almost like it had been drawn by hand, spreading out sideways as much as it grows up, which made it stand out from all the other trees around it.

5 The Walking Route

The park is also great for walking because of the way the paths are laid out. You start lower down, then walk up a small hill and eventually come back down again, almost in a circle. It makes the walk more interesting and gives you different views as you go around, rather than just an out-and-back path.

Getting There and Parking

Lodge Farm Park has entrances on Main Road (opposite Raphael Park), Sims Close and Carlton Road. If you’re driving, there’s a council car park just off Carlton Road.

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