SPRINGFIELD PARK Not very far from Clissold lies Springfield Park, in Upper Clapton, opened to the public in 1905. It also has the advantage of being made out of well laid out private grounds. The area, 32.5 acres, embraced three residences, two of which have been pulled down, while the third, Springfield House, which gives its name to the Park, has been retained, and serves as refreshment rooms. The view from the front of the house over Walthamstow Marshes is very extensive. The ground slopes steeply to the river Lea, and beyond on the plain, like a lake, the reservoirs of the "East London Works," now part of the Metropolitan Water Board, make a striking picture. Springfield House was, until lately, one of those pleasant old-fashioned residences of which there were many in this neighbourhood, standing in well-planted gardens overlooking the marshes and fertile flats below. These delightful houses are becoming more rare every year, and it is fortunate that the grounds of one of the most attractive should have been preserved as a public park. The place was well cared for in old days, as the good specimen trees testify. A flourishing purple beech is growing up, also a sweet chestnut and several birches, A very old black mulberry still survives, although showing signs of age. There are other nice timber trees on the hillside, and among the shrubs an Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree, is one of the most unusual. This Park, though small, is quite unlike any other, and has much to recommend it to the general public, while in the more immediate neighbourhood it is greatly appreciated.
