Mountsfield Park sits on the eastern escarpment of the Ravensbourne Valley, offering a panoramic view west towards Crystal Palace, Forest Hill, Hilly Fields, the Shard and the City of London. East looks towards the water tower which belonged to the Park Fever Hospital in Hither Green. During the 1840s Henry Stainton built Mountsfield House for his son, Tibbats, very close to where the park café is now located. Henry Tibbats Stainton became a well-known entomologist, authoring Stainton's Manual of British Butterflies and Moths in 1859. He lived at Mountsfield House from 1846 for 46 years. His wife, Jane, continued to live there until 1898. The estate garden is now the community garden and formal rose garden. Before becoming a park in 1905 it was mostly open pasture divided into fields by hedgerows. Part of Clangor Hill field was flattened during the early 1920s to become The Mount football ground, used by Charlton Athletic in 1923-24. A large portion of Ratcliff Hill field was the Catford Boys School playing field until the late 1980s when the school closed. Both College Field, sloping westwards away from the cafe, and Clayes Field/ Nine Acres Field, running alongside George Lane and encompassing the community garden, rose garden and cafe area, were cultivated as fruit and vegetable allotments during World War II. Mountsfield Park continues to serve as a vital resource for thousands. Well known for its cafe, children's play area, Lewisham People's Day music and cultural event, community gardens, it also serves as a much- appreciated access to nature, space, sport and socialisation, providing a grateful community with good reason to enjoy the outdoors.