The park north of the river is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames; south of the river it is in the London Borough of Hounslow. Crane Park is one of 11 parks in Greater London selected for renovation funds by a public vote. In 2009 the park received £400,000 towards better footpaths, more lighting, refurbished public toilets and new play areas for children.[1]
Crown property, leased to the council. An area of open space 147 hectares (360 acres) of which 90.4 hectares (220 acres) are leased as sports grounds for sports, particularly rugby and golf.[3][4] Despite the name, there are now no deer in the park.
A small garden and recreation ground is at the foot of Kew Bridge, between Waterloo Place (a row of houses and flats off Kew Green)[6] and the Thames riverbank. Historically common land, it has a memorial garden – bordered by hedges – to the fallen in the First World War, a grass area, three hard tennis courts and a children's playground. Since 1939 it has been managed by the local authority, which is now Richmond upon Thames Council.[6]